3. A clean corpse
"It must be here," Rango promulgated and climbed down from this roadrunner.
Behind him Beans, Doc, Waffles and Elgin.
"Beans, I don't like it that you came with us, you know that."
The lizard girl rolled her eyes. "I have seen enough terrible things in my life. Don't be a coward."
"Hey, I'm not the coward," Rango protested and lifted his head.
Beans wanted to go first, but Rango held her arm.
"No, Beans, it's still the best that I go first and check the environment."
With these words the chameleon walked along a natural stone wall, the first monuments of the ravine. The others followed him with drew weapons. Rango moved his eyes in all directions, but he found no suspect things.
Finally, they came to a little niche, where a way led to a hidden dry maar glade, which had surrounded with red-orange stone walls.
Suddenly Rango froze. There lay something on the floor.
"What's that?"
Rango went closer, but shortly after he flinched. It was a rodent. The man lay on the back, his arms stretched like Jesus on the cross. Around lay a circle of dried little branches. And on his chest lay a desert flower.
The chameleon bent more down to look at the rodent's face and was horrified. Never he had seen such a face.
It was clear, the rodent was dead, but he looked so pale, even with the fur.
Rango swallowed. "D-doc?" he stuttered. "Could you…"
He didn't speak more and pointed just at the corpse.
The one ear rabbit came immediately and examined the dead rodent.
"This man died because of blood loss," he came to the conclusion. "But I see no wounds."
"Bled out and no wounds, how is that possible?" Waffles asked.
Rango scanned the ground. But there were no footprints. Not even blood stains.
He felt Beans's eyes. "What does that mean?" she asked with the glance on the desert flower on the victim's chest.
Rango knitted his brow. "Looks like a ritual murder."
He didn't pay longer attention to it and searched the area.
"Did you find anything?" Elgin asked, when he saw how the chameleon picked up something. It was long and thin. It looked like a little needle, or a very little arrow, half long like his finger.
"Doc," he said and handed it to the rabbit. "Survey this, please."
Doc nodded and wrapped it in a towel.
"What about him?" Waffles asked and pointed at the ritualed rodent.
"We will bring him to my house", Doc said.
Rango nodded. But before they left, he let his eyes wander over the area.
What had happened here?