A/N: Shout out to my anonymous reviewer. More on our poor woman in this chapter. Glad you liekd it!
Chapter 3
"Prince Fiyero! Miss Elphaba!" The mayor of the small town practically fell down after he'd bolted up out of his seat. The last thing he was expecting in his day was a visit from royalty and Lady Glinda's right-hand woman. He quickly offered them seats in the chairs in front of his desk before introducing himself as Mayor Byron Smythe. He offered them coffee but both declined politely.
"Sorry for barging in with no notice, Mayor Smythe, but we found something on the road a ways back and we thought we should tell someone," Fiyero was hoping to put the man at ease.
"Oh dear. That does not sound good," the man said. He was taller than Fiyero but weighed probably a good fifty pounds more. His skin was light and he dressed smartly in a tailored grey suit.
"It's not, I'm afraid. It was the body of a dead young lady. We wondered if maybe you were missing someone?" Fiyero asked. The mayor swallowed.
"Are you ok?" Elphaba was afraid that the man was going to pass out.
"We are missing someone. Miss Sarah Negrete," he slumped against the back of his chair.
"We brought the body with us. It is with our carriage out back of this building and Corporal Roth is guarding it," Fiyero explained.
"I must see it. If it is Sarah, I must notify her parents," Smythe told them.
"Agreed. The nearest Gale Force detachment is in the next town over, correct?" The Prince asked.
"Yes, but… you think…" the notion was dawning on him.
"She does not have much clothing on and her feet were bare and clean. She was tossed into a ditch, most likely in an attempt to hide her," Elphaba explained. The mayor shook his head.
"Please lead me to her. We should get Chief Celli. He heads up our small police department," Smythe said. The group left the office and exited out of the back door. Corporal Roth was standing next to the carriage and saluted Fiyero.
"Mayor Smythe would like to see the body," Fiyero told him. They had moved the luggage off the luggage rack and put it inside the carriage. This allowed them to secure the body onto the rack and cover it with an old saddle blanket. Roth worked carefully and pulled the blanket from the face of the victim.
"I believe that is Sarah," Smythe sighed.
"Where can we find the Chief so that we may turn her over to him?" Fiyero wanted to know.
"Corporal, the Chief is two buildings down. Please get him for us," the mayor told him. Roth gave him a quick salute and immediately left.
"The Chief is a logical man and he will discount what some believe," Smythe told them.
"What do you mean?" Fiyero gave him a look.
"The Witch of Ugabu is responsible for this," the mayor said. Elphaba's eyes went wide.
"Why do you say this?" She asked.
"It is said that the souls of young women is how she keeps her youthful appearance," Smythe said. Elphaba was about to tell him that that was not possible when he continued,
"There have been strange goings on in town the last week. I didn't believe that it could be so but this… this just confirms it." Elphaba turned to Fiyero.
"We need to have a chat with you and the Chief," the Prince said as Corporal Roth returned with the lawman.
To Be Continued…