"We may have a problem, Sir." Allen Finch seriously hated his job and he really hated having to tell the Mayor whenever there was a potential problem. Mayor Wilkins came across as cheerful and well meaning. But he was a demon worshipping black Magic user who sold his soul and sacrificed children to demons.

It was a sound policy to not upset him.

"What kind of problem, Allen?" Mayor Wilkins sniffed the report the Deputy Mayor handed him, he was very much a germophobe and constantly checked to make sure everything smelled and looked clean.

"The hunter team made a discovery that necesitated them making a police report. They discovered a grave had been dug up using a shovel left at the scene."

"That was very conscientious of them. What digs up bodies using a shovel, Allen?"

"I'm unaware of any demons that would choose to do so, Sir."

"It was a joke, Allen. Most demons have claws, not hands and thus would not use a shovel to dig up a grave. And vampires dig their way out of graves, not into graves. Which leaves a human."

"That's our problem, Sir. Chief Monroe wants to know how much effort they should put into actually investigating, it's possible the body was dug up for black Magic purposes."

"Well, that would be my guess. Are your hands clean, Allen?" Mayor Wilkins asked in a chipper voice. "Let me see."

"Oh um, yes Sir." Allen nervously held his hands out as the Mayor inspected them.

"They could be cleaner, Allen, use a bristle brush around your nails."

"Um, yes Sir. About the grave the hunter team found, they're unaware that we're aware of the supernatural or of their purpose in town. But Chief Monroe is concerned that if we don't at least give the appearance of an investigation it could make them suspicious. The investigation the Watchers Council did of the Slayer's friend, Alexander Harris' family situation has already called attention to Family Services and their lack of response to the boy's situation."

Richard Wilkins frowned. "Yes and that means I had to promise an overhaul of the department, an increase in their budget so they could hire more and better staff because it's obviously a very overworked and underfunded department that couldn't handle the case load they had. Hopefully the state investigators won't feel an inspection is necessary in the next year and a half before my Ascension. After which of course, I will have eaten the graduating class, including Alexander Harris and be ruling the world and it will no longer be necessary to hold to such promises."

"Yes, Sir." Allen dutifully responded.

"I suppose Chief Monroe must make it at least appear he's looking into this case." The Mayor conceded. "The average citizen in Sunnydale would have simply forgotten about it, but the hunter team is not susceptible to the docility of the average citizen. They'll follow up on their report and Chief Monroe should be able to give them some sort of answer that doesn't arouse their curiousity."

"Yes, Sir. I'll let Chief Monroe know."

"You do that, Allen. In the meantime, I want Chief Monroe to actually investigate and discover which of our fair citizens was so careless as to leave evidence of their activities where the hunter team could find it. He needs to explain the word discretion to them."

"Yes, Sir. How...forcefully should he explain, Sir?"

"Enough to get the message. A warning, didn't the Mob supposedly have a delightful little tradition of cutting off a finger if someone...displeased the Boss?"

"I don't know, Sir. But I think it might have been the Yakuza."

"Weren't they Japan's version of the Mob?"

"I'm not familiar with either culture enough to say for sure, Sir. I could check into it if you like." Allen offered.

"No, that's okay. But I do like the idea and I do think Chief Monroe would enjoy it a great deal."

"Yes, Sir." Allen felt nauseous, the Police Chief probably would enjoy it. A lot.

"Let me know if there's anymore problems, Allen." The Mayor made a shooing motion. "I have a meeting with a delightful little old...something, I'll have to check my notes on their species name. It would be rude to mispronounce it. Some of their females seem to be trying to use Earth to hide out on." *

"Earth, Sir?"

"They're from another dimension."

"Oh, yes Sir." Allen hurried out, trying not to throw up. That really would upset Mayor Wilkins. So unsanitary.

Having to return later to report that a total of three graves had been reported dug up, each containing a teenage girl and all three having died in a car accident, an extremely rare way of dying in Sunnydale and that each grave had been left dug up made the nervous little Deputy Mayor even more nervous, because now it meant someone was being extremely sloppy and calling unnecessary attention.

"The families are aware that the bodies have been dug up, Sir. The situation seems to be escalating rapidly."

"Tisk, so sloppy. Well, I have no other recourse, I'm afraid. Chief Monroe must discover who is responsible and make an example of them. A painful example. Let the Chief know, Allen."

"Yes, Sir." Deputy Mayor Allen Finch left to deliver the order, for the second time this year, the first being in regards to the zookeeper, for a slow and painful death for whoever was discovered to be responsible.

Chief Monroe was a man who found the job of covering up the supernatural in Sunnydale to mostly be a boring job, but sometimes the Mayor did give orders that made up for it. This was one of them, Chief Monroe promised to find whoever was responsible soon.

Deputy Mayor Finch wondered how long until the insanity of working for Mayor Wilkins made it so he no longer even noticed or cared about the gleeful look on Chief Monroe's face.

He really hated his life.

######

A/N *Reference to the Oden Tal dimension, from an Angel episode, She.