Half an hour later, the town hall had become a temporary police station.
The patrol that had just been dismissed assembled again and stood by at the town hall.
Jessica and the others, who had planned to head into the mountains, came there with Green. The two witnesses accompanied them: the merchant and the woman who had screamed.
"O-officer, I... I really don't know what happened!" The plump woman stumbled over her words, still shaken by what she had seen. "I live next to the freight depot and usually cook two meals a day for them. Everything was fine yesterday. I don't know how... how it could..." She began crying again, fear returning to her face.
In another room, the merchant faced the same questions. Unlike the sheltered woman, he had traveled widely and had steadier nerves. After a glass of water, he had mostly calmed down. "Officer Jessica, you know how our caravan operates. This trip was no different from the others. But when we reached the freight depot, I noticed something was wrong. No one came to take the wagons! The office door was locked from the inside, too. I thought it was strange, so I went to find Ms. Chelsea—the woman next door. She cooks for the depot. Her house has a small door leading into the office so she can bring them their meals."
The merchant continued in an orderly fashion. "I've brought caravans here often, so I know Ms. Chelsea. I asked her why no one was tending the depot in broad daylight. But then..." He swallowed. "She thought it was strange, too. She said the depot workers had come for breakfast that morning, so someone should have been there. Then she took me through the small door."
Fear flickered in the merchant's eyes. "We