[quote]“There’s no need to fret Mayor Toll. I’m sure your daughter loves you very much. The kindness of a woman’s heart has no bounds, or so I’ve been told,” Alice said, leaning on the wall and humming with a finger rested against her chin. “It’s quite possible she left you out of anger given your last interaction. But anger is only present when someone feeds the flames. Who’s to say your daughter isn’t regretting her choices and hiding in fear of your anger Mister Toll?”[/quote]

[b]"What?!"[/b] The mayor's tear-stained face raised to stare in shock at Alice for her blunt words. [b]"Are you insinuating -- do you [i]imply[/i] that my daughter has anything to fear from me, her loving and doting father?"[/b] His voice cracked in the wake of a lie. His mouth trembled, though his eyes flared defiantly. He had thought of a very good reason his daughter might be hiding from him -- but he was very certain it wasn't something these detectives needed to know. [b]"I want only what's best for her! She knows that! We've moved on from the past!"[/b]

[quote]"Well, that may be true, Miss Alice. However," Rhea said, approaching the conversing duo from the side, "isn't it also said that no force in nature can rival a scorned woman's spite?" She added playfully, perhaps in a bit of ill-spirited tease, before revealing the sketch of the paw mark. "Not only have I invited our possible new companion, but also found an interesting bit of information that may or not be related to Mister Kenver's vanishment. As soon as we are settled on our lodgings I shall look around the tomes I brought to see if this matches the outline of any known beast. Unless, of course, you may be aware of what creature could produce such marks, Mister Toll?"[/quote]

Mayor Toll jumped a little at Rhea's presence, having not noticed her in his passion to defend himself, and he blinked his small watery eyes at the pawprint sketch that was presented to him. His eyebrows raised, and he breathed noisily through his nose while he calmed himself enough to focus. [b]"We've only -- we've only seen wolves around here,"[/b] he said honestly. [b]"Occasionally a bear, but that doesn't look like any bear track I've seen. The hunters will know more about tracks than I do."[/b] He shook his head dismissively -- the mayor was certain this track must have nothing to do with his daughter's disappearance, so wrapped he was in his theory of the recluse boyfriend. [b]"There's one of those Von Hochstadt books in one of the upstairs rooms, maybe that will be of some use. I urge you, please investigate Jory Tregear, I'm convinced he's holding my daughter hostage."[/b] He added this last in desperation, pointing toward the shut-up house at the end of the row.

The pawprint, upon investigation, might prove to be that of a lion -- or of any creature that might take a lion's form.

[hr][@KoL][@TheWindel]