Evelyn West

Chapter Four

It dawned in New Andalusia and the city was still in mourning. Official mourning was declared in honor of delegate Mathias. Classes have been suspended until further notice. The same happened with the city hall and some local businesses.

In addition to the sadness, the general population panicked with the story of the headless mule that circulates in the vicinity.

The gossip of the moment was that most of the plantations and orchards in the region were virtually destroyed, animals were killed and horse tracks were found, along with a green goo and an unbearable stench of carrion.

During his walk, he heard all kinds of rumors, one more absurd than the other. Many of them were associated with Colonel Vivar's difficult genius... they said he was so bad that he ended up cursing the poor mare...

_ Could it be that the same can happen with or other horses?

_ Oh my father, a herd of headless mules riding around? It will be the end of us!

_ I hope that monster doesn't have puppies...

_ They must sacrifice all the horses of the Farm, to guarantee that none of them turns into monsters!

_ If that man wasn't so bad, that wouldn't have happened!

In a small town, news spread very fast.

"This story of the headless mule started at the Andaluz Farm, when Colonel Vivar's favorite mare got sick and had a certain treatment... what treatment was that? I mean, if that's what happened!" It was his main thought. He decided to stop by the police station to talk to his police friends to see if anyone knew anything, and maybe take him to the farm to investigate the case.

He was lucky. As soon as he got there, he found his old friend Felipe. He greeted him and of course got to the point:

_ Can you tell me what really happened there towards Colonel Vivar's Farm?

_ Only what was commented... but like the chief, God rest assured, I'm not believing much in that headless mule story...

_ Do you also think that there is something wrong in this story?

_ Honestly... I don't even know what to think. The Andaluz Farm foreman started to spread the rumor, but as he is known for drinking too much, they thought he was drunk, but after the sheriff died the same way, I don't know... it's too much of a coincidence!

_ But was he the only one who saw it?

_ Some employees of the farm must have seen something at the time, but they don't speak out of fear.

_ Felipe ... I heard that the mare received some kind of treatment and soon after began to act in a very strange way. Can you tell me what it was about?

_ Ah, I don't know what that treatment was... as far as I know, the colonel hired the best veterinarian in the State of São Paulo to take care of his horses. And since your father worked in that stable for years, you must know better than anyone that these animals are his greatest pride and that his farm is the only one in the region that works in the breeding of purebred horses.

It is true, of the dozens of farms in Nova Andalucia, Fazenda Andaluz was the only one in the entire region that was exclusively destined for this purpose for several generations. And everyone here knew that Colonel Vivar, a descendant of the first Spanish colonists, wanted to remain in power.

Although the city has a mayor, the colonels who rule in New Andalusia have always fought each other since the city's foundation.

And maybe that's why someone wanted to sabotage him...some other farmer decided to invest in the equine business and knew he would be a great rival.

While Mitchel assembled the pieces of this puzzle, Felipe continued to narrate:

_ When the animal got sick, he didn't know what to do, as it was a rare disease. They even talked about sacrificing the poor mare... until she showed up.

_ Who she?

_ A doctor known to the veterinarian. She sent for I don't know where and help him with the mare's problem. She stayed at the farm for a few days and then left!

_ Dude, can you tell me who this girl is?

_ No. She spent most of her time on the farm, but she and the vet walked around town.

_ Could it be that someone else here in the city also saw her?

_ They must have seen her, since she was that kind of girl you don't see every day, especially around here. You know, small town, most people know each other and of course when someone comes from outside, it gets a lot of attention. And that girl was very, very beautiful!

Felipe suddenly realized that he had said too much, as everyone knew that Lívia had dated the vet and, when he least expected it, he was with someone else walking around for everyone to see. Of course, this generated a lot of gossip among the population... which unfortunately was not forgotten with the new rumor of the headless mule.

_ Oh man, it was bad ... I forgot that the deceased dated the your sister...

_ All right, I know you didn't mean it. And now, that's what matters least. We have more important things to worry about right now.

To change the subject, Mitchel asked Felipe if he knew where the foreman or someone who works at Fazenda Andaluz was.

_ Wow... after that episode, the poor man was interned in an asylum in another city. But do you remember Nico? Nicolas! He works there. I would take you there, but I'm waiting for the new sheriff to take over the case. But I can try to talk to him.

_ Thank you brother. One more question: what else happened here in town when the incident at the Farm happened?

_ The old priest was transferred to another parish and a new priest came. At the same time Pastor Silas moved here. He and the new priest don't get along very well.

_ Why?

_ Padre Angelo also does not believe in this story and also thinks that the pastor is taking advantage of people's fear to gain space. And what's worse, it's working!

Seeing that he already had some of the information he needed, he decided to head back home. He said goodbye to his friend and left, hoping to talk to Nico today. And he already knew where to start...

On the Andalusian Farm.