Sunny stood stuck in place while White went to get Wolf. Just staring at the woman's head for what felt like hours.
"So... Who found her?" Wolf asked.
"I did. She was just like this. I didn't touch her. I called Fei; then I grabbed Grimble's jacket to cover her with...then... I came to get you."
Sunny still felt like the woman was staring at her somehow.
"No one else was with you?"
"No," White paused for a moment. "Bigby, did one of us...do this?"
"There hasn't been a murder in Fabletown in...a long time...Not since-" Wolf stopped himself when his eyes landed on Sunny.
"All the more reason we shouldn't start a panic before we know what's going on," White told them while watching people pass by on the street. "Have a look around. We don't have much time before people will be coming through here."
"Can I just..." Sunny kneeled down and closed the woman's eyes. Finding that the eyes were staring up at her was starting to get to Sunny.
"Strange cut...what did this to her?" Wolf wondered.
"What could do something like that?" Snow asked in concern.
"I think it had to be something magical," Sunny guessed. "Something about her veins doesn't seem right."
"She was placed here with some care," Wolf noticed.
"What do you mean?" White questioned.
"You can see that someone didn't just toss her here. She was deliberately placed...for us to find."
"What kind of monster would do this?" White shook her head.
Sunny stood back up and moved to place a comforting hand on White's shoulder. Which she seemed to appreciate. As she did this, Wolf continued examining the head. Finding something lodged in her mouth.
"That's-" Sunny took a breath. "That's the ribbon she was wearing."
Wolf lifted the ribbon up to show Sunny and White that the ribbon had a silver ring tied around it. "There's some kind of symbol here."
"Hm. I...I don't recognize it." White said.
"Neither do I." Wolf agreed.
"Ugh, I...I'm sorry, this is just so surreal." Snow told Wolf as he got up. "Uh, what, what do you want to do next?"
"We still have some time...I should keep investigating the area." As Wolf started looking around, Sunny moved towards the head. She turned to White for a moment. Silently asking if she could. Once White nodded, Sunny covered the head and held it in her arms.
"I'm sorry," White said quietly.
"For what?" Sunny replied. Not sure what White meant.
"You've only been a deputy for a few hours and... And to have something like this happen. It's just so...I can't even think."
Sunny nodded her head in agreement. "It's not how I pictured it going, but I'm going to do my job and find out who did this."
"Someone brought her in from the outside," Wolf explained as he made his way back over to the two of them.
"That checks out. There's no sign of a struggle. But how do you know for sure?" Sunny questioned.
"I found blood on the fence back there. Someone hopped over."
"Okay, good. That's solid. So someone from the outside... Well, at least they didn't come from inside the Woodlands." White signed in relief.
"Where do we go from here?" Sunny asked White.
"I'm going to have to tell Crane about this. As long as King Cole is gone, he's acting mayor...he needs to know. And he's going to find out anyway, so we may as well get out in front of it. It'll just be worse if he finds out we held it from him.
Bigby started giving her a look. White frowned back. "I know you don't like him, Bigby, but...he's our boss. This is part of the job."
Sunny didn't know much about Ichabod Crane. Other than that, a lot of people didn't seem to like him. Her aunt had thrown around the words coward and delusional. She couldn't say she disagreed with her aunt's sentiment. There was something very off about Crane every time Sunny had interacted with him.
But Sunny didn't want to focus on him at that moment. An innocent person had been killed, and Sunny was determined to find out who had done it.
"Better do it sooner than later," Sunny said.
"That's how I feel too. I'm sure he won't be happy, but...it's just part of the process. Hopefully, he can be rational about it." Snow agreed.
"I wouldn't hold my breath," Wolf shrugged.
"I'm not," White grimaced.
"I just don't want him interfering," Wolf told her.
"Crane's not what's important right now. We need to figure out who this girl was to find whoever did this. You two take this back to Doctor Swineheart. He can take a look at it. I'll meet you at the Business Office."
White made her way back into the Woodlands, While Sunny and Wolf headed to Swineheart's Office. It took them about an hour, and soon enough, they were on their way back to the Business Office.
"You doing alright?" Wolf asked Sunny as they walked.
Sunny took a deep breath. "I could be doing a lot worse... I just..."
"What's on your mind?"
"I could have done more," Sunny sighed. "She was in a bad situation. I could've... should've asked more questions. Should've just done more to help her."
"We can't get stuck thinking about 'what we could have done'. Let's just focus on finding out who did this."
Sunny nodded. "I... I think we can rule out Woody."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, you said so yourself; she had been placed there with care. Woody wasn't in any state to do that last time we saw him."
"That's true," The two of them paused their conversation when they walked into the Woodlands. Figuring it be better not to talk about the murder with so many people around.
Several people were lined up against the wall in a similar fashion to when Sunny arrived earlier.
"What're you two-blind? What? You don't see there's a line? I've been standing here a half hour already." A dark-haired man shouted at them as Sunny and Wolf passed. "You get to just walk in? Must be nice being the sheriff... Do whatever the fuck you like."
"I work here." Wolf frowned.
"And what great work you do, Sheriff." The man huffed.
"Hmm...that didn't feel very genuine." Wolf rolled his eyes.
"Wolf, we need to go," Sunny said as she pulled him by the arm.
"All the time in the world for your own shit!" The green and white-eyed man yelled at them. "... Fuckers."
Sunny and Wolf made their way into the Business Office without another word.
Crane and White were standing in the middle of the room. Crane was too busy berating White to notice Wolf and Sunny coming toward them.
"The last thing I need with Mayor Cole away is a hysteria. Do you understand me?"
"Yes. Of course, I do, but-" White tried to defend herself.
"Don't interrupt me, Miss Snow!"
"You asked me a question!"
"Don't change the subject! You are to blame for this unpleasantness, Miss Snow!"
"I brought you this news as soon as I could!"
"You are trusted to keep things running smoothly around here! This is a disaster! Who else is to blame if not you?"
Sunny stepped towards Crane. "That's enough! Stomping your feet and yelling like a child isn't going to find us the person who did this!"
"How DARE you!" Crane said in disgust. "Who do you think you-"
"If anyone's to blame, it's me. You don't need to be yelling at them." Wolf stated.
"Oh, your role in this is duly noted! Yes, let's talk about that!" Crane moved towards his desk. "Sheriff, you are the one charged with protecting the citizens of Fabletown. Your failure to do so cost someone their life and the safety of the entire community!"
Crane sat down with a pompous smirk that made Sunny want to smack him. "Tell me you two have been doing something. Are there any leads? Suspects?"
As White sat down, Wolf and Sunny looked to each other. Silently wondering what to say.
"Any shred of evidence you two know what the hell you're doing? Because right now, I have half a mind to fire all three of you."
"Are you even allowed to do that?" Sunny briefly wondered.
"Her pimp," Wolf stated.
"Her...was she a...?" Crane stumbled over his own words.
"She was worried about a money situation," Sunny explained.
"Well, this is just wonderful. Not only was a Fable killed, but it was a Fable hooker to boot. You two need to get a handle on this situation quickly and quietly. The last thing we need is all of Fabletown knowing there's a killer amongst us," Crane ranted before turning to White. "Snow!"
"Yes..sir?" White answered.
"Call Vivian right this minute and let her know I'm coming in early for my...massage," Crane said as he walked out of the room.
"I will," White nodded.
"Where is the bottle of wine you were to purchase?" Snow looked around the room for a bottle that wasn't there. "Oh, bother. Forget it. Can't do anything right."
Crane started walking away. Muttering under his breath until he turned back to Wolf and Sunny. "You two better do your jobs...or we'll find someone who can.
The two of them didn't say anything in return. Sunny just stared daggers into the back of Crane's head as he left.
"You would've just pissed him off more," White said regarding their silence.
"Alright," Wolf shrugged.
White let out a breath. "Well, that could've gone better. Well...maybe we should have 'dragged it out."
"You did the right thing." Sunny gave White a reassuring smile.
"Yeah. Maybe-" White said as Wolf put a cigarette in his mouth. "Oh, Crane doesn't like people smoking in--
Wolf raised an eyebrow at her.
"Never mind. Smoke away."
"Who gets a massage this early in the day?" Sunny wondered aloud as Wolf lit his cigarette.
"It doesn't really matter the time of day. The mere scent of stress, and he's out the door." White explained.
Sunny made a concerned hum. It didn't seem professional or even all that logical to her.
"Is...is he gone?" A green monkey peeked out from behind a cabinet.
"Yes. Thankfully," White answered.
The oddly coloured monkey flew through the air. Holding a bottle of wine. He landed on Crane's desk and started trying to open the bottle with his teeth.
"Bufkin!" White yelled at him. Causing him to put down the wine and smile sheepishly at her.
"Hello, Miss Snow," Bufkin greeted.
"Drinking this early? Where did you get that?" White frowned.
"It was by Mr Ichabod's desk," Bufkin stated.
"Then don't you think it probably belongs to him?"
"... Maybe." Bufkin blinked.
White rolled her eyes and took the bottle away. Moving away to put it out of Bufkin's reach.
Bufkin smiled up at Sunny. "Nice to see you again, Ms Fei."
"Same to you, Bufkin," Sunny nodded. Causing Bufkin's grin to widen.
"Bufkin...get the books," White said once she was done putting away the bottle.
"Which books?" Bufkin asked.
"The ones with all the Fables in it!" White insisted.
"I'm not sure that was any more specific," Wolf whispered to her.
"Bring the first three," White clarified.
"Be back in a few minutes," Bufkin told them as he flew off behind the selves.
"He knows the ones I'm talking about. There's bound to be information on her here...somewhere. We'll at least be able to get her real name from the books whenever Bufkin finds them. In the meantime, the two of you should poke around. Maybe the mirror can help," White told Sunny and Bigby.
White picked up the phone. "I really have to get this appointment squared away, but...let me know if you need anything."
Wolf made his way over to an oval mirror in the corner. Meanwhile, Sunny walked over to Crane's desk and spotted a deck of Tarot cards. Curiously got the better of her, and Sunny decided to give them a look.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Sunny muttered to herself.
The first card was a picture of a woman crying over some flames. At first glance, Sunny thought the woman was on fire, but when she looked closer, it seemed more like grieving than burning to death.
The second picture was of a cloaked figure holding a woman's head. The only part of the hooded figure you could see was their bloody hands.
The last card was someone falling out of the night sky while hands tried to grab at them from below. The figure, meanwhile, was reaching for a moon.
Sunny let out a sigh. There wasn't much she could do until Bufkin was able to find the books. Sunny made her way over to Wolf and the Mirror.
"Very well. Please return should you wish to ask about someone else...or someone new." The Mirror told Wolf.
"Can I ask about someone?" Sunny asked.
Wolf turned around with a somewhat surprised look. The Mirror just smiled. "You need only to ask in rhyme."
Sunny played with her watch as she tried to think of the right words. "Someone who doesn't know how to stay, the child known as Liena Fei,"
The green head in the Mirror faded away to a young girl who could have been mistaken for a younger Sunny from a distance. She was standing in a messy kitchen. Trying in vain to reach for something on one of the higher shelves. Sunny made a concerned noise as Wolf looked over at his deputy with a curious look.
Sunny frowned. She needed to stop playing with cards and mirrors. She needed to focus.
Soon enough, Bufkin returned. Carrying a pile of books with him. The books started to slip out of his arms. Causing him to panic and fall to the floor. Dropping the books in the process. Sunny rushed over to help him. The two of them laid the books across the table.
"We'll start with these. Any information on Fables in our community will be somewhere in these books." White told the group.
One of the larger books was opened to an illustration that took up two of the pages. Sunny recognised a few of the characters. Mainly White, Toad and the Woodsman. The ones that stood out to her were of Crane being chased by a headless man on a horse and a nearby woman in a wedding dress. She held the horseman's head in her arms. They both laughed at Crane as the horseman's body threw a pumpkin at the man.
Sunny felt a sad pang in her chest. She had a strong feeling about who those two were meant to be.
Sunny and Wolf talked back and forth for a few moments regarding the people in the books until Wolf's eyes landed on a king and his robes. "I've seen this before. This symbol on the man's clothes. It's the same as the ring."
"Could be her father or husband?" Sunny said. "I'll check one of the other books."
Sunny started flicking through a book full of symbols, only to run into a bit of a problem. "Dammit,"
"What's wrong?" Bufkin asked her.
"I can't read any of this," Sunny begrudgingly admitted.
One of the things Sunny prided herself on was her knowledge of different languages. The thing was, she knew next to nothing when it came to Fable languages.
"I can help," Bufkin informed Sunny, jumping over to get a better look.
"Thanks," Sunny gave the monkey a friendly smile.
"We look out for each other," Bufkin smiled back.
"Don't overdo it," Wolf told him.
Bufkin and Sunny went through various different symbols connected to different Fables. Toad Hall, The Woodsman, and even the Frog Prince.
"What's this one say?" Sunny asked.
"It says "Bricklebit" in an older Elvish hand."
"Magic?" Sunny wondered.
"Makes animals shit gold." Bufkin shrugged.
"This is the one," Sunny matched up a symbol on the page with the one on the King's robe. "Where is this symbol from? Which family or ... story?"
"That's an odd one. A family name? "All-lair-lie-rau". I'll go look it up," Bufkin said as he flew off.
"Allerleirauh?" Sunny hummed. "That sounds... german?"
"Every-kind-of-fur I think," White answered. Sunny nodded in agreement.
Bufkin opened a new book and turned to a page marked Donkeyskin. "Donkeyskin girl, also known as Donkeyskin, also known as," Buflin stopped to laugh. "'Ass skin'. Prefers to go by the name Faith. Poetic."
"Bufkin. We don't need the commentary." Snow told him.
Bufkin processed to tell the story of Faith the Donkeyskin Girl. The story of a girl whose mother passed away after she got her husband, The King, to promise only to marry the most beautiful girl in the kingdom. After a long and arduous search, the king came to the awful conclusion that the only woman in the land that could match her beauty was his daughter Faith.
Not wanting to marry her father, Faith, had a magic cloak made from the skin of her father's prized donkey. Giving her the power to hide her beauty, so she could escape his kingdom. Eventually, she met and fell in love with a prince who could see past the magic cloak and knew her true beauty.
Sunny couldn't help but feel somewhat disgusted by the story. She knew it was par for the course during those times, but it didn't make it any less disturbing to her.
"Should I...mark it, Miss Snow?" Bufkin asked sadly.
"Yes. Please."
Bufkin picked up a "DECEASED" stamp and pressed it onto Faith's file.
Sunny felt a nervous lump in her throat. "What's her husband's name?"
"Lawrence... Prince Lawrence."
Sunny turned to Wolf. "Her name's Faith. She was married to Prince Lawrence. I mean, that's more than we-"
"Her name was Faith," Wolf corrected.
"Right, right, sorry," Sunny nodded.
"We should talk to the husband," Wolf said.
"You think he did it?" Sunny asked.
"Nothing would surprise me at this point. We can't rule him out."
The two of them made their way back over to the magic mirror.
"Mirror, mirror, blah blah able, blah blah blah about this Fable," Wolf said to the mirror.
"Of which Fable do you wish to know?" The mirror asked.
"Can you show us... Faith?" Sunny asked. She wanted to see if they could possibly find Faith's body.
"Through powerful magic, her whereabouts were concealed. Unfortunately for you, These lips are sealed."
"What do you mean?" Wolf pushed.
"These lips are sealed. It's not my choice of phrasing Bigby. It's simply the way this has to be."
"How about Prince Lawrence, then?" Sunny asked.
The mirror showed the two of them a man who must have been Lawrence. Slumped over in a chair with a silver knife covered in blood laying on the floor next to him.
"What's he been doing? Where is this?" Wolf pushed.
"White must have his address, hold on," Sunny started moving away.
"What's wrong?" White asked. Hearing Wolf's voice.
"Do you know where Lawrence lives?" Sunny said.
"If he's a prince...probably relocated in the South Bronx. Yellow building, red window shutters?"
"Red frames?" Wolf questioned.
"Yeah, that's the one. I can take us there," White confirmed.
The three of them started heading towards the door. Only to pause when the phone on Sunny's desk started ringing.
"Just one second," Sunny said to White and Wolf.
"Business Off-" Sunny started before getting interrupted by Toad.
"Is Bigby there?!" Toad asked with some panic in his voice.
"Umm yeah, just one second," Sunny turned to Wolf. "It's Toad for you, Wolf."
Wolf took the phone from Sunny. "Sorry about the car,"
Sunny tried listening to what Toad was saying but could only make out some yelling and crashing. When the line got cut off, Wolf placed the phone back down.
"What's going on?" Sunny questioned. She wasn't Toad's biggest fan by any means but was still concerned by what could be going on.
"Hard to say. Something going on over at Toad's place," Wolf told her.
"What about Faith's husband?" White questioned.
"I don't know. I couldn't really tell, but...he could be in trouble. And we should go there anyway to search for her apartment. Toad might have to wait."
"I can head to Toad's while you two go to check on Lawrence?" Sunny said.
Wolf seemed surprised for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll just check in with him and his son." Sunny nodded. "Just to make sure they're okay."
The three of them made their way outside.
"Did Toad say who was there? Was it the Woodsman?" Sunny asked as passed the front gate.
"I don't know. It's possible. Whoever it was, it didn't seem like Toad was happy to see 'em."
"Well, maybe Prince Lawrence can wait," White wondered.
"I dunno," Sunny told her.
"Well, if you insist on heading to Toad's, check back at the office," White told Sunny.
"Will do," Sunny waved as she started making her way out the gates of the Woodlands. "Stay safe, you two."
The three of them went their separate ways, with White and Wolf heading to Lawrence's and Sunny walking in the opposite direction to Toad's apartment.
The woman in the wedding dress is the same aunt from the last chapter. She's not based on any pre-existing Fables. Just one I made up called The Flower Bride.
Also, I forgot to mention last week, but there is an official Tumblr blog for this story