Kelly
With the mass of emotions mostly behind us, I can now focus my entire mind on this case. After talking with Trent and Owen some more, I discover that they can’t tell me the names of the other couple trying to outbid them. Sitting across from Trent in his office I inquire, “So, can either of you remember the date of the bidding?”
Owen leaves his position on the wall and takes a seat on the corner of Trent’s desk. Looking over his shoulder he says, “I want to say it was back in May of this year. Is that your recollection, Trent?”
Silently, Trent walks to his file cabinet and digs through some folders until he finds the correct one. Shuffling through the contents, he pulls out a sheet and looks it over, handing it to me. “Yeah, the twenty-first to be exact.”
I make some notes and look to the guys, “Okay, it’s a start. I'll make some calls and do some more digging around.” I stand to leave the room, feeling their eyes staring at my backside. “Maybe I’ll have luck in finding your missing sign. Do you have a picture of it, by the way?”
Trent again peruses the file, and then hands me a picture of it with him and Owen standing to either side of the large, oak sign saying ‘Hawk Hollow Ranch.’ “Nice pic!” I smile and leave his office, removing my phone from my pocket.
I put in a call to the department, asking for the facial recognition specialist. Feeling like this could be a long shot at best, I’ve got to try to find out who this couple is that lays a claim to the guy’s land. I also know that every sale in the county is registered by the auditor.
After talking with the specialist, he says he can’t get names quickly, but he’d let me know as soon as he knows. Following the hunch regarding the auditor, I make a second call to the auditor’s office setting an appointment for tomorrow to talk with the clerk about the sale itself.
I walk back toward the barns where I notice some of the ranch hands yacking it up. Joining them, I goof around as well until one of them says, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be doing some sort of story about ranching?” he eyes me skeptically, as if he knows more than I think he does.
“Yes, I am. But with the good side of ranching, unfortunately there comes a downside,” they look at me suspiciously. “I’m also leading a group that can, in the future of course, identify and stop ranches like the one at Bull’s Eye Farm from happening ever again.”
“That’s a worthy endeavor,” one of the men says gruffly. “That man should’ve been hanged for the shit he did to them people.”
“While I agree, I’m not allowed to deliver such justice,” I tell them, smirking, getting a chuckle out of the gang. “Say, do you guys know of anyone that would seek revenge for Lear’s imprisonment? I mean, toward Owen and Trent?”
A couple of them shake their heads, not answering. Another says, “I can’t think of anyone off hand. These guys,” he points at the main home, “are the best of the best.”
“Alright then,” I close my notepad and ask, “Do one of you mind taking me to the field where the last death happened? I want to get a soil sample to send in.”
The gruffier one says he’ll do it and leads me up past the last barn to the middle of the crops. I take some gloves out and put them on, bending down to get a closer look at the ground. It’s a musty smell of sorts, but that can easily be the dampness from the dew.
“You know,” the guy coughs, “I’m not sure if this is anything, but a couple of the guys have complaints of tingling in their hands and such.”
I look up at the man, who has a few blemishes on his face. “I appreciate you saying so. You know that every little piece of information could help me in solving this case. Please feel free to talk with me about anything you see or hear.”
I scoop some of the reddish dirt into a couple of vials from differing portions of the field, labeling them from whence the dirt is taken and the date. The older man helps me back to the barns and I thank him, making note of some of the other’s skin imperfections, like some darkening or nodules.
Interesting.
My hope is that the lab can answer if these samples contain any types of poisons that could cause the death of the crops or possibly even the troubles that the men are suffering with. But I’m not sure if these symptoms are pre-existing though. “Would you guys tell me if you feel any different in the next few days, maybe up to next week?”
Some look at me with surprise, staring at the fella helping me. Others nodded their heads and I leave them to overnight the samples to the lab.
With a little more time on my hands, I decide to take a four-wheeler and drive around the property looking for the missing sign. Taking the photo from my pocket, I look at the huge sign in comparison with Trent and Owen’s size. I smile at the two handsome men sporting a very proud look. I do so like them. Both of them. A lot.
Back to work and storing the thoughts of the guys for later, I make note of the fact that the sign is not only huge, but has to be heavy as well. How could anyone remove that and not have to use some type of equipment to do so?
Putting the photo back in my pocket, I rev the engine and trace the perimeter of the ranch with the ATV. Nothing that large or heavy sticks out in any odd places. This is absolutely absurd. I decide to take the ATV back to my place and drive my car to the nearest junkyard, hoping to see the sign there.
As I’m driving I think, why take their sign?