Immediately, he realized he had just created an awkward moment. “So, where would you like to start?” he asked, swiftly.
Angelica appeared irritated after closing her satchel and placing her pad and pen on the table. He had been doing so well, she thought. Angelica stared at him and sized him up for a moment, trying to ignore the lack of couth. “Let’s start with you and what you think is causing the mutilations,” she said in a business-like tone.
“Okay, well, I think there is something very extraordinary going on, and it’s far more bizarre than the general public realizes.” His tone was flat.
“What are you saying, Matthew?” Angelica lowered her chin and smirked, remembering what the man at the gas station had said on her way to Elberton.
“Is it the government or something even more nefarious?” she asked sarcastically, widening her light blue eyes curiously.
“That’s an interesting question, Angelica,” Matthew’s smile turned to a smirk. “That’s a subject most people won’t touch and you just opened that can of worms right up.” Matthew let out a nervous laugh.
“You’re one of those tough journalists,” he said. He leaned back and stretched one of his arms around the back of his chair. “I bet you’re a real go-getter over in D.C.”
Angelica looked unmoved by his comments as her eyes penetrated his.
Matthew smiled, amused. He realized he could enjoy getting a rise out of her. “Well, to answer your question… yes, but it’s complicated.”
“What do you mean by complicated?” Angelica asked. “Who’s doing the mutilations? Is the government somehow involved in this? It seems very coincidental that all of these mutilations happen close to military bases. Are they doing some sort of experiment?”
Matthew put both of his elbows on the table. “I don’t believe so, no.” Lowering his voice, he added, “But I believe they could be in contact with who is.”
“Okay, Matthew, I don’t speak in code.” Angelica bristled. “Are you saying that you believe other entities beyond the government are responsible, and the government is aware of it? You’re kidding, right?”
Matthew dropped his arms and leaned forward just as the server was placing their food on the table. He had finally had enough of the browbeating. “Angelica, this is going to be a game changer for you. Just be sure you’re ready for the truth because once you go down this rabbit-hole, your life will never be the same. And there is no turning back.”
Matthew took a bite of his steak, holding eye contact. Angelica, intrigued, took a sip of her coffee and a bite of her bagel. “Okay, give me what you have.”
“Well, back in 2000 was the first time it happened here in Elberton that we know of. It was Hugh Anderson’s ranch. He called the local police department and reported finding his second year heifer dead, “all sliced up.” Those were his words exactly.
I did the story on the mutilation and although I didn’t know it at the time, it would later be considered a “Classic Signature.” That’s what they call the mutilations with all the classic tell-tale signs. You know… in a remote area, reproductive organs removed… the removal of the tongue, an eye, an ear, drained of all blood with no blood on or around the carcass, no visible tracks or prints on the ground, no evidence of a struggle… rectal area bored out, jawbone exposed. You get the picture,” Matthew took a deep breath.
Angelica shook her head and raised her hand. “Whoa, whoa… slow down!”
Angelica put her pen down. “Really? So, that’s what happens in a mutilation case? So you’re saying they’re pretty much all the same?”
“Every once in a while they may have a few differences, but most of the things I described are usually prevalent and consistent. That’s how you know the difference from a scavenger and a “Classic Signature.”
Angelica picked her pen back up. “Fascinating.”
Matthew smiled his boyish smile before turning serious. “Some will still try to say it was some sort of animal, like, coyote, even after they’ve seen evidence suggesting otherwise… and there is hard evidence suggesting otherwise.” Matthew shook his head as he looked down. He cut a piece of steak and ran it through the undercooked yolk of his eggs.
“What you find,” he told her, “is that most people don’t want to believe anything outside of their comfort zone.”
“Yes, I know… cognitive dissonance is the psychological term. We all have it,” Angelica responded smugly.
Matthew appeared frustrated. He considered himself an expert on the cattle mutilation phenomena. “I have dealt with plenty of opposition,” he said defensively.
Angelica noticed he was watching her closely. “So, what makes you think it’s not a satanic group or some bored kids looking to create a sensation? Clearly, predators make the most logical sense of all the explanations.”
“Angelica, I would rather believe any of those theories, but I’ve been investigating this subject for ten years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s something much more sinister going on, and it ain’t no human or animal doing it,” he said in an authentic western drawl as he lifted his hand and rubbed across the rim of his hat.
Angelica casually turned around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on the conversation. “Well, that leaves us with Bigfoot, ET’s or whoever killed Jimmy Hoffa,” she said laughing freely, but Matthew wasn’t amused.
He leaned back and bowed up his chest by raising both arms over the back of his chair. His lips parted into a sneaky grin and then he smirked.
Angelica noticed the shift in Matthew’s body language and decided to ease up on him. “I apologize. It all just sounds so bizarre to me.”
Matthew nodded with straight lips and continued… “After the incident in 2000, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I saw the carcass with my own eyes and spoke to the local veterinarian on the scene. That animal had been diced up, and those cuts were too precise. I mean, you should have seen it. The anal area was cored clear out, no tears, no blood. The head was stripped of all skin and tissue clear down to the skull,” Matthew glanced around the room and then leaned in closer.
“I went back to the scene repeatedly, obsessed, trying to find an explanation. I just couldn’t make sense of it. I couldn’t rationalize why someone would do it. Not to mention, who would do something so disgusting? The area was so remote. Nothing fit.” Matthew’s voice cracked, he was clearly emotional over the incident.
“The case stayed with me and then in town one day I met this lady. I overheard someone say, ‘There’s the town crazy! She claims she knows who is cutting up them cattle.’ As they laughed, I looked around to see who they were referring to, and that’s when I first met Ellen McKinney. She didn’t look all that crazy to me… more like a sweet older lady. However, that’s not the point, I heard them say ‘cut up cattle’ and ‘she knows’ in the same sentence and that’s what got my attention. I went over and cut up with her, and we became friends instantly.” Matthew smiled, clearly amused with himself.
Angelica nodded, unmoved, considering she thought Matthew rather unsophisticated but friendly.
Matthew noticed Angelica’s flat expression and shifted in his seat. “Anyway, she’s a real sweet lady and I have come to believe most of what she says. Oh and get this… her husband is an aeronautical engineer retired from Newton Air Force Base.”
“He is? But you just said ‘most of what she says’… About what, Matthew? What are we really talking about here?”
Matthew leaned in over his empty plate of dried smeared egg yolks. “I know all this sounds ridiculous, but stay with me here. I’ve personally gathered soft tissue and sent it off to a pathologist. I’ve worked with the UFO investigative group RUFA. I’ve interviewed and worked alongside scientists, veterinarians and the police. Even read the reports from the FBI, by the way… a load of crap. They don’t want the truth out… a policy of denial, you’ll soon discover. Oh and not to mention, I’ve had my life threatened - strange calls telling me to walk away from the story if I knew
what was good for me.”
Angelica wondered if he was telling the truth. “Your life has been threatened?” she asked, in disbelief.
“Yes,” Matthew nodded with a straight face.
“Angelica, I want you to meet with Ellen McKinney and her husband, Blake. I’ll call and set up a meeting.”
“Great, yes, I’m looking forward to meeting the town crazy”, she glanced up from her pad with a Cheshire cat smile. “What were some of the things she shared with you?”
“Now keep an open mind… She believes extraterrestrials are responsible for the mutilations. And the government knows about it.”
Angelica laughed aloud. “An alien agenda… Are you hearing yourself, Matthew?”
“Angelica, in the beginning, I was just like you. I would have laughed until I cried if early on someone would have said something like that to me.”
The noise in the restaurant was dying down.
“All right,” Angelica said, “tell me about Jack Keller. What do you think of him and his eye-witness accounts of the mutilations?”
“As you know, journalists have it hard,” Matthew stated matter-of-factly. Angelica bit down on her lip and nodded.
“Unfortunately,” Matthew continued, “we are living in a world where people are afraid of ridicule and condemnation from others. A lot of our reporting is off the record. Stories get squashed if they’re too provocative. Hell, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.” Matthew shifted in his seat.
“Well, anyway… when you get permission to go on the record, you’re left with very little information to piece together. In addition, as you know, subjects of this nature, well… you have less on the record that you can officially report and that just doesn’t cut it when it comes to factual and unbiased journalism.”
Angelica nodded and checked her recorder. It was still capturing Matthew’s candid speech.
“Jack didn’t want to go on the record,” Matthew told her. “And I know Jack well. Jack is the kind of guy that states the facts, a no-fluff type of guy, and he said some real interesting things about the nights of the incidents.” Matthew grinned, a glint of pride in his eye. “Anyway, these guys are hardworking, no-nonsense cowboys, and Jack especially. This guy has nothing to gain by killing one of his own cattle. What would his reason be? Not publicity, trust me.” Matthew shook his head. “It’s time people know the truth. My question is… are you going to have the courage to write the truth in the end?” Matthew raised his eyebrows. Angelica nervously shifted in her seat. Something about the way Matthew said the word “courage” unnerved her.
“What did he say?” Angelica glanced up while continuing to take shorthand notes on her pad.
Matthew turned and saw the server standing there.
“Can I get you anything else?”
Matthew looked into his cup and then back to the server… “No, thank you. I believe I’m finished. We’ll go ahead and get the check.”
The woman walked off as Angelica glanced down at her watch. “I have to say, Matthew, this conversation is... well, I’m just going to shoot straight with you. This all sounds a bit farfetched to me.” Angelica said as she pushed her plate forward. She turned off the recorder and looked around for the server.
Matthew noticed Angelica was in deep thought so he nudged the table causing her to flinch. “Would you like to go to the Keller Ranch and have a look at the carcass?”
Angelica was suddenly back in the moment. She turned around to face Matthew. “Carcass?”
Matthew pushed his chair back and got up from the table as he watched Angelica gather her things. She was rather petite and a bit fragile behind that tough persona, he thought. “Why don’t you just ride with me to the ranch? I can bring you back later.”
“Perfect,” she responded enthusiastically. “Yes, that would be great.”
“Okay, let’s head on over there. I’ll call Jack.”
Chapter Thirteen
The Western sun shone radiantly over the mountain scenery as they pulled out of the lodge parking lot and headed down the hill, past the tall evergreens.
Angelica noticed the rushing river’s white-capped rapids breaking on the rocks. Down further was a calm area of the river, called Elk Creek, where she could barely make out figures standing in knee-deep water fly-fishing as sparkles of sunlight glistened off the surface. The sun reflected off the lines as they stretched their arms back to cast into the river. Relaxed, she had forgotten the story’s disturbing details and was fully present in the peaceful moment.
Angelica’s heart suddenly fluttered and her stomach sank as she heard Matthew utter the word “carcass,” causing her to quickly snap back to reality. Matthew was speaking with Jack Keller on his cell phone, and she was just catching the tail end of their conversation.
“Thank you, Jack, see you soon.” Matthew put the phone back in his pocket and looked at Angelica. “He said he’d speak with you. He’ll be around the ranch throughout the day so we can head on over.” Matthew grinned. “Along with the Hoffa conspiracy theorist,” he whispered.
“Perfect,” Angelica smiled and looked back out the window.
Matthew glanced over at Angelica, “So, you married… got a family back home in D.C.?”
Surprised by the question, Angelica slowly turned her head toward Matthew. “No. Are you?”
“Nope, I was once. She met a guy. It was bad timing for me.” Matthew shrugged his shoulders. Angelica looked over at Matthew and smiled sincerely. The sun was shining through his window, illuminating a soft glow around his light brown cowboy hat.
“Every cowboy has a story.” Matthew shook his head while still looking out the front windshield. Angelica gave an impressed nod while silently observing him.
“The only thing that really hurts a cowboy is getting his heart broken,” he said. “Of course there was that time I fell off that horse in the middle of a briar patch--ouch!” Matthew laughed.
Angelica was amused. Matthew had a quirky sense of humor, she thought. Still smiling she shook her head. “I’m sorry about your wife. Are you really a cowboy, Matthew?” It was an idea she found hard to believe, even with the cowboy hat.
Matthew laughed, “Nah… Not my cup of tea!” Angelica smiled wryly as she turned to look back out the window.
Matthew realized Angelica could use some quiet time to enjoy the view after the long conversation in the restaurant. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Just relax and take it all in while you have a chance.”
Angelica’s eyes were sincere as she looked over at Matthew with a kind smile and nodded.
Chapter Fourteen
Angelica had dozed off while enjoying the scenery.
“There it is!” Matthew announced. Angelica jerked her head at the sound of Matthew’s voice.
It was just as she had envisioned when she read the eyewitness statement from the police report: a typical Midwest ranch with lush meadows, hay bottoms, and rolling hills.
They drove through the private entrance and past rustic posts and rail fencing. Angelica felt anxious. She saw the cedar-sided house with a cedar shake roof, extending out to cover the front porch that stretched along the length of the front of the house. The porch was bare except for two rocking chairs and a sleeping German Shepard.
Angelica envisioned a man and woman sitting there at night looking up at the stars. It reminded her of her childhood visits to her grandmother’s house in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina.
She and her grandmother would lean back in the porch swing after dinner and gaze up at the stars. Angelica would compare the night’s sky to her grandmother’s black and white speckled casserole baking pot. Her grandmother would rub her head and hum quietly over the orchestra of crickets in the distance as Angelica would think about how small she felt under the stars. A curious young girl, she wondered where it all began. What was behind the speckled blackness? Where did it finally end? The list of questions would go on until she would finally pull hersel
f back, knowing she had gone as far as her young mind would comfortably allow. Her childlike wonder was fascinated with the black space behind the stars, and the idea that there could be life out in the vast darkness... somewhere… on another planet, maybe just like earth, inhabited by curious minds similar to hers.
The car bounced as it drove over a large dip, snapping her out of the memory. Gravel crunched under the tires. She didn’t see anyone around as they continued down the bumpy road, past the house and horse barn.
Matthew turned to Angelica, “Good people, Keller and his wife. I hope you’ll get to meet her. They don’t have any children. Heard from folks around town that she was never able to conceive. Sad situation--seems she’s become more reclusive after each miscarriage. The doctor had told Jack and Elizabeth her uterus was too full of adhesions. Odd scar tissue had formed that must have been from some past infection and she’d never have children. At least that’s what I overheard. Small town, ya know.”
Angelica lowered her eyes, “So sad.”
“Yes, it is. Apparently, Elizabeth had changed after the news, becoming delicate from the grief, and Jack had become more protective of her. Like I told you, Jack’s a good man and you’ll find him to be sincere,” Matthew cocked his head and looked Angelica straight in the eye then swung his head back around. Angelica caught Matthew’s point. He had figured her out fairly quickly, she thought. She’d tame her personality and be careful not to offend the Kellers.
Angelica noticed a group clustered in the pasture. She looked over at Matthew. “Are they the men from the UFO group?
“Not sure, but I suspect they could be.” Matthew pulled up beside the other cars parked in front of the fence.
Angelica organized her things and grabbed her recorder, pad, and pen from her satchel. “So, do you think the carcass will be in decent condition,” she asked, “with the weather being so warm?” Angelica wiped the sweat from above her lip. It had only taken a few seconds for the air in the car to warm up after Matthew turned the engine off. “I could only imagine with the sun beating down on it all day… I’m sure it smells pretty bad.”
The Bovine Connection Page 5
