The Bovine Connection

by Kimberly Thomas

  “One would think it’d be in awful shape. We’ll see here in a minute,” Matthew leaned over, grabbed a tissue out of the glove compartment, and handed it to Angelica. “This is all I have, just in case.”

  Angelica took the tissue and put it in her pocket. They both opened their doors at the same time and got out. Angelica walked alongside Matthew as they approached the group of men standing in the dry dirt. She felt prepared as she pulled her satchel strap up over her shoulder.

  Following Matthew, she walked over towards the men. Matthew shouted, “Look who it is! Well there’s Paul Colbeck! How are you, man?” Matthew patted him on the shoulder. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here.”

  “Yes, we’ll be here all week doing research,” Paul said.

  “Getting anywhere?” Matthew glanced over at the other men and smiled, then back to Paul.

  “Yeah, saw some lights in the sky last night, and followed them until they disappeared right as they approached the Newton Base. They were just as Jack had described. We were sitting in the truck bed doing some sky watching and after a few non-eventful hours, they showed up to say hello,” Paul chuckled. “Two bright lights appeared and grew larger as they approached us. Once they were about a hundred yards from our truck, they froze for a few minutes, and then they danced around each other. I don’t know of any man-made craft able to maneuver like that. When they started moving away we followed them and ended up a couple hundred yards from the base. We got it all on video. We’ll take it back and analyze it.” Paul bowed up with confidence.

  Matthew looked at Angelica, then back to Paul, “Danced around each other, huh. Did you see a craft?”

  “Not last night,” Paul said as he smiled at Angelica while stepping toward her and extending his hand. “Hi, I’m Paul Colbeck.”

  “Sorry, how rude of me. This is Angelica Bradley with the Liberator Magazine. She’s here to do a story on the mutilations,” Matthew said.

  “Fantastic to meet you, Angelica!”

  “Nice to meet you as well,” Angelica said as she released their handshake.

  “What do you think so far?” Paul asked, completely straight-faced.

  ”I have to be honest with you Paul, I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist. I don’t buy into the ET stuff.” Angelica raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders.

  Paul laughed spontaneously. “It’s nice to meet you all the same.” He then looked at Matthew and winked.

  Matthew looked down and shook his head. He couldn’t help but get a kick out of Angelica’s straight-forwardness. “Let’s step over here so you can see your first ’classic signature case.’”

  Matthew walked away from Paul, and Angelica followed. They walked quietly for about seventy yards. “There she is.” Matthew pointed down to the carcass. Angelica’s eyes grew wide as she looked down to see the poor creature. She wasn’t sure what the carcass was going to look like, but she had to admit it was nothing like she could have imagined.

  The cow was on its back, its legs straight up in the air. Rigor mortis had set in, but surprisingly there was very little odor. The tissue on one side of the head and neck had been removed down to the skull with no blood splatter visible. As she leaned down over the carcass and took a closer look, she saw one of the eyes was missing along with one ear. “Why would they remove one eye and one ear?” she asked.

  Matthew was beside her, but didn’t respond to her question since he knew it wasn’t directed at him. She was just trying to make sense of the situation as everyone does when they see a mutilated animal for the first time.

  “It’s hard to fathom that someone could be so cruel to an innocent creature,” Angelica thought aloud. They both stood there for a moment and didn’t say a word.

  Matthew pulled a pencil from his pocket and stepped around to the other side of the carcass. “Take a look here at these two holes,” he said as he used the pencil to point to what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Matthew put the pencil inside one of the holes and lifted it at the edge so it stretched enough for her to see the size. “See how precise it is?”

  “Looks like a gunshot wound to me,” Angelica announced.

  Matthew paused and then nodded, “Well, it isn’t. Does it look like a coyote bite?” Matthew asked sarcastically. “This is a ‘classic signature’ wound and after evaluation it was determined that it wasn’t caused by a gun shot. They never are. As a matter of fact, the heart and other organs were removed and somehow sucked through these two small circular incisions, so we speculate. Makes you wonder, whatever did this wasn’t all that concerned with the condition of the organs. Think about it. Look at the size of these holes. Can you imagine getting a five to six pound heart through this? Look at the condition of them? Exact, clean, no tearing and no blood, which suggests the use of a laser-like instrument. And according to a scientist friend of mine, this was done with surgical precision and done quickly.”

  Angelica’s eyes were wide and her muscles tense. She was at a loss for the right words. “Oh,” she mumbled after being a little mortified to realize her mouth was gasping. “But… wait, how do you know the organs were removed?”

  “I was here when Dr. Goolrick and our local veterinarian did their examination.”

  Angelica took her cell phone from her pocket and took a few pictures of the carcass while walking around it.

  Matthew stepped over and touched Angelica’s shoulder. “Now Angelica, here is the really interesting part. Take a look…” Matthew leaned down onto one knee and pointed to the rectal area of the carcass. “This is very common to see with female cattle mutilations. It’s not unusual to not only see anal coring but the teats, vagina and uterus extracted as well.”

  Angelica stepped closer to Matthew and leaned down to see a hole—twelve inches in depth—where the flesh had been removed from the anus. Angelica fought disgust. She looked back at Matthew in anguish. “Matthew, who would do such a thing? This is far beyond what I expected. When I read about it, my mind didn’t quite register the scope of gruesomeness.”

  “Yep, I agree.” Matthew wiped the sweat from his forehead with the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt.

  “Okay Angelica, I want you to think about this… What’s most compelling with the female cattle mutilations is, along with the digestive tract tissue being removed from the anal area, this case is a carbon copy of the surgical technique we’ve seen in so many so-called UFO-related animal mutilation cases. Are we supposed to believe someone outside of an expert surgeon would be capable of such a precise and difficult procedure? Even medical professionals are baffled.”

  Angelica looked at Matthew, “I don’t know what to say. Matthew, why would someone be so interested in cattle? The government sure wouldn’t need to mutilate rancher’s cattle. They could do that on Plum Island or a myriad of other undisclosed locations. These are questions that need to be answered.” Angelica shook her head, perplexed.

  “It is definitely not a scavenger event, based upon my eyewitness account here today. That narrows it down to a hoax, or some other human deviousness. If we rule those out, then it really starts to get interesting,” Angelica murmured.

  Matthew stepped away from the carcass as he listened intently to Angelica and put his hands on his hips. “I think it is very important now for you to meet my friend, Dr. Walter Goolrick. I know he’ll meet with you, but you’ll have to go to Denver, I suspect. After getting to know you, he’ll see you’re not a typical journalist.”

  Angelica looked curiously at Matthew, “What do you mean by that?”

  “Angelica, I don’t believe in accidents. I think there’s a reason you’re here covering this mutilation. I can tell you’re not going to make quick assumptions and you’re not going to give up until you uncover the truth behind what’s happening to these poor animals.”

  Angelica walked back around to the head of the carcass and bent down, then looked back up at Matthew and said, “Poor creature. Regardless of whether they’re human or non-human… you’re right, I wa
nt to know who did this and why.”

  The heat was starting to weigh down on them and Angelica was growing weary. Her blouse had moistened from sweat and was sticking to her back. She was pulling her blouse away from her wet skin as she heard a male voice in the distance.

  “Hey there!” Jack Keller was approaching with a slight limp.

  “Hey there!” he said again while waving as he walked toward them.

  Angelica looked at Matthew, “That’s Keller, isn’t it?”

  “Yep, that’s him,” confirming her suspicion. Jack stopped briefly to say something to Paul. Angelica noticed as the men laughed. Jack then continued toward Angelica and Matthew.

  His suntanned skin caused him to appear older than his actual age of forty-five. He was a pleasant looking man with reddish-blonde hair and light brown eyes. He wore a dark tan cowboy hat and wranglers. Right down to his cowboy boots, he fit the part of a Montana rancher.

  He extended his hand toward Matthew, “Good to see you, buddy! You can’t stay away!” he chuckled and then looked at Angelica still smiling, “You must be the reporter from Washington!”

  Matthew looked at Angelica with a sly grin. “Yep, this is Angelica Bradley from Washington, D.C. She’s here to uncover the truth,” Matthew said sarcastically.

  Irritated, Angelica quickly looked at Matthew and then to Jack. “Well, you could say, I’m here to write about the incident, and hopefully uncover the truth whatever that ends up to be.”

  Jack looked at Matthew and then back to Angelica and frowned. “Pretty awful sight… That’s one of my second-year heifers. I was pretty disappointed to see they got one of my heifers.” Jack looked inquisitively over at Angelica trying to read her body language.

  Angelica looked up at Jack and smiled while she reached into her bag and tried to retrieve her digital recorder, “Do you mind if I record our conversation? It would be for my notes. I would only publish what you agreed to release. You just say what’s off the record. And I don’t mind giving you an alias to protect you and your family.”

  Jack looked down at his boots as he slid them across the dry dirt, leaving a long imprint. Angelica looked intensely at Jack and patiently awaited his response.

  “Look, Mr. Keller, I understand your situation, and I understand how difficult it must be to experience something so unusual. But it’s in all of our best interest to find out what is happening to these animals and why it’s happening.”

  Jack nodded at Angelica and then looked at Matthew, “I like her. Yes, thank you for your sincerity. I trust you’ll keep your word. And call me Jack.”

  “Thank you!” Angelica turned on the recorder. “Let’s start with the first mutilation on your ranch. In the police report, you stated that you were still in your car after returning home that evening when you noticed a bright light in the sky moving toward your pasture. Then you stated there appeared to be a spotlight shining down on your cattle, and after a few minutes, it disappeared. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, that’s correct. Actually, I heard an odd sound before I saw the light. My window was down… I was enjoying the evening air. The sound seemed to get louder as the light approached.” Jack wiped the sweat from the back of his neck and continued… “At first, I thought it was some sort of military craft. I had never heard a sound like that before though, kind of a pulsating, humming sound. Almost like a sheet of metal being shaken back and forth, but it would have had to be a large sheet of metal to make a sound like that. I don’t know how else to describe it, really. Other than it was loud… I’ll say that!” Jack shook his head.

  Angelica again felt that tingling sensation emanating from the back of her neck and down to her shoulders. “Humming?” she mumbled. Observing Jack’s expression, Angelica realized Jack was also clearly uneasy talking about the incident. It was obvious he was still trying to make sense of it.

  “Jack, you said a pulsating, humming type of sound?” Was it the same sound she had heard in the middle of the night? she wondered. A strange coincidence, she thought. She could feel the rapidness of her heart rate as it increased causing her to feel slightly faint. “Did you mention the sound to the police?”

  Jack shook his head. “No.”

  “And you said ‘pulsating,’ correct?” Angelica rubbed at the side of her cheek with her pen grasped tightly in her palm.

  “Yes, I said ‘pulsating.’”

  Angelica nodded, “Okay.”

  Angelica stepped in slightly closer, careful not to invade his personal space, a pet peeve of her own. “Could it also be described as a whooshing type sound?”

  “Yes, most certainly. You know, come to think about it… I can’t remember if I mentioned it or not. Heard it both nights.”

  Angelica tilted her head and looked at Matthew with a curious expression, “So you heard the sound again on the night of the second mutilation?”

  “Yep, sure did. At first, I thought it was a helicopter, and then I realized it was the same sound I heard on the night of the first one…”

  Angelica interrupted Jack, “That’s right… I remember reading in the police report that at first you thought you heard a helicopter. And you are sure it was not a helicopter, is that correct?”

  “Certain of it!” Jack raised his shoulders in confidence.

  “Okay, anything else happen that first night?”

  “Well, after the light moved around for a few minutes, it stopped, and after a second or two, disappeared. It wasn’t until the next morning out on the ranch that I discovered one of my cattle all sliced up. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. As I was walking up, my first thought was that it had been attacked by a coyote. We have problems with coyote around here on occasion. But… upon closer inspection, I noticed there was no blood anywhere. Then I saw the cuts… the clean, precise cuts. Nothing like you’d see if a coyote got ahold of one of your cattle. It was strange so I grabbed a stick and poked around and noticed an eye was missing and an ear was gone. You’d think well, that would be normal in an attack by a coyote, but it looked as if someone had taken scissors to the ear and cut it clean off. I didn’t feel right about it. And then it hit me… Whatever it was that caused the light and sound from the night before had something to do with it, so I jumped in my truck and drove back to the house to phone the Sheriff.”

  “What do you think it was?” Angelica asked cautiously.

  Clearly made uncomfortable by the question, Jack answered with a slight hesitation. “I believe it was a UFO, Ms. Bradley. I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve tried to rationalize this over and over and I know what I saw, what I heard, and what my gut is telling me.” His tone was flat. He stared Matthew straight in the eyes.

  Watching his mouth as he finished his sentence… “Very interesting,” Angelica said, careful not to sound condescending. “When you say UFO, do you mean to say, an alien craft?”

  “Look Angelica, I know it’s hard to believe, but…”

  Matthew interrupted him, “Jack, it takes a lot of courage to tell your story, thank you.”

  “Yes, thank you, Jack!” Angelica said smiling warmly. Jack looked at both of them and tilted his head down, looking at the ground for a moment, then looking back up… “I don’t understand why I had to be the unfortunate person to experience something like this, but it’s changed my life and my faith to some degree. Angelica, I hope you can find some answers in your investigation. I’d like to know why they’re cutting up our cattle.”

  Angelica could sense the emotion in Jack’s voice. It struck her that Jack had said “faith”. She drifted off for a moment, reflecting on her childhood thoughts of the possibility of other species existing out in the universe. With the innocence of a child, she wondered if there were other life forms out there, and if there were, were they created by the same God. Angelica caught herself drifting further from the present moment with Jack and Matthew. She stopped and refocused her attention.

  “When I read the police report on the second incident, you reported the same occurre
nces on the night of the first incident. Was there anything different that happened that you may not have mentioned to the police?”

  “Yes… there was…” Jack looked around nervously and then back to Angelica. His eyes appeared worried. “I was standing on the front porch watching the light and when it stopped over the pasture and just stayed there… Well…” Jack looked visibly uncomfortable. “After a minute, I saw…” Suddenly Jack stopped in mid-sentence and looked out into the distance between Matthew and Angelica.

  Angelica looked at Jack and said, “Yes, and?”

  Matthew turned his head to see Jack’s wife Elizabeth walking toward them.

  “I’d rather Elizabeth not know everything. She’s a fragile woman and she’s been through a lot. I don’t think it would do her any good to know the details.”

  Angelica looked at Elizabeth as she approached, “I understand”.

  Elizabeth was moving quickly toward them. Angelica noticed the golden highlights in Elizabeth’s short dark blonde hair.

  “Hi honey, this is Angelica Bradley with the Liberator Magazine, and you know Matthew.”

  “Yes,” Elizabeth nodded at Matthew with a kind smile and then turned to Angelica, “Hello, I’m Elizabeth Keller, nice to meet you.”

  Angelica extended her hand to Elizabeth slowly, as if she were a porcelain doll, mindful of her fragility. “Hello Elizabeth, so nice to meet you,” Angelica spoke softly and smiled.

  A slight build, and cachectic blue veins protruding from her emaciated looking tan arms, the frail Elizabeth looked over at the carcass, “Gruesome isn’t it? How long have you guys been out in this heat? Why don’t you come inside into the air conditioning for some iced tea?”

  “That would be nice, thank you,” Angelica gleamed and looked over to Matthew, “How about some tea?” Angelica’s blouse was moist and still clung to her back.