The Bovine Connection

by Kimberly Thomas

  After a moment, Angelica stood up and went inside. She pulled her pad of notes from her satchel and opened her laptop.

  There was a knock at the door. Startled, she rushed through the room and opened the door. The server came in.

  “Where would you like your tray?”

  “On the desk is fine, thank you.”

  “Lovely day isn’t it?”

  Angelica didn’t answer, she had glanced back over to the desk, distracted by the notes she was deciphering from the Michael Anderson interview. However, the server didn’t appear to take it personally.

  “Enjoy your stay”, he said as he shut the door behind him. Angelica still distracted, poured her coffee and laughed. “Why am I thinking about that cowboy Michael Anderson when there appears to be a lot more interesting men roaming around here in Elberton? … Little green ones…”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Angelica hovered in the valet area for a moment watching the guests as they loaded luggage into their rental cars, until she noticed Matthew sitting in his car reading a newspaper.

  Angelica walked up to Matthew’s window and knocked, causing him to jump in surprise, crumpling the page of the newspaper as he lowered it to see what the noise was.

  “You startled me!” He laughed.

  Angelica smiled smugly. “Good Morning.”

  Matthew leaned over and moved the rest of the newspaper out of the passenger seat by placing it in the backseat.

  Angelica put her satchel on the floorboard and got in.

  “Good Morning, lovely lady! How did you sleep?”

  “Same as usual, thank you. Were you waiting long?” Angelica smiled sincerely.

  “No, just a few minutes.”

  “Good! So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

  Matthew started the engine and pulled out of the valet area. “We are meeting Sheriff Taylor at the town diner, and then we’ll head over to Ellen McKinney’s place.”

  “Perfect!” Angelica leaned back, shifted in her seat, and looked out the window as they drove off.

  Coming off the mountain and onto the main road, Angelica glanced over to notice Matthew was fidgeting.

  “So how’d you like Michael? Great guy, huh?” Matthew asked. Matthew was curious. He wanted to observe Angelica’s reaction as he teased her about Michael.

  Angelica looked back out her window. “He was nice,” she said, trying to cover up any indication that she might be interested in him.

  “Nice?” Matthew laughed sarcastically. “Hum, he was nice?” Matthew laughed again with less sarcasm. “Sure looked like you two had a connection.”

  “Really, it did?” Angelica swung her head around and looked at Matthew surprised, and then slowly turned back around to look out the window.

  “Interesting,” she said softly.

  Matthew shook his head. “Nice… Interesting… You’re interesting.” He chuckled. Angelica flashed him a quick smile.

  “Okay, so changing the subject… What are you thinking about all this UFO stuff so far?” Matthew asked in western slang.

  Angelica pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She needed time to think. “I don’t know, Matthew. Michael was convincing… He appeared to be telling the truth yesterday. He seemed very sincere.” Angelica frowned and pursed her lips. “And Jack Keller was obviously trying to hide something from Elizabeth… and then there was the carcass. There just has to be a more believable explanation.”

  Matthew nodded. “Yeah, it will get stranger after you meet with Ellen McKinney, for sure.”

  Angelica looked at Matthew. “So what keeps you in this small town? Oh, by the way, do you mind stopping by the liquor store later? I need something for the room.”

  Matthew nodded. “Sure don’t… can’t blame you.”

  Angelica inserted… “Trouble sleeping, you know.”

  “To answer your question… it is a small town, and not a lot to do, but it’s home.”

  Angelica looked over at Matthew, observing his side profile. An average build, he was geeky, but handsome, she thought. He had an all-American look.

  “So, why aren’t you a cowboy?” Angelica giggled sarcastically.

  Matthew turned and looked at Angelica, caught off guard by the question. “Thought we covered the cowboy thing.” He laughed.

  “Well, my father was a rancher. His ancestry went all the way back to when his family first settled in Montana, about the time the cattle industry first started here.” His voice was deep as he shot a glance at Angelica.

  There was something in Matthew’s tone when he spoke about his father, almost bitter, she thought. Angelica was curious. She analyzed him closely as he continued to speak about his past.

  “The rancher lifestyle has been in our family for generations. It just wasn’t for me,” he said dryly as he glanced back over at Angelica. “I had my head in books, an inconvenient hobby for someone growing up in Elberton, Montana.” He shook his head as he reflected back on his childhood.

  “I wanted to write, dreamed of writing since the day I discovered my passion for it. I didn’t get along with my father. He was a hard man.” Matthew’s tone became even more bitter

  Angelica frowned. “Oh.”

  “He didn’t like my interest in the page, thought I was an embarrassment. He was disappointed.” Matthew’s eyes grew grave.

  Angelica looked down… “How difficult.”

  Matthew looked over at Angelica clearly moved by her sympathy. “Anyway, how’d I get started on this conversation?” He laughed, “Oh, I forgot, I’m with an investigative journalist.”

  Angelica looked sincerely into his eyes. Matthew did a double take and then looked ahead at the road.

  “You don’t have to talk about it. I find you fascinating--that’s all.”

  Matthew nodded and smiled. “I’m fascinating--that’s good to know. Thank you for saying that. Well, when I was growing up, I’d hear my father in his bedroom, right beside mine, loudly stumbling around as he did each morning, bumping into furniture all pissed off from the hangover he had brought upon himself from the night before. I wasn’t much of a morning person myself, so I tried to stay out of his way. Not to mention, I definitely wasn’t eager to be up at dawn to shovel horse shit.” Matthew looked irritated. “My father would push my door wide open and with red, bloodshot eyes, and a rage in his voice, he’d say … ‘Ranchers don’t have the luxury of sleeping in, boy. You better get used to the dawn.’ Those are my childhood memories.” He laughed sarcastically.

  Angelica wrinkled her forehead. She felt sorry for him. “Was it all bad?” she asked softly.

  “Not really, I had my grandparents, you know, my mother’s folks. They encouraged me to continue with my writing. Grandfather told me, ‘You don’t have to feel guilty for not following in your father’s footsteps. The rancher’s way of living is not for everyone.’ He’d say, ‘Stay true to yourself and follow your own path.’ So, I did. I was the first male on my father’s side to go to college. Besides, my older brother has always been my father’s favorite. Anyhow, I’m happy.” Matthew peered over at Angelica suspiciously. “How’d you get all that out of me?” He chuckled.

  “Have you ever thought about leaving Elberton?” Angelica tilted her head inquisitively.

  “You know, Angelica, some of us have no desire to live a fast-paced lifestyle, and look around you at this view.” Matthew took his hand off the steering wheel and waved it around. “So many people come here to escape and take their vacation. Hell, I get to see this every day.”

  Angelica looked out of the window at the mountains in the distance and exhaled. “That’s great, Matthew.” Angelica’s index finger glided softly along the top of her lip. “I do grow weary of D.C. from time to time. I could definitely come back here… to get away.”

  Matthew smiled, “I hope you will… come back.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Matthew pulled up to the curb just outside the old-fashioned diner on the corner of the town square. “Well,
here we are!”

  Angelica got out and looked up at the diner’s old sign. Matthew had grown up in Elberton so she imagined he had spent a lot of time at what appeared to be the only hangout that didn’t serve liquor within a twenty miles radius. She thought about him as a young man, sipping milkshakes, loaded with whipped cream and a signature cherry on top while reading the Alfred Hitchcock book series, “The Three Investigators.” She had read it herself when she was young, and wondered if Matthew had too.

  Angelica kept pace behind him as they entered into the loud room. She heard the old tin bell chime against the glass door as it shut behind her.

  She noticed a blonde woman in her early thirties staring at her. Angelica felt uncomfortable. As Angelica passed by her, the lady glanced away with a crooked smile.

  Angelica was clearly an outsider in a small town. She noticed several people with the same piercing stare, as she walked by.

  There was a time when Angelica would have been offended. These people had no clue what she had gone through, even being spit on while trying to question an indicted Councilman while he was making his way into the courthouse. She knew it was par for the course, so she took it for what it was… humanity at its finest. She clutched her purse tightly and continued behind Matthew.

  Matthew caught the awkward stares and low whispers so he casually turned around to Angelica. “Don’t let it bother you, just smile and nod. They’ve had their share of big city folks that come over from Elk Lodge.”

  An older lady with tanned, leather skin walked up. “Hello, Matthew! Who you got here?”

  “Hi Bev, this is Angelica Bradley with the Liberator Magazine. She’s in town from D.C., doing a story.”

  Bev appeared friendly, but uninterested. “Well, that’s just nice… what will y’all be having today?”

  Matthew rubbed his hand together like a boy and with his boyish smile he stated, “How about a slice of that chess pie, and some coffee.” Matthew responded a little too excited, Angelica thought, as she laughed inwardly.

  Bev looked to Angelica. “And you, honey?”

  “I’ll have the same, thank you.”

  They sat down in the booth. Angelica glanced around the diner to see if the patrons were still staring at her. There were a few quick glances her way, but everyone appeared to be pretending to mind their own business.

  The bell on the door chimed again, and in walked Sheriff Taylor, all neat and groomed in his brown official uniform. He took his hat off as he came in and rubbed his hand across the top of his forehead to smooth the black hair back into place, at the same time wiping away the shine of sweat.

  He was a thin man and in his late fifties. He appeared to be a happy, confident man. As he crossed the room toward Angelica and Matthew, he stopped and talked with the town folk along the way.

  Angelica found the Sheriff amusing to watch. He was a politically savvy showman. He would gently pat a person on the shoulder, then roll his head back and let out an obnoxious chuckle, giving the impression he was genuinely interested in the conversation.

  It was obvious he was well-liked and respected by the people in the town. He finally made his way over to the booth. He wiped his palm across his forehead to smooth his hair once again while he placed his sheriff’s hat on the hook fixed to the side of the booth.

  Sheriff Taylor’s voice was assertive. “Hello, Matthew!”

  Matthew got up from the booth. “Hello, Sheriff. This is Angelica Bradley with the Liberator Magazine.”

  Angelica rose up from the table and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff!”

  “Call me Bob,” he said with what appeared to be a fake smile as they all sat down.

  Angelica turned to smirk discreetly. Sheriff Bob Taylor… this would make a great Twilight Zone episode, she thought.

  “So you’re here to investigate the cattle mutilations?” Sheriff Taylor stated, direct and to the point.

  “Yes, I came in from D.C. two days ago. This is not typically my type of story. I’m more of a political investigative journalist,” Angelica stated with an arrogant air as she sat her coffee cup down.

  Sheriff Taylor held eye contact as he tried to size her up, as people usually did with Angelica.

  “So what’s your take on the mutilations, Bob?” Angelica reached down and grabbed her recorder from her satchel.

  “Hold up young lady, I need to get me a piece of that famous chess pie and cool off with some cold sweet tea. It’s a hot one out there,” he smiled and looked at Bev while she placed Matthew’s and Angelica’s pie down in front of them.

  “Oh yes, sorry.” Angelica nodded blankly.

  “So… you want my opinion. Well, I don’t believe little grey men are doing it, like Matthew over here, if that’s what you’re asking,” the sheriff said, as he nudged Matthew with his elbow and chuckled. Matthew rolled his eyes.

  “Honestly, Ms. Bradley, I’m not sure what to make of all this mutilated cow stuff. I’ve been investigating the incidents since the first one back in 2000 at the Anderson ranch. I thought it was probably from coyote. Then, after examining the carcass and speaking with the local vet, I thought maybe it was a revenge killing.”

  Bev walked up and placed the sheriff’s pie and tea down in front of him.

  “I suspected a dispute may have taken place between Hugh Anderson and somebody, but couldn’t find any evidence to suggest that was the case. And frankly, Hugh wasn’t the sort of guy to cause anyone hard feelings.” The sheriff looked at Angelica as he cut a bite-sized piece of pie. “Love the chess pie here!”

  Sheriff Taylor, holding his fork like a shovel, cut off another rather large piece of pie and took another bite, and with his mouth full, went on to say… “Then we started looking at the possibility that we had some sort of sicko on our hands.”

  Angelica couldn’t help but notice the pie moving around in his mouth as he spoke. Trying to focus on what he was saying instead of his lack of manners, she nodded her head and maintained eye contact.

  “After all the leads ran dry,” the sheriff said, “we put the file away and as time passed, we moved on.”

  Angelica took a bite of her pie. “Delicious,” she thought. She hadn’t had chess pie since she was a young girl in Asheville.

  “That was, of course, until the second mutilation that occurred on the Keller ranch,” the sheriff told her. “When I got the call, I thought ‘here we go again.’ That’s when we were put in contact with Dr. Walter Goolrick, the Chief Veterinarian of Sciences over at the University of Colorado. Dr. Kenneth Tidwell, we call him KT, who is our local veterinarian, recommended him. KT was just as perplexed as we were.”

  Angelica heard the door chime again. She glanced around to notice a young man and woman walk into the diner. Her attention had wandered. Sheriff Taylor cleared his throat causing Angelica to turn back around and see he had paused waiting for her attention. Angelica was fully alert. “Yes, go on,” she said.

  “Dr. Goolrick concluded that the wounds were surgical,” the sheriff said, “due to the ‘incisions and extraction of internal organs,’ were his words. The incisions were too precise, he said. Someone took great care and probably speed while cutting up that animal. That was, as you can imagine, quite disturbing news. We realized we were dealing with a sicko who had some smarts.”

  “Interesting!” Angelica exclaimed. “Yes, I read his report, as well. Did you follow any leads in pursuit of this sicko?” After asking the question, Angelica glanced over at Matthew. Matthew raised his eyebrows and tightened his lips. Angelica looked back at the sheriff.

  “We’ve pursued every possible lead and they all lead nowhere,” the sheriff told her. “Here in this small town, we may appear dumb, but we’re not. I was born at night, just not last night, Ms. Bradley.”

  Angelica looked intensely at the sheriff wondering if, and how she had offended him… “So you don’t believe any of the other theories out there?”

  “Ms. Bradley, are you asking if I believe in ETs?” Sheri
ff Taylor put his fork down on the side of his plate, turned and looked around the room before looking back at Angelica. “No, and don’t get that crap started again in this town!”

  Matthew and Angelica were equally surprised, and Angelica was offended. She squinted suspiciously and although she was struggling to believe the ET theory, she challenged the sheriff. “Really, you haven’t entertained any thought that there might be something truly unusual going on around here?”

  Sherriff Taylor rolled his eyes and dramatically shook his head.

  Angelica didn’t believe the sheriff. She saw the look in his eyes and she knew his type. She dealt with those assholes every day in D.C. She knew that even if an alien beamed down right in front of him, he’d later deny it ever happened for the sake of his sanity. Remembering that neither Hugh Anderson nor Jack Keller told the sheriff everything they had witnessed on the nights of the mutilations, she dropped it.

  Angelica turned off the recorder. “Would it be all right if I come by the station and take a look at the files?”

  “That’ll be fine,” he stated confidently. “I’ll have them ready for you. Just ask for Sergeant Hamilton and he’ll show you to them. However, your editor has already been sent copies of everything we have so it may be wasted time.”

  “Oh,” Angelica said softly. “Well, thank you.”

  Matthew shifted in his seat and put his hands on the table. “Well, thank you, Sheriff, for meeting with us,” Matthew grabbed the check and they got up from the booth.

  “You’ll let me know what you uncover before you leave,” he said directly to Angelica with a stern look in his eyes. The sheriff announced throughout the diner for everyone to hear, “The pie was delicious, as usual… Outstanding!”

  Bev, who was walking to the cash register to meet him said, “Glad you liked it, Sheriff.”

  Sheriff Taylor turned and looked back at Angelica. “Hope you’re enjoying your stay at the Elk Lodge… Impressive place!”