Artifact 6: Raynor's Morning

The mystery deepens when Raynor encounters his neighbor.

Artifact  6: Raynor’s Morning  

 

            Besides Raven Ridge Ranch business on his mind, a couple other things occupied Raynor’s thoughts. The chatty DJ’s constant commenting on the unexplained bump in the night and playing Country/Western music to mock the locals’ enthusiasm over the incident didn’t help Raynor’s concentration one bit. On top of that, the two abandoned US Army vehicles bewildered him as well. Nevertheless, Raynor motored into town. 

In several minutes, he slowed upon entering the town’s business area slipping the old pickup truck back into second gear. Main Street’s row of fronted stores contained various thriving small businesses with the two exceptions of the Western Auto and Montgomery Ward Stores. It was, after all, a small town with only local ranchers and the small army post to support its businesses. He saw a few customers walking the sidewalks and roaming within the storefronts. A couple people on the sidewalk recognized Raynor and cheerfully waved as he passed. On spotting an old childhood friend, Raynor tooted his horn and shouted out a greeting. The friend returned the salutation. Raynor coasted to midtown and turned onto Fourth Street, and went up half a block. As small towns usually go, this town was typical with buildings well-spaced even this close to Main Street. He turned another corner toward the one and only diner�"Del’s.

Raynor noticed the sheriff’s squad car and two official US Army sedans parked just around the corner from the diner. He saw the squad car was occupied by a couple police officers, but couldn’t make out if anyone was in the Army sedans. Nothing unusual happening there, but Raynor had an itch like when on an army patrol in a foreign country during a cloudy night. He knew the feeling all too well.

He pulled into Del’s Diner parking lot which was crowded as usual, but Raynor found a spot under a popular tree and wheeled in. Characteristic for a small town restaurant, Del’s wasn’t anything fancy but had some fine, like-home cooking, the meals heavy on the gravy and butter. The aroma made its way to Raynor’s nostrils causing him to suddenly realize his hunger.

            Getting out and slamming the truck’s door shut, he noticed John Thompson’s vehicle, a nice, well-kept Ford truck even though a few years old. Strolling to the diner’s door, Raynor decided that John’s short gravel driveway was definitely easier on vehicles than Raynor’s long, bumpy, and dusty lane. He opened the door for an older couple and then stepped inside.

The instant upon entering, he was bombarded by the din of conversations and the rattle of silverware on china. Walking the aisle, he caught the gist of a couple discussions and exchanged greetings with old friends. Apparently, he found the rumble during the night became the talk of the town. Raynor didn’t think much about the bump despite his ranch hands mentioning it and the AM radio DJ’s long-winded chatter. Raynor spotted John Thompson sitting amid breakfast with his foreman Rusty and a well-dressed, suited man he didn’t recognize. Raynor sized up the stranger�"not a usual cattle buyer but by the looks of him surely a city man, possibly from the government. Raynor had seen the type before.

            “Good morning John, Rusty,” Raynor said, with a nod to them. Raynor thought Josh would introduce the city man, but it didn’t happen.

            “Well…ah, good to see you Ray, how’s everything at the Triple R?” John said with a hint of a hesitation and a bit too distracted. John turned back slowly in his chair flashing a tentative glance to the city man. “We’re doing a little, eh, business this morning; maybe we can talk in the next couple days and shoot the breeze.”

             “Sure, our boys could whoop it up one night.” Rusty interjected.  Raynor knew Rusty as a burly, fiery red-haired Irishman well known for his boisterous garrulous manner, heavy drinking, and, as a result of the former two, bar fights.

            The city man with them cleared his throat gruffly and glared at John. Raynor noticed the look though didn’t pay it much heed.

            “Sure, sure, Rusty,” Raynor said, “The boys need to blow off some steam.”

            “Yes! Yes! That would be great! Someday soon!” John awkwardly said, with an askance. “Ah, besides, I’ve been meaning to stop by and talk to you about that prize Angus bull you have to breed up some of my heifers.”

            Raynor’s focus drifted to the other man, and John caught it. “Oh, er Mr. er’James is here on some cattle-buying business. I’m a bit strapped and thinkin’ ‘bout selling Big Moses with most of the brown herd.” He took a deep breath as the pregnant silence grew heavy and drowned out the restaurant’s din. Raynor took in his neighbor’s strange demeanor.

“Join us?” Rusty piped up, then noticed the cattle buying man’s glare and backed down in his enthusiasm.

            Raynor comprehended the looks and postures, and the fact that there were no extra chairs nearby. “No…no, I’ll let you continue your business and catch you, umm, later at your place.” Raynor backed up a step into the path of a speeding waitress. 

            “Morning Ray!” She warned, performing a balancing act with four plates of food on her hands and arms. She spun aside as he grinned, shrugged a bit, and moved away. 

            “Coffee, Raynor?” She asked over her shoulder while noisily chewing a wad of chewing gum. Raynor detected Juicy Fruit by the overly sweet smell.

            “Sure, I’ll sit right there,” he said, pointing to a smaller table nearby.

            “Make a good deal John, the cattle market’s good right now.” Raynor said loudly as an afterthought and to eschew any lingering notions. He pulled out a chair and sat down to contemplate matters.

            Rusty swiveled his wooden chair on the plank floor with a squawk to lean back on his chair. “You hear anything the other night at your place?” He said brashly. Now John made a non-verbal noise and added a cough and a glower directed at Rusty. Rusty twitched and his demeanor fell.   

            “Heard about it but didn’t hear it.” Raynor said. “Any idea what it was, Rusty?” 

“Ah, it was nuthin,’ Ray, nuthin’. The boys looked around and saw not a thing’.  He twitched again and turned back glancing nervously between John and the man. “Maybe a shootin’ star, but ah, it, it was just probably umm, Marquis all fired up on tequila and fell on the floor headfirst!”  Rusty said, adding a guffaw that was obviously forced and phony with a look expecting approval from the “cattle-buying” man. 

            Raynor quietly chortled with him but reflected on the odd behavior of the men. A shooting star? Is that what this is all about? He recalled someone once claimed that there was gold, silver, or maybe it was uranium in meteorites. So maybe it was worth looking for or upon finding it, covering your tracks, finding a buyer, and hoarding it for yourself. John hoping for a quick buck on the side? As he contemplated, Ethel dropped off his coffee, and he ordered a triplet of eggs sunny side up, a side of bacon, and a stack of flapjacks. 

            Raynor sipped his coffee taking sidelong glances, contemplating John’s possible cattle-selling predicament, or whatever what was going on, and the rancher’s plain old, out-of-the-ordinary, odd behavior. He never knew John to have problems at his ranch even though John had pared down his herd by half a year ago which doesn’t add up with him talking with a cattle buyer, yet asking about Raynor’s bull. Someone once let on that John had a horse-gambling problem, but Raynor just contributed that to hearsay. The three men did look serious and low-voiced about the business at hand.  Raynor decided it was none of his business unless somehow, it became his business.

  A young military officer, a young lieutenant military policeman or “MP,” came in, and recognized Raynor as the local veteran hero so walked over and provided a morning’s greeting.

“Mornin,’ Mister Raven,” the officer said.

“An’ a good one at that, LT,” Raynor answered, though the lieutenant apparently had business on his mind and walked along in a tired shuffle. Not much of an exchange, he thought. Raynor watched him for a moment not understanding how lax the military could become in the couple short years since the war. Evidently, many “old heads” had left the service right after the war leaving the branches in a lurch and foregoing many of the tried-and-true, strict ways at the same time. Now, from what he heard, the army was running bare bones.

The lieutenant bent down toward the well-dressed man and sternly whispered something before sitting down close to the trio of men though with his back to them. Astutely interested, Raynor looked away after he noticed both the well-dressed man and the lieutenant cast knowing glances, a few words, and an exchange of silent nods as John and Rusty sat there looking on anxiously regarding the other two.

 Raynor decided right then and there: there was something downright curious in the wind.