Somewhere far from the farm:
"I can't believe Mama Jones offered to walk the other way by herself. Is she insane? One of us should've went with her."
"Relax, Mikey, my ma knows how to take care of herself, trust me."
"Oh, I believe it, but still, she's just an old fragile lady."
"That's what you said about that one woman who got her purse stolen and you offered to give it back, Mikey." Don rolled his eyes in remembrance.
"Ha yah! And then she beat you with it." Casey laughed at the memory.
"Hey! That woman was a former Navy Seal I'm tellin' yah!"
"It was still pretty funny to watch." Casey rolled down his truck window and spit in the grass on the side of the road. "Look, there it is." He pointed to the random bunch of buildings that were down the hillside. "Dustbowl village. It's actually one of the only remaining 19th century villages in all of New York. That's actually what makes it so popular, you know. People came from all over to see it."
The group was silent for a moment.
"Did Casey just say something intelligent?" Mike asked his brother.
"Casey just…said something intelligent."
"Screw you guys, I know all about this kind of stuff."
"It doesn't look like a village." Don said after pulling away from his seat to try and get a better look at the structures. "It just looks like a highway pit stop. A very large, highway pit stop."
"Well people live there. There's houses and stuff."
"Then it's probably just a small community."
"Why does it matter?" Mikey asked with a grunt of annoyance.
Once they got down the mountain and onto the main road, they only drove a small distance before driving into the town. Dust and gravel knocked against the rim of the car and painted it with its debris as they struggled to find a place to park and begin searching.
"Look at all the people." Mikey gulped as he and his brother ducked down to avoid being seen.
"They all look so…obsolete." Don said in fascination.
"Yah, this part of New York is a lot like that." Casey said as he pulled into an available parking space on the side of the road.
"It's like the big city for country people." Mikey commented.
"Sure, but this isn't a city." Don reminded his gaping brother.
"Your guys' stuff is under the seat. Get suited up and let's start looking before we run out of daylight. Mom's makin' stuffed burgers for dinner." Casey opened his car door and stepped out. Once Mikey and Don were dressed, they went out too.
The late afternoon sun shone down on the town and reflected off the top of the small buildings. Dust kicked up everywhere people walked and the sound of gravel under heavy feet was the only thing you could hear for miles.
"Do you hear that? No car horns." Mikey laughed.
"Yah, I miss it." Don sighed.
"You a city boy, Donnie?" Casey chuckled.
"You have no idea." He tried to smile but frowned instead.
"Alright where should we check first?" Casey asked.
"Does this place have a bar?" Don started to walk down the sidewalk until Casey jumped ahead and took the lead. "After that I want to go to whatever police station this place has and see if there's been any reports of car theft."
"How about I do that while you two check the bar?" Mikey offered and then received mixed reactions from the other two.
"Yah don't wanna go with Donnie?" Casey asked peculiarly.
"Nah, him and I walking into a bar might not end well." He chuckled. "I'm being serious."
"Fair enough, just be careful. Who knows how this place will handle mutant turtles." Don said and then walked off with Casey.
They arrived at an oddly modern looking bar and immediately started to scan the area.
"Watch all the exits. If he sees us, he'll take off." Don warned his partner.
"That might not be so easy, buddy. This place is more crowded than a soup kitchen."
"Just try your best and don't look suspicious. Meet back here in 10 minutes."
They separated in different directions and began to slowly stroll around the bar while carefully getting a good visual at anyone who appeared to look out of place.
"This must be some famous saloon." Don said to himself while noting the bouncers stationed at all the exits. "That or they're looking for someone. Maybe Raph." Don couldn't possibly imagine Raphael getting into trouble already. Then again, he did make enemies very quickly.
"Excuse me?" He walked up to one of the men cautiously. "Does this place have any rooms or anything? Like a place to spend the night?" He smiled politely but the bouncer stayed silent and kept the same disgusted look on his face. "Alright then, never mind." He awkwardly walked away in embarrassment.
"I hope Raph knows this bar isn't like the one back at home." Don sighed as he walked over to the bartender and ordered a drink. That's what normal people did, right? It would be an easy way to pick up a conversation.
"Can I get you anything else?" The woman asked after handing him his madras (which he had no intention of drinking).
"Yes, I was wondering if anything strange has happened around the town lately." He cringed and regretted using the word 'strange.'
"Anything exciting I can get interested in?" He corrected.
"Oh, so you're a traveler looking for some excitement?"
"I like to stick my nose in other people's business." He smiled amiably.
"Well, one of Mason's horses died today. It was weird because he was known as "the man whose horses never died." Some beauties they are though."
"Any idea how it died?"
"Heart attack I think. It makes since, the old brute was almost 20 years old, anyway. It was known to be pretty skittish, too. Everyone says it died from natural causes but I think something scared it to death."
A mutant turtle maybe?
"Where is this ranch?" Don asked.
"Far side of town near the police station. I wouldn't recommend visiting though. Mason's pretty upset about it and he's acting really strange, too. His daughter can't even get near him."
"I'll take my chances." He laid a 10 dollar bill on the counter. "Thanks." He took off to find Casey.
"How do you not remember?! He's almost 6 feet tall!" Casey was yelling at an elderly man at the poker table.
"Casey? What are you doing?" Don pulled him away
"I think these guys know where Raph is." He spat.
"How do you know?" He scanned their mischievous faces and took note of the size of their bloated stomachs.
"Because! I asked them if they've seen any guy about the size of the hulk and they're like "yah, what's it to yah" and they're not telling me anything!"
"Casey, they're just messing with you. They're drunk out their last."
Casey looked at him and drew his neck back.
"What? You mean drunk out their ASS?"
"Oh, is that how the saying goes?" Don scratched his head. "I've been saying that for years, too."
"Well, you're stupid. Help me beat these guys up!"
"Never mind them. I think I found a lead." Don pulled his raging friend back and told him the story.
"Anything could've happened, Donnie."
"I know, but it's worth checking out. Maybe this Mason guy or his daughter saw something. The bartender even said Mason was acting strange. Maybe he saw Raph out there, took a few shots at him and scared the horse to death."
"It's a good idea, but… I still wanna beat these guys up!" Casey lunged again but Don kept him at a safe distance.
"Come on. We'll come back if we don't have any luck."
"Raph could take off by then!" Casey argued. "Go find Mikey and take him with you. I'll stay here just in case."
Don sighed and agreed. "But no beating anyone up."
Casey dug the tip of his town into the wooden floor boards.
"Not even a little pinch?"
"No."
"Or a tickle?"
"No pinches, tickles, pokes, petting, stroking, spitting, nothing." Don swiped his hands over top of each other. "The last thing we need is to get kicked out of this town before our work here is even done."
"Man, you sound a lot like Leo when he aint' here." Casey admitted with a puff of breath.
"What?" He seemed to be offended. "I'm sorry. I guess he just rubs off on me sometimes."
"Yah, that or Mikey brought out the leader in you."
"Huh?" Don thought about it for a minute. "Don't talk like that!" He started to bite his nails. "I'm the same old guy, nothing's changed, I swear. Besides, Mikey and I are nothing."
"Sure, sure, but all couples gotta have a main man. Why do yah think all the pressure between Leo and Raph is going through the roof?" He laughed and shook his head.
"How do you know all this stuff about them? Did they tell you?" Don grew curious while also attempting to move the conversation away from him and Mikey.
"Raph keeps me posted on some minor stuff. He doesn't go into detail or anything, thank God." Casey pretended to cough. "But most of it is just one guy observing others and figuring out the rundown."
"You think April suspects them yet?"
"That's a really good question, Bro. I get you guys are tryin' to keep it a secret from her but…she's alone with Leo right now and with the mood that he's in…"
"I hope he doesn't say anything." Don started to bite the nails on his other hand.
"Why do you care? I thought you were the laid back guy?"
"What if she doesn't understand? What if she pulls a Master Splinter? That would just kill all of us if she did."
"I know it would, buddy." Casey patted his friend's shoulder.
"Man…all of this is my fault."
"How?"
Don went silent and sighed deeply to himself. "Don't worry about it." He said kindly and turned around to head for the door. "I'll keep you posted." He raised his shell cell in the air and walked out the door.
"Heya!" Mikey came trotting over to Donnie with some papers in his hands. "Check out what I found at the police station." He handed over the files. "Within the last hour there's been one car theft and within the last 6 hours, there's been two."
"I'll keep that in mind." He said as he read the file.
"Huh? That's our lead, bro."
"Not yet. I think I might have found something a little more helpful. Not that what you found wasn't helpful or anything. Come with?"
"Sure, where are we going?"
"A ranch where a horse died." Don started to walk in the right direction with his curious brother scampering close by.
"Really? Did Raph rip it to shreds or something?"
"No." Don chuckled and then filled his brother in on the situation.
"That's Raph alright. His face is certainly enough to…"
Don shot him a disgusted glance.
"Never mind, I'm still working on the whole don't-insult-Raph-every-chance-you-have thing."
"It's ok. I wouldn't mind it as much if I knew he was safe, you know?"
"Yah, Leo."
"Would you guys stop?!" Don stopped walking and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You guys?" Mikey raised a brow.
"Casey's doing the same thing!" He continued walking at a faster pace so his brother had to struggle to keep up.
"What? It's cute. I mean disgusting."
"Shut up before I send you back to the truck. UGH! I did it again!"
"Deep, cleansing breaths." Mike started to massage his panicked brother's shoulders. "We'll have Leo check you out once he gets back." He chuckled.
"He can check me out all he wants." Don grinned out of sight of Mikey who yanked back on his shoulders to stop him.
"Exsqueeze me?" He snapped his fingers and popped a hip.
"I'm just kidding."
"Now you sound like me." Mike walked past him. "What are you, a multiple personality? I'm kinda scared to see the Raph half."
"I don't have a "Raph half."
"I do." He grinned.
"The day I see you get angry is the day I turn in my computer for good."
"Well I guess you'll have to find a new career there, Donnie boy."
"I seriously doubt it, Mikey boy."
The orange clad turtle stopped walking and slowly shook his head disapprovingly at his failure of a brother.
"You guys are so mean to me." Don pouted again. "I miss Leo. He actually enjoys my presence."
"I enjoy your presence." Mikey crashed into his brother and lifted one leg up onto his thigh.
"Cut it out!" He pushed him away but then tried to conceal his smile of embarrassment. "Can you stop walking backwards? You're freaking me out."
"Well in that case, I'll keep doing it." Mikey winked.
"I thought your annoying side was gone?"
"Nah, this is my charming side." He spread out his arms.
"Yah sure it…MIKE LOOK OUT!" Don reached an arm out for his brother but it was too late. The lime green turtle backed right into a woman carrying 3 huge, brown bags of groceries. The small turtle tried his best to catch everything he could but most of it ended up becoming one with the ground.
"I'm so sorry!" Mike started to pick up the things.
"Geeze, can you watch where you're going?!" The girl, who looked no older than 20, pushed her hair behind her ears and started to pick up her stuff. "Just stop. I got it."
Mikey stepped back in embarrassment and lowered his head.
"Mam, he didn't mean to." Don attempted to defend his brother.
"It's ok, I'm sorry for yelling. I'm just stressed out, that's all. My dad usually does all this stuff but…" The girl stopped and collected the rest of her groceries. "Thanks for the help."
"Did you want us to help you carry all that stuff?" Mikey offered.
"No, I think I got it. The ranch isn't much farther."
"The ranch? Are you Mr. Mason's daughter?" Don asked.
"Yah, unfortunately." She giggled uncomfortably.
"Oh well, we were just heading over there now. Here let us help." Before she could protest, Don grabbed the bags from her and handed one of them to Mikey.
"Really? Why were you going over there?" She massaged her sore arms.
"To talk about his horse." Mike said quite loudly, feeling ignored.
"Good luck with that. He might shoot you if you bring it up."
"Well, we think we might be able to help."
"How? Can you bring his horse back to life?"
"I wish I could but I was hoping I could help him make sense of what happened. I also need to know a few things myself." Don proclaimed.
The girl nodded approvingly. "I'm Prudence." She smiled.
"I'm Donatello and this is my little brother Michelangelo."
"Good, I'm not the only one with a weird name." She giggled.
"Watch it lady, I'm carrying your life's supply of bath sponges." Mike warned her.
"Sorry. I'm also sorry for the question I'm about to ask. Why are you two wearing trench coats in this 75 degree weather?"
"Long story." Don chuckled.
"You're not carrying any weapons under there I hope." She said in a suspicious manner.
"Umm…no way, bra." Mike chuckled. "We're just hiding…nasty skin eczema."
"Sounds painful." Prudence mumbled.
"Girl, you have no idea." He mumbled back.
"Don't freak out if my dad wants you to take them off. He's just cautious like that, but he won't judge you…I think."
"If he does make us take them off, I'm apologizing in advance." Don sighed.
"Why?" She asked but sounded more playful then curious.
"It's the worst case of skin eczema he'll ever see."
Nice long chapter and I promise things will pick up the speed a little!