The next morning, Connor and Murphy stood by the paddock fence while the vet examined the cow carcass and Annie, Diego, Lisa and Darcy stood on the other side of the cow carcass.
"Well…," Doctor Andrew Clay said as he stood up and looked down at the cow carcass. "It was coyotes."
"That doesn't make sense. We lost a calf to them a few months ago and the noise they made woke the whole house," Lisa said.
Connor and Murphy walked toward them while Clay looked at them and he frowned.
"Who the hell are these guys?" Andrew asked.
"It's ok. They're my brothers. Connor? Murphy? This is Doctor Clay. The local veterinarian," Annie said and Connor and Murphy scanned him with their eyes.
"Mind if I take a look?" Connor said with his surfer accent.
"Why?" Andrew asked.
"Just let him," Annie said. Clay wasn't sure why, but he stood back and he looked from the cow carcass to Connor.
"Go ahead," Andrew said.
Connor walked to the cow carcass with Murphy walking beside him and Connor knelt down on his haunches. He scanned the cow carcass with his eyes when he noticed something at the back of the cow's head and he frowned.
"Do you have a pair of surgical gloves?" Connor asked, looking at Clay.
"Here," Andrew said, handing him a clean pair of surgical gloves. Connor placed on the surgical gloves when he moved closer and he moved his fingers over the cow's head. Connor blinked his eyes a few times when he moved his left index finger over what appeared to be a small hole in the cow's head and he looked at the dark blood on the index finger of the glove.
"Hmmmmm…," Connor said when he stood and he showed Clay the dark blood.
"Is that blood?" Darcy asked.
"Looks like."
"Are you saying the cow was shot?" Diego asked.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"If it was shot then why make it look like it was attacked by coyotes?" Lisa asked.
"I think it was to confuse him," Connor said as he looked at Clay.
"To confuse me?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah."
Murphy had been trying to figure out how someone could have shot the cow when he walked to the paddock fence to his left and he looked at the ground. He didn't see any footprints in the dirt or bullet casings on the ground as he turned and he looked at the cow carcass. He looked back at the scenery spreading out before him when he looked at the wire meshing in between the fence slats and he blinked his eyes a few times.
"Murphy? Are you ok over there?!" Annie called out and he turned to look at her. She walked to him as he tried to figure out how to climb over the fence and she poked him in the center of his back. "Murphy?"
"I think we need t'go that way," Murphy whispered, pointing out toward the rocks.
"Is he alright?" Darcy asked.
"He says we need to go that way," Annie said, pointing to the rocks.
"Sounds like a good idea. But I think we need to call the sheriff first," Lisa said.
"She has a point," Connor said.
"Let's go back to the house," Lisa said.
Diego watched Lisa, Darcy, Annie, Connor, Clay and Murphy walk off and Devil looked up at Diego. Sighing, Diego looked down at the cow carcass and he crossed his arms over his chest.
The farmhouse – an hour later
Darcy, Annie and Lisa stood on the porch as the sheriff's car moved down the road then the sheriff's car came to a stop and the door opened. Sheriff Lou Dale got out of the car when he closed the door, walked toward the stairs and he removed the sheriff's hat from his head.
"Afternoon, Ladies," he said, smoothing back his thinning blonde hair.
"Hey," Lisa said.
"Lou," Darcy said.
"Hey," Annie said.
"Heard you have a dead cow problem," Lou said.
"Yeah. Doctor Clay said it was coyotes," Lisa said.
"But you don't think it was coyotes?"
"No."
"Where's the cow?"
"It's in the south paddock," Diego said while he, Connor and Murphy walked closer. Sheriff Dale looked at Connor and Murphy as Dale titled his head to one side and he placed his hands on his hips.
"Who the hell are you two?" Lou asked.
"These are my brothers," Annie said. "This is Connor and this is Murphy."
"Hey," Connor said with the surfer accent.
"Doesn't he talk?" Lou asked, pointing to Murphy.
"Yeah. He just doesn't want to."
"Let's go have a look at the cow," Lou said as he looked at Lisa.
Annie, Darcy and Lisa watched them walk away as Devil followed close behind Murphy and he reached down to pat the top of the grey wolf's head. They headed for the feed truck as they got in the back of the feed truck and Diego and Lou got in the feed truck. Diego started the engine then put the feed truck in gear and the feed truck headed down the path. Devil rested near Murphy as Murphy scratched the top of the grey wolf's head and Connor gave him a small grin.
"What's the story with those two?" Lou asked as he glanced back at Connor and Murphy.
"They're Annie's brothers," Diego said.
"Where are they from?"
"Los Angeles."
"When did they show up?"
"A couple of days ago."
Lou nodded. Diego knew the look on his face and he flexed his fingers over the steering wheel.
"How's Daisy?" Diego suddenly asked. He knew Lou was having an affair with Daisy and Lou squinted his eyes.
"What the hell does that have to do with those two?"
"Daisy is the one who suggested we hire them. Don't want her angry, do you?"
"I don't give a shit."
"You will if she stops giving you "favors"."
They drove in silence until they arrived at the paddock and Diego turned off the engine. They got out of the feed truck when they walked to the paddock and Diego opened the gate. They walked in the paddock as he closed the gate and they walked by the cows. Lou removed his hat after they came to the cow carcass and he knelt down on his haunches.
"Looks like coyotes," Lou said, looking at them.
"Show him where you found the bullet hole," Diego said to Connor and he handed Connor a pair of surgical gloves. Connor placed the surgical gloves on when he knelt down next to the cow's head and he moved his fingers over the cow's head until he found the bullet hole. Lou leaned closer when he saw the bullet hole and he puffed out a breath of air.
"Son of a bitch," Lou whispered.
Lou stood when he put his hat back on and he looked around for any sign of where the shooter had been at the time the cow had been shot.
"My brother thinks the shooter was over there," Connor said and Lou looked to where Murphy was pointing.
"How do we get over there?" Lou asked, looking at Diego.
"I'll take you," Diego said. They got back in the truck when Diego started the engine and they headed for the gate. Diego used the remote to open the gate as the truck moved by the gate and the gate closed behind them.
A short time later, the truck came to a stop near a large rock surrounded by tall, dry grass and smaller stones and they got out of the truck.
"Is this the right spot?" Lou asked, looking at Murphy. Murphy nodded and walked to the large rock. Murphy didn't want to disturb anything around the rock as he looked around then he walked to Diego. He tapped Diego's back as Diego turned to look at him and Murphy looked over at Lou.
"Do you have any binoculars?" Murphy whispered.
"Yeah," Diego whispered. Diego went to the truck when he removed the binoculars from the glove box then he walked back to Murphy. He handed the binoculars to Murphy when Murphy used the binoculars to scan the area and he saw the paddock fence in the distance.
"Look," Murphy whispered, handing him the binoculars. Diego took the binoculars when he scanned the area then he saw the paddock fence.
"Damn," Diego said.
"See something?" Lou asked, walking to him.
"You can see the paddock from here," he said, handing Lou the binoculars. Lou took the binoculars from him when Lou used the binoculars and he saw the paddock fence in the distance. He lowered the binoculars when he frowned then he looked at the large rock.
"I'm gonna have to go back to my car and call my deputies," Lou said.
"What should we do about this?" Diego asked.
"I need to keep people from disturbing the crime scene until I get back."
"When will that be?"
"Before supper."
"I'll tell Hank to get Kenny and Jeff…"
"No. Those jackasses will mess things up."
Connor and Murphy had walked to the truck as they got in the back of the truck and they looked for something to mark the site. Murphy found a sturdy wooden stake and some white cloth as he showed Connor what he found and Connor nodded. They hopped out of the back of the truck when they walked to Lou and Diego and Connor held up the sturdy wooden stake and the white cloth.
"That'll do," Diego said, taking the sturdy wooden stake and the white cloth. They watched him tie the white cloth to the top of the sturdy wooden stake when he walked to the edge of the crime scene and he secured the sturdy wooden stake in the dry ground. Connor walked to him when he checked the sturdy wooden stake then they headed for the truck. Diego watched Connor and Murphy get in the back of the truck while Devil followed them and Diego closed the hatch to the back of the truck. He and Lou got in the truck when Diego started the engine and the truck head down the path as the white cloth barely fluttered in the wind.
Later that day
The sheriff cars and the truck arrived as the vehicles stopped and the white cloth flapped in the wind. Lou and the deputes got out of the sheriff cars while Connor and Murphy hopped out of the back of the truck and Diego got out of the truck, closing the door behind him. The sun cast a dim light as they headed for the sturdy wooden stake and Lou held up his right hand to stop them.
"Spread out," Lou said. Connor and Murphy watched Lou and the deputies examine the crime scene while Lou spoke with Diego and Connor arched his cowboy hat back.
"Think they'll fuck it up?" Connor whispered in German.
"Oh yeah," Murphy whispered in German.
They stood in silence while the sun moved lower and the deputies moved around the large rock. Suddenly, sunlight flashed in Murphy's eyes as he looked over at the tall, dry grass and he frowned. He lightly shook his head as he tried to ignore the flashes of light and a small growl came from his throat.
"Something wrong?" one of the deputies asked.
Murphy looked over at the tall, dry grass. He walked over as the light flashed brighter and he placed on the dark lens sunglasses. The deputy followed him and Murphy looked down at the tall, dry grass. The light flashed brighter and he pointed. The deputy walked to the tall, dry grass when he knelt down on his haunches and the deputy noticed they were near the large rock.
"Sheriff!" the deputy called out.
Lou headed for them while the deputy stood and Lou stood next to him.
"What did you find?" Lou asked.
"There is something in the grass."
Lou was wearing a pair of surgical gloves as he made a small grunt and he knelt down on his haunches. He moved aside the tall, dry grass when a flash of light made him wince. After his eyes cleared, he saw the rifle shell casing lying on the ground and he carefully picked up the rifle shell casing. He made another grunt when he stood up and he used his right index finger to roll the rifle shell casing in the palm of his hand.
"Which one of you found this?" Lou asked.
"He did," the deputy said, pointing at Murphy.
Connor and Diego walked closer while Lou looked at the rifle shell casing and they stopped in front of him.
"Find anything?" Diego asked.
"Found a shell casing," Lou said, showing them the rifle shell casing.
"Any idea what caliber it is?"
"Nope. Need to send it to the lab."
Lou removed a small, plastic evidence bag from the pocket of his jacket when he placed the rifle shell casing inside, closed the evidence bag then placed the evidence bag back in the pocket.
"We took photos of the footprints around the rock and found some scratches on the top of the rock," one of the deputies said and Lou nodded.
"Any signs of tire tracks?" Lou asked.
"No."
"Which means they either parked further down the road or they walked away."
"We're checking for tracks and more footprints."
Connor stood next to Murphy as they locked eyes and they had a silent conversation. Connor barely nodded his head as they crossed their arms over their chests and Lou look up at the sun while shading his eyes with his right hand.
"Give it another five minutes then we have to go," Lou said and the deputies walked away.
Five minutes later, the deputies got into the sheriff cars while Lou, Diego, Murphy and Connor stood near the truck and Lou looked at the white cloth barely moving in the wind.
"How long do you think it will take to find out who did this?" Diego asked.
"Not sure. Gonna take time to get that shell casing analyzed and figure out who those footprints belonged to," Lou said with a sigh and arched his sheriff hat back. "Wish we had been able to find some tire tracks."
"Lisa wants to know if you'd have a deputy come out here and keep watch for the next few days."
"I'll see what I can do."
They watched Lou get into the sheriff car when he closed the door, started the engine and the sheriff cars headed down the road. The muscles in Diego's jaw twitched as he looked from the rock toward the paddock and Connor arched the cowboy hat back.
"I need a drink," Diego grumbled. They watched him head for the truck as they went to catch up with him then they got in the back of the truck as he got in the truck. He started the engine then put the truck in gear and the truck headed down the path. The truck bounced along the path as Murphy looked back at the large rock growing smaller in the distance and Connor could feel the anger coming from his twin. He knew to let his brother stay silent from time-to-time and Connor placed his wrists on his knees.
The Wild Bull Bar
The blue car headed down the road while Murphy looked out the window and Connor was talking with Diego. Murphy wasn't paying attention to what they were talking about as he leaned the side of his head against the glass and he watched the scenery going by.
"Murphy?" made him look at his twin and Connor had a concerned look on his face. "Are you ok?"
"Aye. I'm ok," Murphy said with a sigh.
"Are you sure?" Diego said.
"Jus'… I'm jus' wonderi' how I'm gonna be able t'talk with people."
"You mean at the bar?"
"Aye."
"Jus' talk," Connor said.
"It's easy fer you an' Annie. You can drop yer accent. I can't."
"Have you ever tried?" Diego asked.
Murphy thought for a few seconds then he sighed and he leaned his head back.
"How…? How's this?" he asked with a slight grumble to his voice and Connor smiled.
"Not bad, "Diego said.
"Look. If you don't wanna say anythin' then let me do th'talkin'," Connor said.
"What if I have t'go take a piss an' someone talks t'me?" Murphy asked.
"Just ignore 'em," Diego said and Murphy sighed.
The blue car pulled into the parking lot when Diego steered the blue car into a parking spot then he turned off the engine. The doors opened while they got out of the blue car and closed the doors. Connor looked at the neon sign of a snorting bull's head outlined in red light and what looked like smoke coming from the bull's head flashed in white neon.
"Cute," Connor whispered. Murphy nudged him as he nodded his head toward Diego walking to the door and they went to follow him. The door opened while Diego led the way and they walked in the room. Connor and Murphy scanned the room with their eyes while the voices, laughter, the light scent of cigar and cigarette smoke and loud music filled the air and Diego pointed to an empty table. Connor noticed the mechanical bull sitting in a fighting ring at the center of the room as he arched back the cowboy hat and a small grin spread over his face. They headed for the table when they sat down and Connor leaned his forearms on the table.
"Hey, Diego," the waitress said. She had her black hair pulled back in a ponytail and the light shimmered in her brown eyes. She wore brown leather cowgirl boots, jeans and a white denim shirt. She had a pad of paper and a pen in her hands and Murphy noticed she had a sweet, round face, a small nose, nice lips and a few freckles.
"Hey, Jessie," Diego said with a small grin.
"Who are these two?" she asked, looking at Connor and Murphy.
"They're Annie's brother."
"Hi," Connor said with the surfer accent. "I'm Connor and that's Murphy."
"Pleased to meet you. Want something to drink?" Jessie asked.
"Two beers will be good."
"Beer for you, too, Diego?" Jessie asked, looking at him.
"Yeah," Diego said with a nod. He watched Jessie walk away while Murphy moved the small, plastic basket with mixed nuts on top of a napkin with the bar's logo on it and he placed a few of the mixed nuts in his mouth.
"Do people really ride that thing?" Connor asked and Diego looked back at the mechanical bull.
"Yeah," he said with a nod as he turned back to face them. Connor noticed the look in Diego's eyes when Connor sat back in the chair and Murphy glanced from one to the other.
"Why are you lookin' at each other like that?" Murphy asked, softly.
"I…," Diego started when Jessie walked over with the frosted glasses of beer and he paid for the beers. Jessie walked away while Murphy and Connor slid the frosted glasses closer and Connor took a sip of the beer. "I've been wondering something. See… You two know a lot about guns and police work. That made me wonder if you two were cops at some point."
"We have watched some crime shows and movies," Connor said with the surfer accent.
"No. That's not it."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I used to be a cop."
Connor and Murphy glanced at each other then took a long drink of beer and placed the glasses on the table.
"You were a deputy?" Connor asked with the surfer accent.
"No. Texas Ranger," Diego said.
"I remember watching that show. You know. The show with that material artist actor."
"Uh… What I did wasn't anything like that," he said with a smile.
"Why did you quit?"
"I got shot. Nearly died," he said, taking a sip of beer.
"Is that when you went t'work at th'ranch?" Murphy asked, softly.
"No. After I recovered…. I was offered another law-enforcement job. Got shot again. Nearly died…again. That's when I decided I wasn't going to try for third times the charm."
"Christ,' Connor whispered.
"Lord's name," Murphy grumbled then placed some of the mixed nuts in his mouth.
"Am I right? Were you two cops at some point?" Diego asked. Before they could answer, Connor saw one of the deputies walking closer and the deputy stopped at the table.
"Sorry, guys. The sheriff wants to see you," the deputy said.
"What happened?" Diego asked, standing up.
"We caught the person who shot your cow. Well… It was more like they turned themselves in."
"They turned themselves in?" Connor asked with the surfer accent.
"Yeah. The sheriff wants you to come down to the station to identify them."
"Have you called Lisa?" Diego asked.
"Yeah. He called her shortly afterward the guy showed up."
Connor and Murphy got up as they followed Diego and the deputy to the door then they left the bar. The deputy got in the sheriff's car while they got in Diego's car and the cars head out of the parking lot.
Boston
The elevator doors opened as Sibeal and Eunice walked out into the hallway and they walked down the hallway. Eunice had received a telephone call about Smecker waking up and she had contacted Sibeal. She had noticed how quiet the priest was as they walked by the nurses' station and he glanced at her from time-to-time.
"Has he said anythin'?" Sibeal asked.
"Considering his jaw is broken and is wired shut, no," Eunice said while they came to a stop in front of the door to Smecker's hospital room and she opened the door. They headed in the room while Sibeal looked at Smecker and he was surprised to see how badly damaged Smecker's face was. Smecker's right eye was sealed shut with dark bruising over the eyelid as he looked at them and Eunice noticed he had a pad of paper sitting on his lap.
"I guess that's the only way he can talk," she thought. She gave him a small smile after she stood next to the bed and Sibeal stood near the door.
"Well… Look who's awake," she teased, but Smecker only glared at her. He took hold of the pen with his right hand as he wrote something on the pad of paper then he showed her what he wrote.
HAVE YOU FOUND THEM?
"Have I found who?"
DON'T BULLSHIT ME! WHERE ARE THE SAINTS?!
"I have no idea."
"I told you. They're in th'wind," Sibeal said.
THEN WE NEED TO BRING THEM BACK!
"How?" Eunice asked.
WE WILL HAVE TO USE SOMEONE THEY CARE ABOUT.
"Someone they care about?" she asked as she frowned. "Who? Their mother?"
NO. SOMEONE CLOSER.
"There is no one closer. Just the three of us."
Sibeal thought for a few seconds when he realized who Smecker was talking about and Smecker saw the shocked look on his face.
"Are you outta yer mind?!" Sibeal demanded.
"Who is he…?" Eunice asked when she suddenly understood what Smecker had in mind. "No! We are not doing that!"
IT'S THE ONLY WAY.
"Then we are no better than the Yakavettas."
"She's right. The Yakavettas used the death of their priest t'get them outta hidin'. An' we all know that didn't end well," Sibeal reminded them.
WE AREN'T GOING TO HURT HIM.
"He'll be caught in the crossfire once they find out we have him," Eunice said.
"She's right," Sibeal agreed.
The room became quiet as the door opened and the nurse walked in the room.
"Sorry. Visiting hours are over," the nurse said.
"Then we better go," Eunice said.
Smecker watched them leave the room as they headed down the hallway and Eunice glanced at Sibeal.
"You know what we have to do," Eunice said, softly.
"Aye," Sibeal said with a nod. "Leave it to me."
"What does that mean?"
He didn't answer. Eunice watched Sibeal walk faster down the hallway when she frowned, sighed, shook her head and she looked back down the hallway towards Smecker's room.