The Longest Winter
Chapter 23
Doctor Thomas Mitchell had been a veterinarian for over twenty years. He had helped just about every animal in a hundred mile radius of his little farm office just outside of town. From horses to gerbils and everything in between, Dr. tom was loved by the community and their pets alike.
The grizzled farm veterinarian was a gruff man, but underneath his hard exterior was a heart of gold. He loved animals to the point where he could almost communicate with them. He connected with them on an emotional level and understood their needs better than their owners.
He was currently working on a border collie with a broken leg. The poor thing had taken a tumble down some stairs and busted its left front leg in the process. He had given the animal some pain medicine and was working on putting the splint on its leg when suddenly he heard a loud engine come roaring up the driveway.
He finished the splint quickly and stood up from the barn floor just in time to see Ruth Saint James standing in the barn doorway, surrounded by the vet’s three barking Irish Setters. She had Honey with her, nervously hiding behind her legs as the dogs barked at and sniffed both of them.
“What brings you here, Ms. Saint James?” Tom asked with his hands on his hips as he looked the woman over. “It’s a bit early for hunting season.” He commented, noticing her hunting getup.
“I’m desperate, Dr. Tom.” Ruth sighed as he whistled the dogs away from her. “Someone took my baby fluffies and I was hoping you might help me look.”
Tom raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Stolen foals, eh?” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “That’s a real shame.”
“And before you ask, it wasn’t Ralph Donner.” Ruth explained. “He was seen at the bar when it happened.”
“Of course he was.” Tom nodded. “He’d have to be a complete moron to try and take them himself.” The vet sat down on his wooden stool and checked the splint on the collie’s leg. “I bet his bastard father did it for him.”
“Buck Donner?” Ruth said, surprised. “That fat man can’t even breathe without help, let alone pull off a theft.”
“He has his ways.” Tom replied. “He’s got his dirty fingers stuck in places all over town. My guess is he hired someone to do it.”
Ruth nodded slowly with wide eyes. “That makes sense!” She said excitedly. “We should go tell the police!”
“It’s just a guess.” Tom said, shaking his head. “We’ve got no proof.”
“Hmm.” Ruth sighed. “Well then we will sniff them out! Honey has a nose like a bloodhound!”
“So what?” Tom scoffed. “Unless you know where to sniff, that won’t do you any good.”
“We’ll go sniff around Buck’s place, and Ralphs!” Ruth snapped back.
“And risk getting shot for trespassing?” Asked Tom. “Besides, Buck’s smart enough to know better than to hide them on his or Ralph’s property. He’d have them locked up somewhere safe where no one would look.”
Ruth stomped her boot and clenched her fist. “Well then what SHOULD I do, Thomas?” She asked angrily, with tears in her eyes.
“Let the police handle it.” Said Tom as he put his supplies away. He led the border collie into its cage before locking it up. “Sherrif Stone will handle it for you.”
“Actually it was Tim Tanner that came out to see me.” Ruth sighed, slumping into a nearby metal folding chair.
“What?” Tom asked, confused. “That’s odd.”
“He must be off duty.” Ruth shrugged.
“I’ve seen that man work 16 days straight, sleeping in his police cruiser, while investigating a simple horse theif.” Tom replied. “Eventually caught the perp red handed trying to get the horse over the county line.”
“I remember that on the radio news.” Ruth nodded.
“It ain’t like him to turn his back on a family friend.” Tom said, scratching his head. “I wonder…”
Ruth rubbed her forehead as she leaned forward in the chair. Honey came over and rubbed up against her.
“Only Ralph, Sheriff Stone, and I knew about the fluffies the day I came over, right?” Tom asked.
“Jeremy too.” Ruth added.
“Bah, no way he took em.” Tom said with a huff. “That man’s one miracle away from being a saint.”
“What are you getting at?” Ruth inquired.
“Well…” Thomas said with a sigh. “The smart money is on the Donner cartel. They have the biggest motive. But the sheriff is acting strangely, which makes him a suspect as well. I say we go clear his name before focusing on the Donner gang.”
“Hard to believe that the sheriff could do something so cruel to me.” Ruth said, shaking her head. “He and my husband were such good friends.”
“Often times crimes are committed against us by those closest to us.” Tom said coldly. “We can’t give him a pass so easily, especially with him acting suspicious.”
“Mamma find babies?” Honey asked, poking Ruth with her hoof.
Ruth crouched down and pet the mare reassuringly. “Yes, Honey. Let’s go find em.”
“I’ll come with you.” Thomas said “Just let me grab a few things.” He stepped inside of his farmhouse and got changed. He put on his gun holster and slipped in his Taurus Raging Bull 454 magnum revolver along with some extra ammo. He stepped back outside and called over his favorite dog, Angel - one of his three Irish Setters.
“Got room for one more?” He asked, looking up at Ruth as he crouched down to pet the dog.
“She can ride in the back with Honey.” Ruth nodded.
The two animals jumped up into the back of Ruth Jeep, sniffing each other excitedly.
Meanwhile, on the far edge of the property, Bobby Creiger peered at the events through binoculars. He adjusted the settings on his old surveillance equipment, doing his best to listen in through static and mumbling. He couldn’t make out everything, but he was able to determine that the doc didn’t have the fluffies.
“That bleeding heart vet is too soft.” Bobby muttered to himself. “I should have known.”
But his quest had not been in vain. He learned that Tom and Ruth now suspected the sheriff. He was their next target, and Bobby needed to act fast. He reached for the cb radio and called out to Bill’s Cadillac.
“Big bear, this is little fox, are you there? He said into the mic. He waited for a few minutes before trying again. “Big bear, do you copy? Please respond.”
“Big bear here.” A deep voice finally came through. “Sittin’ pretty. What’s up?”
“Any luck?” Bobby asked.
“Uh, nope.” Bill replied. “Couldn’t get a good visual. It’s too dark.”
Bobby sighed in frustration. He figured the big sissy was too scared to get close. “Fine.” He huffed. “Hold still, I’m coming to you.”
“I’m at the uh… other place.” Bill said, trying to be covert.
“What?” Bobby snapped. “What other place? The watering hole?” Which was code for the bar.
“No. The uh… poachers delight.” Bill replied.
“Oohhh.” Bobby replied with a grin. “Alright I’ll be there soon.”
He put his truck in drive and pulled onto the road. He got back on the radio as he drove. “Move the caddy somewhere hidden and meet me in our usual place.” He said. “You got bogies incoming so act fast! Little fox, out.”
He then adjusted his frequency to a different channel. “Hey fat boy, this is little fox. Do you copy?”
“I told you, my code name is Big Caiman!” Ralph replied angrily.
“Yea whatever, stinky.” Bobby snickered. “Finish up at the toolbox and meet us at the spur’s home away from home. Be quick, we’re short on time. Little fox, out.”
He changed the channel again.
“Boss Hog, you there? This is little fox with an update.”
“Go ahead.” Buck replied.
“We’ve narrowed our options down and are on our way to the spur’s home away from home.” Bobby explained.
“The what, where now?” Bucked asked, confused.
“The poacher’s paradise?” Bobby suggested.
“Oh, right.” Buck affirmed. “I’ll keep an ear to the ground here.” He said. “You’re in charge. Keep those other two idiots out of trouble. Our payday is almost in our hands.”
