Artifact 26: John and Rusty return to Corona Ranch

We go back to see what happened to John and Rusty after they investigated the crash site.

Artifact 26: John and Rusty return to Corona Ranch

 

            Leaving Raynor behind there in John Thompson’s yard, Raynor had deduced that the mysterious man with John was not a cattle buyer. Perhaps Raynor had some supernatural assistance in coming to that deduction. We now take a step back to see how John got in trouble with the US Army and find out the identity of that mysterious man.

Okay. So back in Part 15 we last saw John and Rusty out at the crash site. Both had collected a few “souvenirs” from the crash debris unbeknownst to the other. We pick them up heading back to the ranch in the truck.

 

 

            John and Rusty sat silently on the way back to the ranch, the truck droning and rumbling on the uneven cattle trail as the sun slowly dipped behind the mountains and twilight fell across the countryside.

 Always a beautiful time of day, John thought, after the day’s heat subsides and work ends leaving some time for a leisure-time cigar.  Tonight though, John’s mind shifted back to the crash they had just investigated and the lingering story Rusty told him about the strange bodies.

What did Rusty really see for that key second or so? Maybe it would be worthwhile to contact someone, someone far outside the army’s influence�"maybe that Mavel fella? Could he lend some light on this situation? Does he have any experience in things like this? I believe so from what I heard on his show. There are many questions without answers�"at least right now, but I plan on getting to the bottom of it all.  

            As if his foreman read his mind, Rusty turned to John. “You know boss, maybe we should contact that talk-show Mavel person.”

His head nodding from the bouncing truck, John turned and gave him grave smile.  “I was just thinking the same.  The only thing is I don’t know how to get a hold of him.”

            “Dunno for sure, but I think he gives a telephone number on his show when he comes on at four in the morning.”

            “Sure, we could do that, even if those Army soldiers come back tonight, we could meet this Mavel fella’ downtown or somewhere where we’d be�"unnoticed.” John thought a long moment giving Rusty a sidelong look. “Rusty, think you could draw a picture of those bodies before the morning?”

            Rusty stared at John tight lipped for a few moments with a lost look. “You know I only saw ‘em for a second, remember?” He paused. “Not much time to study ‘em but�"it’s up here.” He tapped his head and shook it. “Can’t shake that memory.” He paused again, staring out front at the dark undulating cattle trail they followed.  

            “Imagine so,” John said. “A real bad memory, eh?

            “Yeah, can’t forget it. I’m no artist, never had no need to draw since I was in grammar school, but I can try my best to give you and that Mavel fella’ an idea of what I saw out there!” He stared out ahead. “Yeah. I can draw something of what they look like!” 

Rusty obviously started to get excited about this meeting, which told John again to believe in what his foreman was saying, and of course, he told himself again that he had no reason to distrust this loyal man in his service for so many years.
            The last gate came up in the headlights that John had turned on just a minute prior. Twilight came and went and the darkness closed in around them as they drove. When the sun goes down in the southwest, twilight is a short, warm episode in a hot day but when darkness falls, it falls fast and completely. Rusty was out of the truck before it stopped rolling and opened the gate for John.

 As John drove slowly past, Rusty said, “John. I’ll walk the rest of the way to the ranch. Got some thinkn’ to do.”

            “All right Rusty, see you back there. Come to the house, I’ll be in my office so we can talk some more without interruption.” 

            Now in the near pitch-black field, Rusty felt carefully along the strands of wire for the sharp barbs of the barbed wire. In finding the six-inch clear length, he stretched the wires back into place and put the retaining loop over the post.  Over the years of going through these gates hundreds of times, he could do it all quite quickly by feel.

  The glow of the ranch lights beckoned him back, but he wondered what he should do about the bits and pieces he had picked up.

 Should I hide them or give them to John and this Mavel man?  If no one else but the Army were allowed near the crash, maybe they would be worth a bit of change later on if this crash proves to be some kind of amazing event. No, he thought, I’ve lead an uneventful life and this will probably prove to be just my imagination running away with me. He thought about that statement. No! It wasn’t my imagination at all!     

            Rusty slowly walked the trail in the dark; the rays of light from the buildings shining through the oaks and outbuildings as a light breeze rattled the Poplar leaves above.  He hears Amos, Tab and Salazar in the bunkhouse talking and laughing, probably at a penny-enny card game while sipping some cheap tequila. Rusty thought he should be there; he would be there if this gawd-darned crash hadn’t occurred. Yeah, he should be in the bunkhouse with the boys where he usually was unless he’s gone to town.

Rusty felt different tonight like the sight of those bodies out there on the stretchers in amongst all that debris had changed him in some unknown way. He heard the horses stomping in their stalls chewing on some hay, he supposed, and one or two of the young calves letting out low moos. Usually comforting sounds, but they didn’t make him feel any better tonight.

            Walking through the courtyard, he saw Mrs. Thompson through the windows still fussing at something in the dining room. The window to John’s office faced east, off the side of the house so Rusty couldn’t see in, but the light shone out into the side yard and flickered a bit with moving shadows apparently from John moving about. Rusty stepped up the wooden steps to the porch with a creak of boards.

            “Come on in Rusty,” shouted Mrs. Thompson. “John said you were on the way.”

            Rusty opened the screen door and stepped into the parlor, glancing to John’s office, but Mrs. Thompson came around the table to greet him, looking him uncharacteristically straight in the eyes. 

“Well Rusty, I say you look somewhat better than this afternoon,” she said with hands on her hips while still looking him in the face. “You looked like you drank the saloon dry or saw a ghost, I don’t know which!  ‘Course whatever you fellas are up to got to the mister too,” she added, pointing to John’s office, “he’s done tied up in knots. Ain’t seen him like that since the big cattle sale last year. Well, just don’t stand there all befuddled and bewildered, go on in.” She shooed him along with a finger wiggling wave of both hands.

            Rusty lightly knocked once on the door. John must have heard the Mrs. out in the parlor because he opened it instantly at the knock. 

“Come on in Rusty,” he said beckoning him in. “Want anything to drink this time around?”  Rusty was acting a bit timid being unusually quiet. He just nodded no. He gazed at the pieces of debris laid out on John’s cleared desk. There were perhaps a dozen or so various types of materials including one with the strange symbols of writing on it. Rusty was still undecided about the pieces in his pockets, but he thought that in the good light of the office, John couldn’t miss but seeing the tell-tale lumps in his pockets.  He pulled the few pieces out and laid them on one corner of the desk as well.

            “Take a close look at these pieces Rusty. There’s something interesting about them,” said John holding out one piece of shrapnel up for Rusty to see. “Here is some ordinary tinfoil, or is tinfoil as far as we know.” He crumbled it into a ball and put it on the desk. It just sat there in a tight little ball. “Then there is this tinfoil sheeting that is something else completely different!” He held it up for Rusty to examine. “You have to see this to believe it!