(1941-12-27) Bull Dead And Otherwise
Bull: Dead and Otherwise
Summary: Sheriff Mayfield is called to the Fleet and Farm to investigate a dead bull. Other type of bull is tossed around.
Date: 27 Dec 2016
Related: None
Players:
alice..clifton..clyde..constance..everett..

It started off as a quiet afternoon at the Farm and Fleet, until Farmer Wilson's truck came to a stop out in front of it. Coming up to the door, he barged into the shop and demanded that the owner called the Sheriff and was yelling and going on about how the feed is poisioned and caused his cows to 'explode'. Heading back out to his truck to wait for the Sheriff's arrival, the back of his pickup truck carrying a large item covered in canvas, a few splotch of what appears to be blood stains on it. The canvas seems to cover most of the back of the truck's bed, the wooden signs pulled up to hold it in place.

Clyde and Clifton are already in the store, picking up some items for goodness knows up in the mountains. Clyde has been quiet this trip, mind elsewhere as they push a cart with several bags of chicken feed towards the register. The yelling has the cousins giving each other wary glances.

Clifton glances from Clyde back to the cart of items, mentally going over the list of what they needed and comparing it against what they had. His eyes glance out to the truck and farmer, but then he looks to the register as they get closer. "This should last us awhile…" he comments on the feed.

Not being able to drive, and the roads being a bit to muddy to use her bicyle, Constance is stuck using old fashion transport to get around, that being a horse and small one seater buggy. She is returning from house calls out to the farming communities as she passes by the Farm and Fleet. It isn't so much the yelling that gets her attention. Yelling isn't all that uncommon there in her experience, though usually it isn't in anger. It when her horse suddenly stops, getting a bit white-eyed and dancing in the confines of his harness, at the smell of the blood, or perhaps something else, that draws her attention to the commotion.

The farmer is still going on out in the front of the building as the Sheriff's car pulls up. Stepping out, Sheriff Mayfield pauses as he sees Constance's horse getting a little unsteady. "You got her handled?" he asks the woman, ready to assist Miss Styne if neccessary, even as the farmer gives a cross look at the law officer. "I'm the one that called you, not her and her horse!" he responds angrilly.

"Alright, alright, Mister Wilson. No need to get all antsy here. What are you going on about?"

"They sold me bad feed, Sheriff!" Wilson says with a frown. "I fed one of my prize bulls some of their stuff, and it /exploded/ in him!"

"What do you mean, exploded?" Sheriff Mayfield asks in mild confusion.

"I mean exploded, as in a gernade, Sheriff!" the farmer says, stepping to the back of the truck and rips away the canvas. The poor bull has been disembowled and gutted, the smell of blood and cooked flesh thick from it, the whole thing a bloody mess. "Now I tell you, Sheriff, they're responsible for it, he's the only bull I fed this stuff and I found him out in the pasture like this!"

Clyde holds up a hand to his cousin, "Hold on…let's see what this ruckus is…" Cause if there's bad feed, they don't want it. He starts to walk to the door, assuming Clif is following him. They get to the door just as the tarp is tossed off and Clyde's nose flairs. That's a horrible mess. He leans over to Clifton, "Who buys feed and only gives it to one of their bulls?" Not that he's calling Wilsona liar, but….

Clifton does follow Clyde, leaving the cart in the aisle but out of the way. As the smell hits, he turns his head in the direction of looking back inside the store a moment. At Clyde's question he shakes his head "I don't know…but he sure is worked up about it." He looks back out to the scene now, curious to see just how the Sherrif would handle Farmer Wilson and the case of the prized bull explosion. Sounded like an awful crime novel…or a great one!

<FS3> Clifton rolls Alertness: Success.
<FS3> Constance rolls Alchemy: Good Success.
<FS3> Clyde rolls Alertness: Good Success.

Constance clucks at her horse, "Thanks you Sheriff. I can manage." she turns it away from the scene and moving further downwind after a bit of fighting him. Once the Horse is downwind and not at risk of bolting Constance dismounts her buggy and heads over to the wagon with the carcass in it and studies it with a stoic expression on her face. While some women would gag, pale and possibly pass out at such a sight, she remains calm and unaffected. "I doubt there is any substance that can be put in animal feed that will cause an animal to explode in such a fashion as this." she doesn't seem to care that no one asked her opinion, she is giving it, free of charge.

"I didn't get a chance to feed the rest of them, Walker." the farmer sneers towards the Walker boys. They aren't anything but trouble. "Like you know anythin' 'bout farming anyway." Wilson says as he hears someone else offering her opinion. "And how would you know anything about that.. oh.. Miss Styne. Didn't know it was you." he says, though he doesn't seem to be changing his opinion much.

The shop's dog comes out to investigate the carcass in the back of the truck, a large disembowled bull, but after one sniff, the creature gives a worrisome whimper and starts towards the store again as the owner comes out. "Don't you think you've caused enough commotion for one day, Wilson?" he calls out towards the farmer and frowns. "You going to blame my feed, you can go to the next town to buy some!"

Everett frowns. "Now let's just calm down folks.." he starts to say, the Sheriff weighing in what's going on around him. "Ain't fair to be yellin' at these folks for just trying to help you, Wilson." the sheriff frowns a little at the Walkers. He doesn't trust them, but what comes out does make a little sense, as he turns towards Constance. "So you're saying it couldn't be the feed then, Miss Styne? You're a nurse, you have any ideas on what this could be?"

Clyde scoffs, "..Right." That makes do sense. A devil may care grin and the man folds his arms cockily, "Oh, you'd be surprised what I know." Dark eyes glance to the wounds on the bull and then over to Clifton. A small, but silent look. Clyde answers, although he's not really been asked. "Looks like a bear got it, from those marks." Again, another look to Clifton, "Come on, we don't got time to be gauwken. We got farming to not know anything about."

A brow is lofted at the farmer's rant, Clifton not being able to help but smirk about and his head ducks in a quick snort covered up with a half assed cough. He glances back up towards the bull then, brow furrowing a moment before he looks to Clyde as his cousin gives the explanation. Nothing he felt he needed to add. Then, at the prompt to get moving "Right. I'll get the cart." Walking back inside the store he heads for the cart full of feed.

People! After a non-existent Christmas, Alice is wandering the streets of the small town in a hope of finding life. The glamorous blonde dressed in sensible shoes - or flats at least - a pencil skirt, a horrendous Christmas sweater of bright red and green, and a fur lined jacket. Her blonde hair loose since it has a red woollen beanie perched atop it. "Good evening, everyone" she smiles as she sashays over, completely unaware of any tension in the air. A curious look at the carcass before she smiles sweetly once more. "Anyone know of any New Year celebrations in town?"

"Oh yes Mr. Wilson," Constance replies to the irate farmer "As a woman I couldn't possibly know anything about it." her tone is cool, but her face doesn't show that she has been offended by the man. "That is my opinion, but what it could be I haven't the faintest idea. Where a sample provided to my Grandfather he may be able to let you know with certanity if something is in the feed that could do this." she could too of course, but she isn't going to show her whole hand just yet.

"Sheriff Mayfield, why are you listening to these other people? I know my lands, and I know what I found!" Wilson protests, glaring at the Walkers and their attitude as they walk away. Constance's belittling draws the farmer's ire further, "Sweetheart, you stay out of this and stick to helping the women with their babies." he snorts and spits on the ground.

Everett frowns, deciding he's had just about enough of this. "I'll take some of the feed that you're claiming did this and I'll have Miss Styne and her father check it. For now, I'm gonna need you to take this carcass and go.. bury it someplace." he says with a frown. "If an animal attacked it, I'd advise that you burn it so that more ain't drawn out. I'll come out later on tomorrow to take a look around and see if we need to get the Forest Ranger out there."

Alice's arrival is noted with a lift of the Sheriff's brow. "I wouldn't know personally, there might be a dance or something - check with Miss Constance Styne over yonder." he says, gesturing the blonde towards the brunette. "She knows more about the social parts of things than I do." he admits.

Farmer Wilson just snorts. "If you spent more time doing your job than trying to please the skirts, Sheriff, maybe I'd believe you more." he says as he starts to get into his truck to drive back down towards his plot.

Clyde and Clifton share a look as they walk their cart over to the register. They're gonna have to have a pack meeting tonight. But for now, casual talk, "You gonna come help me work on the McComb place tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Of course" Clif nods, parking the cart at the register and helping lift the bags as needed for pricing. He glances out the window again, frowning as he hears Farmer Wilson going at Constance again. "One of these days I have a feeling I'm gonna enjoy watching one of these women putting him in his place when he gets too bold…" A smirk does play at his features at that thought and then he sees Alice…his gaze pausing a moment. New girl? New to him anyways. The smirk spreads a little more before his attention goes back to the task of helping with the feed, "Nothing is ever boring around here is it?"

Skirts? Oh that gets Wilson a glare from Alice before she turns her attention back to Everett and offers him a warm smile once more before peering at Constance. "Hmm, I shall gladly talk to her, thank you. Oh, I don't suppose you're /the/ Sheriff Mayfield?" She offers her hand. "Alice Godley, visitor to your town and desperately trying to find a man called Frank Russel. I have a vague idea of where he lives but was warned he may shoot first. Should I consider that a fact? Though please don't let me interrupt. Help out this gentleman first…" A nod towards Wilson. "…since it is probably the only conversation the lonely old man gets."

The comment about from the farmer has Constance looking icy daggers at the man, but such words from a small mind, in a small town isn't worth her wasting her breath over. She ignored in initial interruption from Alice but as the woman continues in what she finds to be rude behavious her nostrils give a bit of a flare. "I'll go ask the propriter about getting the samples of the feed given. I'll send someone out to get samples of the feed at his farm as well." she begins to head toward the building where the Walker cousins are doing thier business.

Watching Wilson drive off, Everett shakes his head, glancing aside to Alice. "I wouldn't sweat him too much. Leroy was his prized bull, and this is gonna hurt his chances for siring new calves in the spring." he says as he glances towards Constance and gives a nod. "Thanks Miss Styne." he offers before his attention returns to the blonde.

"Frank? Yeah, he owns the Gallows. Local bar. You kin?" he asks curiously, not sure why else an attractive young woman would be seeking out the old bar owner. "He's pretty rough around the edges, but just talk to him sensibly, and I doubt he'd do more than grumble in frustration at you."

Clyde digs into his pocket and pulls out wore paper money and coins to pay for the supplies. With out looking at what Clif is looking at, "Mind on the moment, cuz. Don't go worring about the birds around here. They can take care of themselves without us taking pleasure in it." And usually don't like that, anyway. He huffs, reaching up to scratch at his chest, "No. Never boring."

"Kin? Oh no, not at all" Alice laughs softly with a shake of her head. "No, a friend of mine back in California suggested that I look him up while I was here. I was told he may be able to help with a personal issue. The 'Gallows'? I shall have to try and find it." A glance over at Constance as she heads inside is soon followed by a soft sigh - Alice really needs to remember she's back in a small town. She doesn't mean to insult everyone! "I do apologise if I interrupted" she notes to Everett before noticing Clyde - she's met him before; he was…brusque. The other one she has no idea about.

Clifton nods, letting Clyde pay "Yeah…you're right." He knew there were probably plenty of differences between the women from New York and the women here, but enough similarities ran through the gender as a whole. He was not one to underestimate. Unlike the farmer apparently. "I'll load up the feed while you finish up here. Then we heading back? Or got more stuff to take care of?"

Constance takes a moment to assure the owner that she doesn't think his feed had anything to do with the farmer's prize bull exploding, but if it will get the man to calm down and not spread foul rumours what is the harm in taking the samples. As she waits for those to be gathered, however improperly, she notes that the Walker cousins are getting some of the feed as well "Please let me know if your animals decide to spontaneously combust after eating the feed." honestly she is joking, her tone might not infer it, but she does have a bit of a smirk on her face.

After the truck is safely away, Everett grins. "I don't think she took it personal, Miss Alice. But you can talk to her to make sure." the Sheriff offers as he starts towards his own car. "If not, there's always the diner, plenty of folks are generally around there and pretty friendly. And if there's a bear about, we'll get it taken care of." he smiles polietly as he dips his head. "Have a good day." he offers as he gets into his own car to continue his patrol.

Clyde pays for the feed, it's for chickens it looks like, but he nods at Constance, "It weren't the feed. That was a cougar or a bear." A might big one, then. He gathers up a bag on each shoulder, leaving the other two for Clifton. The Walker boys are strong! As he heads out to their cart outside, passing Alice he nods, "Hope ya find what you're looking for." Does he mean the dance or Frank though?

Clifton gathers the extra two bags, taking one on either shoulder as well and following Clyde out. He mainly keeps quiet, usually getting Clyde do the talking when they were out together. As they pass Alice though he does look to her, offering a smirk and a nod "Howdy." His accent did not sound accustomed to the phrase at all, but hey why not?

"Doesn't everyone?" Alice asides to Clyde in reply to his words. A wave goodbye to the sheriff before she pulls out her cigarette case and takes out a smoke. It's tapped on the metal surface before the case is swapped for a lighter and she is soon drawing the filthy nicotine into her lungs. A smile and a nod to Clifton's greeting before she blows curling smoke out from between her bright red lips and taps some ash off onto the street. "I suppose I should see if I can find this Gallows. Enjoy your night, gentlemen." A glance over where Constance lurks and Alice makes a mental note that she has another apology to make.

Constance nods at the two men "That would make the most sense." and she would take their word for it over the irate farmers at this point. "Good day gentlemen." she probably uses that word loosely. As she is brought back the samples she nods her thanks to the owner and then makes her way back to her own horse and buggy. Once more her nostrils flare at Alice, but this time it is from the cigarette smoke.

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