Chapter 4

When we got home, Suzy took Kathy into the house. I unloaded the packs and then turned the critters loose in the corral. Jughead wanted payment for all his hard work, and I obliged him with a bucket of grain. I also scrubbed and curried Margarite and Gunnar.

When I finally got to the house, I could smell something good cooking. Suzy had also got Kathy washed up and into a dress that she found in Kathy’s luggage.

I squatted down to her height so we were eye to eye. “Well, don’t we look pretty? If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was with royalty.” Kathy giggled and blushed bright red.

Suzy called out from the kitchen. “Dinner will be a couple more minutes, honey. In the meantime, why don’t you see if you can get Paul on the radio?”

“Good idea.” Stepping over to the radio, I checked the battery level and saw it was good for a few hours.

Keying the mike, I called “Mountain Man to Deputy Dawg. Come in, Deputy Dawg.” I had to repeat myself several times. I did not expect an immediate answer. While Elk City was an end-of-the-road small town, the sheriff had responsibilities that needed attention.

When I got a reply, I recognized Steve Ring’s voice. Steve was the deputy/dispatcher for Paul Thompson, the sheriff. “Mr. Reynolds, I wish you wouldn’t call me that. You never know who might be listening. They might get the wrong idea.”

Laughing, I replied, “Aw, Steve, a little touchy this morning? Is Tina giving you a rough time?”

Tina worked for Mable at the diner as a part-time waitress. She and Steve had become an item a year or two earlier. “No, not really. She keeps asking about getting married. She also wants me to quit the sheriff’s office. Get a safer job, she says.”

“Yeah, women are like that sometimes. Just smile, nod your head, and say yes, dear. Anything else will just get you into trouble.”

“I’ve tried that, but she still nags me.”

“That’s her job, son. Speaking of which, is the boss around? I need to let him know about something.”

“You’re in luck, he just stepped in.” There was a pause, and then Paul came on the air. “Matt, old boy, what’s going on?”

“Nothing much, Paul, at least as far as I’m concerned. I am letting you know that a small plane came down in my area two days ago. You’ll need to get ahold of the FAA and whoever else. I’m sure someone is looking for these folks.”

Now, Paul was all business. “What’s the condition? Are there any survivors? Do you need medical?”

“No medevac isn’t needed. There are 3 DOA and one unharmed. She’s about 4 or 5 years old and uninjured. The thing is Paul, the pilot, and copilot had DOJ ID’s. I hung around the crash site as long as possible, but when nobody showed up, I knew I needed to talk to somebody.”

“OK, Matt, I’ll get started on my end. Hang loose. They may need your help finding the crash site.”

“No problems, Paul. Here are the GPS coordinates and the plane’s tail numbers.” I then read off the numbers to him.

“Great, Matt, that’ll help. Keep your ears on. I’ll get back to you.”

It was not until the next day before Paul called back. I was mucking out the horse stalls when Suzy called me in.

“Yeah Paul, Matt here.”

“Matt, are you sure about this? Are you sure about that tail number? The FAA denies any maydays or missing flights.”

“I’m as sure as somebody can get Paul. I was in the plane and saw the bodies. You know me, Paul, I don’t joke about stuff like this.”

“OK, Matt, I’ll get back to you. I’m just waiting for something from the DOJ.”

Less than 30 minutes later, Paul called back. “Matt, I need you to come into town.”

“What’s up, Paul? What’s the problem.” Now, I was starting to get worried.

There was a long pause. Then Paul came back. “Not on the air, Matt, not on an unsecured channel. It’s important, Matt.”

“OK, Paul, we’ll be in tomorrow at the earliest.” Now, my alarm bells were screaming at me.

“That’ll have to do, Matt. But don’t take too long. This is important.”

Suzy was listening in, and I could see the concern on her face. “What does that mean, Matt?” She asked.

“I have no idea, but it’s got Paul spooked. So, I guess we’re taking a road trip tomorrow. We’d best start getting ready.”