BEAUFORD
( Continued . . . )
Thus it was for the week or so of curiosity and that wearing off, the visits slowed to non-existence, especially after rejections of all churchly visitations.
So matters rested until early fall when alarms began to pull Beauford from sleep at widely dispersed time and areas. Many such alarms causing him concern and direct investigation.
At first, Beauford investigated by motorized transport because of the distances involved; then foot because he failed to find traces of the cause of the alarms and thought, perhaps, that foot would allow him a more fair opportunity to see the intruder(s).
One evening he was quick enough to actually see two such intruders, and notified the authorities. He was thanked, saw, on the road distant some time later, a sheriff’s vehicle pass and was informed in a day or so, that no suspicious activity yielded to investigation to the department.
Thus circumstances drifted into late fall, then winter, where upon the activities ceased and peace fell on Beaufords property – outside the normal hectic fall farm activities and they then naturally tapering off.
Beauford wondered as to the woman’s plans, but forebear asking, simply carrying on.
Winter then, to spring, and approaching the anniversary of her arrival, the night time visitations re-commenced, until one night the alarms sounded and the screens showed two groups approaching the house on converging courses.
The subjective feelings by Beauford were troubling and he armed himself, instructed the woman to, this time, stay in the house and serve as communications person, as he was looking at a situation he didn’t understand at all.
The woman didn’t argue. Beauford left the house.
Walking through the night with the night aid glasses, Beauford wondered at the activities happening on his property. He couldn’t fathom the needs of this. But he continued.
As he approached the convergence point of the intersecting courses of the two groups, he began to see the body heat signatures and was preparing to challenge the groups, when from the group on his right gun fire erupted. It was immediately answered by the group on his left. They had fired upon one another.
Beauford went still. As he did so, he became aware of a person behind him. Whirling, he raised his weapon and realized the woman had followed him. She joined him, watching the area around, she pointed out various movements the groups were making and Beauford could see the woman and he were now surrounded by the two groups, and they were closing.
Beauford verbally challenged the groups, demanding they leave and leave now. Which drew gun fire from both groups and he found himself target of several opponents.
He returned the fire. Being better equipped, he soon eliminated several of his attackers and, upon time, the firing ceased. He and the woman approached the cooling bodies one by one.
Five were women, from the group on the right; and six were men from the group on his left when the fight started. He recognized two of the women as working in town. He recognized all of the men as local farmers or farm hands from the surrounding valley.
One he recognized as an owner of a ranch some distance away. Beauford commented to the woman, his companion, that he, Beauford, didn’t know the man and couldn’t understand why or what this was all about.
The woman, looking at the body, said dully; “That’s my husband. That one, over there, is his cousin and the others are his boys or farm hands.”
Beauford looked a question at her and she said: “You don’t think I gave myself that black eye that first day, do you?”
“He beat you?”
“Yes.”
Beauford turned away and started for the house, the woman his companion.
Doing the needful, Beauford notified the sheriff’s office and was told to standby and he went into the yard on the battle side, still dressed, as it were, to kill, and waited the Sheriff’s arrival.
After an extended question and answer period, the Sheriff and Beauford walked back to the battle area and the notifications necessary went out. The Sheriff asked to see the woman, so they returned to the house.
The woman was not there. Nor was the vehicle Beauford had given her. Nor was the pack with which she had arrived, nor even the clothes; though the clothes he had purchased for her on the farm accounts remained in closets and on hooks, untouched.
A sense of un-reality over came Beauford, and what followed in the ensuring months must have become nightmarish to him.
A necessary trial followed an extensive investigation, because, after all, the death of thirteen men and women was no small event in a pastoral setting, or for that matter, suburban.
The trial revealed that the husband had “traded and treated” for the woman to wed and had indeed been a berater and batterer of his wife – in public and, evidentially, in private.
The wife eventually, is was agreed, running away and seeking asylum with Beauford. Beauford’s testimony as to his celibacy was accepted and he was found guilty of justifiable homicide (having admitted to firing several well placed rounds) and self defense, released from liability. The accumulation of friends and relations to find and kidnap the wife to her legal place was seen as motive from the departed. The presence of the women was never satisfactorily explained to Beauford and the trial didn’t shed light to his satisfaction, though no others raised an inquiring voice and it was thereby glossed over.
Because of the traffic and trial, little on the farm was accomplished that year, though truth to tell, the absence of the woman weighted as much as the consumed time, and Beauford developed the habit of rocking in the chair on the porch over looking the long drive from the house to the main road during that period of the day when the woman first walked up the drive long, long months into history.
Until one day, sitting there in the state of waking sleep, Beauford observed the sun glint from a polished car he hadn’t seen on the main road turn into the drive. He roused himself to stand on the steps and wait.
The car proven to be the Sheriff in his private vehicle and out of uniform, he’d come to report to Beauford as to the wrap-up of his investigations.
He told Beauford those results and was walked back to his car, saying: “The woman’s name, Beauford, was Dianne Yvonne Kimbell, and her husband was an Epson, like you found out from the trial.
But, you might remember something, Beauford – that being you don’t like people using your initials as a nickname, her initials did identify her.
Her name is Dianne Yvonne Kinbell Epson.”
With which the Sheriff drove away and Beauford . . Well, Beauford went back to his chair and thought about how being reclusive was alright, in its way, but it certainly didn’t yield any meaningful insights into personal perception into other people as individuals.
END
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From the reaches,
Ten MIle
Ten's space 