Barlowe Station

"Well howdy, Miss Ruby Reyes. Pleased to make your acquaintance. But lookee here. I ain't said I ain't interested in the fairer sex. What I ain't interested in is a wife hanging off my coattails ordering me around. No siree, no thank you. I am an independent man of the world. Now what's that you said about preventing kids? Well, I'll be, don't you have a bag of tricks? Anyways I reckon I'll have no need of that at the moment."

Kane sets the bags down as requested wondering where in tarnation Miss Ruby Reyes was going in a place like this. He follows her gaze over to the others.

"I ain't got an idea about that. Let's go see. I'm sure your bags will be fine here for a short spell."

Joining the others, Kane kneels on the ground by the prints and traces an imaginary line in the air above the footprints. "Welp, interesting. Fellas and ladies, over the years I have learned to track people. It's come in handy and I sort of fell into it finding a nasty outlaw a few years back."

Dillon is already crouched down, looking at the tracks as Reyes and Kane come over. She’s having a hard time puzzling them out, so Victor starts looking too, helping out.

"My pa taught me and my brothers a bit of trackin’ when we was growin’ up," DD says as she squints into the distance, trying to sort out whether these prints were coming or going. "But I’m just seein’ a jumble here right now. What do you see, Vic, anythin’?"

Several human footprints outside the station lead from the tracks, then double back and return. Kane can't make out precisely how many people made the imprints, but can tell it was well over a dozen individuals. Interestingly, he also determines many of the prints were barefoot. The footprints head toward the shack at the back.

"Welp, Miss Delilah I do see something. We got some barefooted individuals here, but I can't say for certain how many. Looks like .... hmm..."

Kane stands up easily, turns his cheek, and spits a stream of tobacco juice into the dirt, away from the footprints o' course.

He walks alongside them, cocking his head, following the trail. "I'd say more than ten. Maybe as many as fifteen, maybe more, and they all lead to there," he says, pointing toward the shack at the back.

"Barefoot?" Dillon says with surprise, looking back down at the tracks. "Ah, yep! I see 'em now -- toes there... and there. Strange. Real strange."

As Kane starts following the tracks, Delilah goes after him, keeping her head up, looking about for other strangeness that might help her piece together what's going on at Barlowe Station...

Dirt looks anywhere but at their tracker when he mentions having had a run in with a nasty outlaw a few years back.

"It’s like I said. Them boys come up out of the Coyote Confederacy from time to time, causing trouble. That, or it could be some strange sort of Christian, I suppose. I’ve known a few of them to go barefoot at times." he says, scratching his head but not having much clue as to what actually occurred.

"Might we check the other places out? Could be that someone’s squirreled away somewhere."

"Other places? Seems we should check that shack. And by 'we' I mean some of you. If no one ain't here it stands to reason they might be there. I feel a tingle up my spine like something strange happened here." She hugs herself as a little shiver runs through her body.

"It’s a mite weird, I’ll give you that, Ms. Reyes," DD says as she peers around at the surrounding landscape while following Kane towards the shed. Astute observers might note that the woman uses her right hand to make sure her draw is clear, and then the woman is all eyes on the structure ahead of them, and calling over her shoulder.

"And stranger, darker things out here than them boys outa Coyote, Mr. Briggs. Watch our backs, if y’would."

"Briggs you wanna hang back and watch the other buildings too, you won't get no argument from me."

Once Kane sees that whoever wants to follow is following, he pulls his .50 Caliber from the sling slung over his shoulder and walks purposefully toward the shed, calling out, "If there's anyone in the shed, now's the time to come out with yer hands up!"

A small porch leads to the front door of this unpainted but well-cared-for shack. The shack is locked. Deep grooves mar door and porch. The grooves are claw marks. (You may learn more about the marks with a successful Survival check.)

"If you say so, Marshal." Briggs responds, and then nods as a follow up to Victor. He scans the immediate area, and then feels a tingle in his empty hands.

He pulls his pistols, and looks to Ruby:

"Stick close now, ma’am."

"Ain't no one home I reckon or they ain't answering."

As Kane comes upon the door, he jiggles the handle. "It's locked. I can bust it open with a bullet but it ain't our shed," he offers, looking for a nod from the group in either direction.

"There's some marks on the door too. An animal was clawing at it. Maybe it's a feed storage shed. Don't make much sense otherwise unless folks were runnin' away from this claw-footed beast and hiding in here."

Kane runs his fingers along the grooves of the claw marks wondering what it might be. He could track humans right enough but tracking animals wasn't in his wheelhouse.

Ruby nods in response. "You know how to use those?" she nods to Briggs' weapons. "Where are you passing through to? Or from is maybe the better question?" she asks after his response, trying to make small talk, watching his body language the way a trained saleswoman could.

"Yeah, private property and all, but just look at them claw marks. Could be someone's in there, unconscious or bleedin'. I didn't see no key back in the station house, so I think we should force the door. No need to waste a bullet and risk hurtin' whoever might be in there, though -- bust the lock with a good boot right on it, Mr. Kane."

The Dragoon finds its way into Delilah's hand as she says, "I'll cover ya."

"Better than most." the man replies without boast or even much lament. It was a matter of fact, as far as Briggs was concerned.

He pays heavy attention to almost anywhere except for where the woman was standing, so that she might think he was too involved in scanning for trouble to answer her second question.

DD examining the marks can tell they are claw marks but something tells her that this wasn't no bear or wolf, but something with human dexterity.

The shack is fairly small, and you could go around it, looking for windows or so forth. To one side you can see a poor excuse for a vegetable patch, and an outhouse is nearby.

"Mighty strange ain't it? All them bare feet and now these marks? Maybe we better see if this shack's got a window."

Changing course, Kane begins to cautiously walk around the shack. His solution most times was to shoot first, ask questions later but not this time now that he thought about it after Delilah's comment about it being private property.

The back of the shack is a small vegetable garden, and having gotten closer, it looks trampled.

The back window of the shack is smashed, glass fallen inside. It leads to the bedroom of the shack, and the sheets are all mussed. A nightstand underneath the window is overturned.

In the center of the floor lays a Colt Navy .36 revolver, the loading gate open, and six unfired rounds scattered around it. Near the weapon, a small stain, dark and brown.

Ruby waits for a follow-up answer but upon receiving none she nods and says, "Well one reassuring answer is better than none," pointing out that she notices his lack of answer to her second question. "Well why don't you go be a brave man and inspect that stable. I'll cover you." Ruby smiles but has no weapon in hand to cover Briggs with.