Death of the Horse Trader

Chapter 4 The Horse Trader and the Brothers

Colton's brothers, both  whom we cleared earlier with alibis were put aside.  However, looking back I see one had a connection to Flynn.  I find that odd to see them connected since  he never mentioned  being  on any type of  protest and never seemed to  "care" about  such things.  all through the years though one can change their mind. There was an incident though  between Justin and Tony.  

Colton did seem to have a good relationship with his brothers so it is hard to think that they would off him in such a violent way.  One thing I could see  like a gun, they just seemed like they would go the western route and shoot it out,  but a knife was just not really either ones style, they were more  practical minded, and would take the fastest way  with a gun, bang  and your dead  method.  Although,  maybe it was an accident, or  of a struggle over something, I need to get the autopsy report to get a weapons profile and more about it.  

His other brother was a car dealership owner,  so similar profession,  but he dealt in a different kind of horse power.  So no real dissention  amongst the brothers. really, that I see in  the professional sense.

Maybe Justin is jealous since he helps Colton and does not have his own business?  Was he in league with Tony? Not sure that is something  but let me look back into the past for a moment...

________________________________________________________________________________________________________So how were the two connected you ask?  Well, let me tell you of a incident or two...

It was  summer and  we were all helping to get the hay in the barn that was bailed and ready to store. The guys were cutting all day and they brought the  wagon loaded with the bales  to the farm, the girls were there to take out the trail rides while the guys  did the haying.   I had on trail ride out that day with a guide and three of us girls were still around when the boys  arrived,  we  all climb in the back of the wagon and drive up to the haybarn,  we start stacking the bales like laying a brick wall, and catty corner the bales  so they  dont collapse.  I was throwing them down while the guys and the girls  stack them up,  tony was there helping to stack them up with us all.  He was leering at all of the girls,  eyeing us all up and down creeping us out.  The guys  were too busy stacking  haybales to notice him.  Not that they really paid him  mind most of the time.  He was  not a very strong kid and  was  thought to be  more weak so he ended up  doing the  jobs the girls  were doing most of the time.  His thin, scrawny frame made him look like a scarecrow, he just was creepy looking and all the girls were careful to not be left alone  with him.  Colton's brother Justin, usually made snide remarks about him, he was always ornery even back then.   He was on his way to becoming an old coot back then.  Come to think of it he seemed to be bull headed,  and he always had a bull dog,  so  guess he was always like that.   The old adage,  most dog owners are similar to the breeds they get comes to mind.  

I still never really see Justin hanging around Tony much on the farm back then, since he was not a popular person there.  I did see them get into  a fight though on another occasion still way back in the past  over his dog, Betty.  The dog  had  nipped  Tony since he was messing around with her, he got mad at the dog and threatened to hit her when Justin was walking around the corner,  "What the f**k do you think your doing to my dog" he grows out at Tony, and Betty sensing  Justin's anger,  growls at Tony also, Tony surprised to see Justin stammers "I was just  foolin with her"   

"I saw you about to hit my dog leave her alone and maybe  get the  f**k out of here now before I  hit you" Justin takes a menacing  step towards him and acts like he is about to  punch him, Tony flinches and slinks away.  "You ever hit my dog and I will break you!"  Tony leaves and we all go about farm tasks.

Tony doesn't come to the farm for about  two weeks. All the girls  are thinking finally got rid of him.  One day he comes in with a skanky girl - she is thin, with long brown hair, brown eyes,  plain looking face with no make up, she wears old jeans and a frayed  tee-shirt, with dirty shoes with a hole in the toe.  She glares at all of the girls as she arrives looking like she wants to hit any of us who look at her man, we all say hello to her since we dont know her at all but she is rude and doesn't talk to any of us girls. She ignores the guys also, and  just possessively stares at Tony, which is fine to all of us since we all  dislike Tony and start to not like this strange  rude girl he brought with him.  Soon he starts to come up less and we dont see him much after that or at least I dont see him on the property after that happened.

Justin is at the barn with Betty his bulldog,  its been a month since the episode where Tony aggravated her,  she seems to be not  well,  she is getting old  at  about  8 years old at the time,  bull dogs dont have a very long  life expectancy due to the way they are made and she was starting to look like she was declining  but it seems rather a swift decline in health since she was  usually a pretty active girl.

Justin decides to take her to the vet, and he says he  was poisoned and the vet says it looks like something she ate. She dies  a week after that, Justin is upset and runs into Tony who stops in and had asked Colton if he could work a few hours for him and he grants Tony some work hours. 

 Justin see him and enrages "YOU M$@#$% Fucker!  How dare you come here!" He tackles Tony to the ground and starts to punch him in the face - numerous times  giving him a black eye, and almost breaking his nose.  

Colton hears the commotion and breaks up the  fight.  Calming Justin down and  telling Tony to go home he will send him  a check for what he worked and a lil for doctor bill.  Tony glares at Justin and then at Colton, yelling "I didnt do anything to your brother and he attacks me I'm gonna sue both of your asses!"  He then storms off to his old beat up pick up truck revs up the engine and peels out like a maniac,  driving recklessly out of the  lot spinning his tires and stirring up   gravel as he leaves.  

A lawsuit was filed but then dropped with a settlement later.

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Hmm this seems more like the wrong brother was murdered??