Missouri rancher is gone, but mystery remains

The auctioneer sat above the cattle ring and told the crowd what a great herd they were getting ready to bid on. Well-tended, top-notch cows and performance-tested bulls. “They certainly would not be for sale if not for the circumstances,” auctioneer Jim Hertzog said into the microphone. His voice broke with those words and he held up a hand: “Give me a second.” The arena crowd sat stone quiet. Hertzog, wearing a big cowboy hat, took a sip of water. Then, with game face restored, he started the sale: “All right, boys, let’s take a look at ’em.” It didn’t say the cattle were being sold because Cook, 55, hadn’t been seen since he disappeared from the ranch in mid-November. His billfold was found inside the house. No disarray. No forced entry. His pickup still sat in the driveway. “Nobody knows what happened. … He’s just gone,” said Elsie Cash from behind the counter at McBee’s General Store, about a mile east of the ranch. “He used to stop in here all the time, for food and whatnot. Nice fellow. “People ’round here sure are wondering what happened.”....