Thankful for this stout horse capable of carrying even his weight, Melk rides up to the brewery with the rest of the pack. It's a sight to behold, and he gives a slight half-nod, half-bow out of respect to the generations of artisans and their decades of craft as his horse passes by the estate. Melk gives it a quick once-over, looking for anything unusual. He's a little unsettled that he doesn't immediately see anything.
"Let's be cautious about this," he advises the rest of the group. "I was half expecting stains of blood on the dirt, claw marks on the wood, the shaft of an arrow splintered against the stone. A straightforward explanation. This is too regular."
Melk is going to guide his horse to the stables, hop off, and tie up the mount to a piece of weak and/or rotten-looking wood. Stout enough that a mild pull won't let the steed loose, but if something should happen that the horse senses mortal danger and is panicked then the surge of adrenaline will give it the strength it needs to free its bonds. Melk isn't ruling out the presence of some dreadful predator, and he doesn't want the horse to die in vain while he's inside exploring. Not least of all because then he's stuck without a horse when he needs to flee. While he's at the stables he'll also look over the mules, to see how much manure has built up inside to get some clue as to how long they've gone unattended and thus how long ago the Copperwicks vanished.

Spoiler: Investigation
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(1d20)[8]