2 A Deadly Beef (23 page)

Moose
was close on my heels, and we managed to catch up with them before they could
part ways.

"I’m
glad we caught you both," I said to them.  "We’ve been
looking for you, but I had no idea you two would be together."

"Rebecca
Davis just took care of the real estate transfer," Jan said.

"So,
it’s a done deal?" Moose asked.

"The
land is now officially Sally’s," Jan said.  "If you ask
me, she’s getting a real steal."

Sally
Ketchum bristled a little at Jan’s interpretation of the sale. 
"You said yourself the place wasn’t worth nearly as much without
the house.  It was a fair price, and you know it."

"I
suppose so," Jan said as she shook her head, and then she turned to
me.  "Besides, what’s twenty thousand dollars between old
friends, anyway?  Why were you looking for both us, Victoria?"

"We
have news.  Ron’s coming out of his coma.  He’s still
pretty groggy at the moment, but they said that by morning he’ll be able
to tell the police what really happened to him in the barn."

"I’m
glad," Jan said, though it was said completely without emotion.

"Do
you have any idea how soon he’ll be able to get back to work?"
Sally asked.  "I need him as fast as he can jump back in. 
Things are stacking up around the farm, and if he doesn’t come back soon,
I’m going to have to find someone else to take his place."

"They
didn’t say," I told her.  There hadn’t been much joy
from either one of them when they’d heard the news.  What was with
these people?  Didn’t they care about the man at all?

"Was
there anything else?" Jan asked.

When I
shook my head, she said, "Well, as much as I’d love to stay here
and chat, I’ve got things to do."

"Me,
too," Sally said, as though she wasn’t about to let her old friend
upstage her.

After
Sally and Jan parted ways, I looked at Moose.  "Did it strike you as
odd that
nobody
seemed to care one way or the other about Ron?"

"At
least they’re not showing it if they do.  Should we call the sheriff
and tell him that we finished delivering the news?"

"I
have a better idea," I said.  "Let’s go see him at the
hospital and let him know in person.  I want to see what he’s got
rigged up."

"That
sounds good to me," Moose said.

As we
drove there, I asked my grandfather, "So, do you have a favorite suspect
at this point?"

"I
just don’t know, Victoria.  I’m not sure I can see Penny as a
spiteful ex-girlfriend with murder on her mind, especially after the
conversation we just had with her.  Dave got some bad veggies, just like
we did, but again, is it worth killing someone over?"

"Remember,"
I said, "reactions aren’t always proportional, or even rational,
all of the time.  Penny and Dave seem calm enough, but let’s think
of this as a worst-case-scenario situation.  Try to imagine Penny livid
with rage over being dumped, or Dave fighting with Wally about bad produce, and
then it escalating as both men continued to overreact."

"I
guess I can see the possibilities," Moose said.  "But what
about Sally and Jan?  They’re the only other suspects on our
list."

I
thought about it, and then said, "Well, Sally admitted that she argued a
lot with Wally, but the way she put it, it was just a normal part of their
interactions.  Anything’s possible, but as far as I can see,
Jan’s the only one with a real stake in this.  With Wally dead, she
gets everything."

"Which
is worth a great deal less now than it was a few days ago because of the
fire," Moose reminded me. 

"When
you think about it, we have three separate events.  Are they different
twists of fate, or could they all be tied together?  We start with Wally
Bain’s murder, then the attack on Ron, and finally, Wally’s house
burning down to the ground."

"They
have
to be connected," Moose said.  "I can’t
believe they are just coincidences."

"Neither
can I," I said, "but how they all connect is beyond me."

Moose
glanced over at me and asked, "Victoria, how much do you think Jan got
from the sale of the land?"

"Well,
I doubt Sally could afford to pay her all that much," I said. 
"She keeps complaining about the thin margin she works on. 
According to her, she struggles to find the money to get away to those farming
seminars she’s goes to every now and then, and the only way she can
afford to attend is to stay at other people’s farms."

"There’s
something else," Moose said.  "I keep wondering why someone
would take a run at Ron
after
they killed Wally Bain.  Did Ron see
something he shouldn’t have?  If he could have named Wally’s
killer before he was attacked, why didn’t he?  He tried to tell you
something the morning he was clobbered, didn’t he?"

"I
know, but I keep wondering why he chose me.  If he had something to say,
he should have told the sheriff about it, and he had plenty of opportunities to
do that, but he chose not to."  I thought about Ron, and our
interaction in the hospital before his coma.  "What did he say to
me, that his hands were dirty?"

"He
kept wiping them on the sheet," Moose said.  "The man was
delirious."

"What
if he was talking figuratively?"

"What
do you mean?"

"What
if his hands were dirty because of something he’d done, or helped someone
else do?  It might be enough to keep him quiet about something he’d
done if he was culpable, too," I suggested.

"So,
what could he and Wally have been up to, and why would someone want them both
shut up permanently because of it?"

"I’m
not sure," I said.  "How could a couple of farmers get
themselves into that kind of trouble?"

"I
have no idea," Moose said as we pulled up at the hospital. 
"Maybe the sheriff’s got an idea he hasn’t shared with us
yet."

"Just
between the two of us, I hope so," I said.

As we
approached the information desk, Moose asked me, "How are we going to
find the sheriff?"

"If
our plan is in place, it should be easy enough," I said. 
"Excuse me, but could you tell me what room Ron Watkins is in?"

The
older man behind the desk tapped a few keys, and then checked his screen. 
"He’s in Room 242.  Take the elevator to the second floor, and
it’s the last room on the right."

As
Moose and I got into the elevator, he said, "I’m still surprised
the sheriff agreed to do this.  He must be just as desperate as we
are."

"Everything
can’t be like one of those television shows where it’s all wrapped
up in under an hour," I said.  "I’m sure a bunch of
cases go unsolved all the time.  If he can end one with a stunt like this,
why not take the chance?"

"Hey,
I’m as happy as you are that he’s giving this a shot."

We got
to 242, and I knocked lightly on the door.  There was no response, so I
pushed the door open just a little.  There in the bed was a man lying down
with his back to us.  If it was a dummy, it was the most realistic one
I’d ever seen in my life.

We
didn’t get two steps inside the room before the sheriff stepped toward us
from behind the door, his gun pointed straight at both of us.

"Take
it easy," Moose said.  "We’re the good guys,
remember?"

"What
are you two doing here?" Sheriff Croft asked as he lowered his revolver.

"We
came to tell you that the trap’s been set.  Can we hang around here
with you to see who shows up?"

"Sorry,
but it’s too dangerous," the sheriff said as he spoke into his
radio.  "False alarm.  Everyone step down, but stay on
alert."

"How
many people do you have here at the hospital?" I asked.

"I’d
rather not say.  You really should have called."

"Can
you blame us for wanting to see who comes here?" Moose asked.

"I
understand, but you’ve got to go.  Take the backstairs on your way
out.  I’ll let you know if anyone comes by, but you have to stay
away from the hospital.  We don’t want to take the chance of
spooking anybody."

"Okay,
we get it," I agreed reluctantly.  "Come on, Moose. 
Let’s go."

I had
a plan, but it was foiled before we even had the chance to get out of the
hospital room.  The sheriff said, "I don’t want to hear that
either one of you is hanging around in the parking lot, either.  Call me
when you get back to the diner."

I
nodded, trying to hide the fact that he’d figured out what I was just
about to suggest to my grandfather.

We
were back in the truck before Moose said, "I was going to propose that we
linger here a little, but I have a hunch we’re being watched even
now."

I
looked around, but I couldn’t spot any cops in the parking lot. 
That didn’t mean that no one was there, though.  "I had the same
thought myself.  Do you think the sheriff can read minds?"

"I
don’t think it’s that great a leap to realize that we want to be in
on this, since we’re the ones who took the risk setting it up."

"Well,
we’ve both said all along that we don’t care how the killer is
caught, just as long as they end up behind bars."

"I
know that," Moose said, "but you have to admit that it’s a
lot more satisfying when we’re in on it at the end."

"I’d
be lying if it said it weren’t true," I told him, "but I
don’t think there’s much we can do at this point."

As
Moose drove off, I asked my grandfather, "Are we going to do as
we’ve been told and go back to The Charming Moose?"

"We’d
better not risk anything else," he said.

"That’s
okay with me," I answered.  "If I have to wait around
somewhere to hear what’s happening, I’d just as soon it be at the
diner."

"I
couldn’t agree more," Moose said.

It was
nearing my shift at the register when we walked in just a few minutes before
five.  Martha had worked a long shift, and she looked pleased to see me
and my grandfather walk back into the diner.  "Are you two finished
with what you had to do?"

"We
got lucky," Moose said as he gave his wife a kiss.  "Two of
our suspects were together, so we killed two birds with one stone."

"You
know how I’ve always hated that expression," Martha said. 
"Why would anyone want to kill a single bird, let alone two?"

"Sorry,
I slipped up," Moose said.  "Anyway, we went to the hospital
to tell the sheriff what we’d done, and he threw us out."

"Why
wouldn’t he?" Martha asked.  "You both have taken enough
chances for one day.  Are we going home now, Moose?"

"If
you don’t mind, I’d like to hang around here a little
longer."

"Feel
free to stay, but I’m taking over the register," I said. 
"Thanks again for helping out today, Martha.  You were a real
lifesaver."

"I
was glad to be of service," Martha said, "but truly, I
wouldn’t mind getting off my feet."  She turned to her husband
and added, "Moose, if you’d like to stay here, that’s fine
with me, but I’m going to go home and take a long, hot bath."

"You
honestly wouldn’t mind if I stayed for a while?"

"Actually,
I’m encouraging it," Martha said with a smile before giving her
husband a kiss.  "See you later."

"Bye,"
he said.

"Are
you sure you don’t want to go with her?" I asked my grandfather as
she left.

"No,
I’m staying right here," Moose said as he headed toward an empty
booth.  "Don’t worry.  I’ll move if it gets
busy."

"Sit
wherever you want," I said with a smile.  "After all, you are
the original Charming Moose, remember?"

"How
could I ever forget?" he asked with a grin of his own.

I said
hello to Jenny Hollister, who’d already been there working for an hour,
and then ducked into the kitchen for a second.  "Hey there," I
told Greg as I gave him a quick kiss.

"Hey,
yourself," he said.  "Did you have any luck?"

"Keep
your fingers crossed," I replied.  "I just wanted you to know
that we were back."

"You’d
be amazed by what I can see through that window," he said as he pointed
to the pass-through where we picked up the orders on the other side. 
"But it’s sweet of you to let me know in person.  Can I make
you something to eat?"

"I
just started my shift," I said.  "I’d feel guilty taking
a break."

"How
about if I make you a BLT?  You can nibble on it as you get time."

It
sounded tempting, and Greg knew that I was a sucker for our center-cut thick
slab bacon.  "Okay, you twisted my arm."

"I
hope I didn’t hurt you when I did it," he said with a smile.

"Don’t
worry about me.  I’m tough," I replied with a grin of my own.

We were
an hour into our dinner crowd, and my sandwich was long gone, when I nearly
dropped the stack of menus I’d been cleaning up front.

Dave
Evans walked through the door, and I wondered if he was on his way to the
hospital to spring our trap, or if he had an even more ominous reason to be
visiting The Charming Moose.

Chapter 15

"What
can I do for you?" I asked Dave as he hesitated at my station by the cash
register.

"I’d
like some coffee, and a chance to chat alone with you," he said.

"Are
you feeling any better?" I asked.

"I’ll
live," he replied.

Moose
had watched him since he first crossed the threshold, and as he started to get
up to join us, I shook my head.  I had a hunch the grocer wouldn’t
speak as freely in front of my grandfather, and I wanted to hear what he had to
say.

"Sure,
I’ve got a little time," I said as I directed him to the table
closest to the cash register.  "I’ll have to ring folks up
when they’re ready, though."

"That’s
fine with me.  I was wondering if you’d heard any more about Ron
Watkins," he asked as I got us two coffee cups and filled them both up.