2 A Deadly Beef by Jessica Beck Page A

in a small part, I
had it, too.
    Moose
drove faster than he should have, but I still worried that we wouldn’t
make it in time.  What on earth had Ron been doing there that could get
him so seriously hurt?  I knew that farm work was one of the most
dangerous professions there was, but it was still a shock hearing about Ron.
    A
question was still churning in the back of my mind, so I asked Moose as he
drove, hoping that it wouldn’t distract him from the road. 
"Why do you think Gracie called you?"
    "She
heard we were digging into Wally’s murder," Moose said.
    "How
did she happen to hear that?" I asked.
    "I
ran into her last night," he said.
    This
was getting interesting.  "Was Martha with you at the time?"
    He
shook his head.  "No, I was on a walk around the neighborhood by
myself, and Gracie was out walking her dog.  We chatted for not more than
thirty seconds before Hubert caught a scent, and she was gone."
    When
we got to the emergency room, I was surprised to find Sheriff Croft waiting in
the hallway outside.
    "What
are you two doing here?" he asked.  It was pretty clear that he
wasn’t all that happy to see us.  "I just found out about what
happened to Watkins ten minutes ago."
    "You
know how it is.  It’s a small town.  Word gets around,"
Moose said.  "How is Ron doing?"
    "He’s
still unconscious," the sheriff said.  "He was working in the
barn and something fell on him from the loft.  According to the doctor, he
took a pretty nasty blow to the head."
    "You
must believe that it was intentional," I said, "or you
wouldn’t be here."
    "I’m
not sure if it was an accident or not until I talk to him first.  I have a
hunch Ron knows more than he’s been telling me.  I figured that if I
gave him a little time, he’d come clean with me, but I’m afraid that
might have been a mistake."
    "Do
you think someone might have been trying to shut him up?" I asked.
    "It’s
possible," the sheriff said.
    I was
about to ask him something else when his radio came to life.  Sheriff
Croft stepped away so he could have the conversation in private, so I asked
Moose, "What do you make of it?  Was this an accident, or was
someone trying to keep Ron quiet?"
    "I
wish I knew," Moose said as he ran a hand through his hair. 
"You said Ron came by the diner this morning, right?"
    I
nodded as I explained, "It was pretty clear that he wanted to tell me
something, but when Sheriff Croft showed up unexpectedly, Ron left the diner
abruptly.  The sheriff followed him out in the parking lot, but when he
came back in, he was alone.  I guess Ron got antsy and took off."
    "We
need to get in there and talk to him, Victoria," Moose said.
    "As
soon as he regains consciousness, we will," I assured him. 
"Until then, though, there’s nothing we can do."
    The
sheriff came back into the waiting room and rejoined us.  "I’m
not happy about it, but I’m going to have to leave.  There’s
been a hit-and-run in Laurel Landing, and they need me there.  Are you two
going to hang around here?"
    "For
a while, at least," I said.  "Is there something we can do for
you?"
    "Yeah,
there is.  I’ll give them orders to let you in if Ron wakes up
before I get back, but there’s one condition you have to agree to first,
or the deal’s off."
    "We’ll
do anything," I said.
    Moose
frowned.  "Hang on a second, Victoria.  Let’s hear what
the man has to say first before we agree to anything."
    "Moose,
you shouldn’t have a problem with this," the sheriff said. 
"If Watkins wakes up, I need to know everything he tells you, and I mean
everything.  There’s no holding out on me. Do you both
understand?"
    "We
can do that," Moose said.
    "Good. 
I’ve got to run.  Let me know if anything happens."
    "We
will," I said as the sheriff hurried out the door.
    "You
were being pretty cautious a second ago, weren’t you?" I asked my
grandfather.
    "I’ve
learned over the years never to make any promises that I can’t
keep," Moose said.
    "I
just hope