2 A Deadly Beef by Jessica Beck

old
standards.  Believe me, we understand why you were upset with him,
but what we want to know is, was that the only thing you two were
fighting about?"
    "It
was enough, wasn’t it?" Dave asked.  "Sure, I was angry
about how bad things had become, but I wasn’t mad enough to kill
him."
    "When
was the last time you saw him?" Moose asked, not giving Dave a chance to
even catch his breath after answering my questions.
    The
store manager hesitated before he answered, but whether it was because he was
thinking about the question, or planning to lie when he answered, I
wasn’t sure.  "I’m not happy about it, but the truth is,
the last time I saw him was when we argued yesterday morning," he finally
said, and then softened for a moment.  "I hate that the last words
between us were spoken in anger."
    "I
didn’t realize that you two were that close," I said.
    Dave
seemed to consider my question before answering.  He’d hesitated so
much during this conversation that I began to wonder if maybe it was just a
habit he had that I’d failed to pick up on in the past.  "We
weren’t, not really, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
    Moose
pushed a little harder.  "So, you’re absolutely certain that
you didn’t see him after that?  Think about your answer
carefully.  It’s important."
    Dave
nodded.  "I don’t have to.  I’ve already been over
this with the sheriff, and I don’t see any reason to change my story now,
because everything I’ve told you is the truth."  He stood,
stretched, and then started toward the front.  "Now, if you two
don’t mind, I have some paperwork to finish up before I can go
home."
    Moose
refused to budge.  "Go right ahead.  We don’t mind. 
We can keep chatting while you work."
    I wondered
sometimes about my grandfather’s audacity.  Would Dave throw us
out?  It appeared that he was considering it, but he finally threw his
hands up in the air and said, "You know what?  Forget it. 
There’s nothing on my desk that won’t wait until the morning. 
I’m going home, and unless the two of you want to spend the night locked
up in the grocery store, I’d suggest that you leave when I do."
    "Of
course we will," I said as I stood, though my grandfather refused to
budge.  "Aren’t you coming, Moose?"
    He
appeared to consider it, finally shrugged, and then Moose got up as well. 
    Once
we were all outside, Dave’s voice softened.  "I’m sorry
if I was a little touchy a while ago, but it’s been a hard couple of
days."
    "We
understand," I said, and after a moment, Moose nodded in agreement as
well.
    "We’ll
talk later," my grandfather said.
    Dave
clearly wasn’t pleased about that prospect, but knowing my grandfather, I
was certain that he realized that he didn’t have much choice. 
    As
Dave made his way to his car, Moose asked me in a soft voice, "What do
you think, Victoria?  Should we follow him?"
    I was
quite surprised by my grandfather’s suggestion.  "Is it really
necessary?  Moose, do you actually think he might be the killer?"
    "I
don’t know yet, but why don’t we make sure he’s going home
like he said he was?"
    "You’ve
been watching too much television lately," I said.  "I’m
going to have to talk to Martha about that."
    "Who
do you think has been watching with me?  You never answered my question, Victoria.  If we’re going to trail Dave, we have to make up our minds and do it
right now."
    "I
guess it couldn’t hurt," I said, "but I still think that
it’s just going to be a wild goose chase."
    "Maybe
so, but it’s as good a lead as we’ve got at the moment."
    I just
wished that I had a reason to disagree with his assessment, but I didn’t.
    "Give
him a little more space," I told Moose as he started following Dave down
the road a few minutes later.  "We don’t want him to know
we’re tailing him."
    "No
worries.  He won’t recognize this truck," Moose said. 
"Your dad has had it parked for months."
    "I
still don’t think we should