Chapter 25

Lisa and I were woke up by the telephone a ringing in the kitchen. Lisa managed to get herself outta bed while I tried to get my eyes to focus. It were still dark outside, and I finally was awake enough to start wonderin’ who would be a callin’ at this time of the mornin’.

I was mostly awake when Lisa called from the kitchen.

“Amos,” she said, “Dave wants to talk to you.”

I made my way to the kitchen, and before I took the phone from Lisa, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It were a little after four in the mornin’.

“This is Amos,” I said, speakin’ into the phone.

Dave was on the other end.

“Amos, you and Lisa need to come into town.”

“Dave, are you right in the head? It’s still the middle of the night, can’t this wait til the mornin’?”

There were a pause from Dave, and then he said, “That guy you and Lisa found yesterday, someone killed him in the hospital.”

“The hell, you say!” I answered.

“That ain’t all,” Dave continued, “but I don’t want to talk about it over the phone. You and Lisa need to come down here as soon as you can.”

I told him we would, and then hung up the phone.

Lisa were a standin’ beside me and had a puzzled look on her face.

I turned to her and said, “Looks like we got to head into Steamboat. It seems someone didn’t like that guy we found yesterday. Dave said someone kilt him.”

She answered, “I wonder what’s going on?”

“Damn if I know, but Dave sure did sound riled up on the phone. Guess we’d better get our asses down there, and find out what’s a happenin’.”

The phone ringin’ must a woke up Grandma, cause she wandered into the room, and asked what were a goin’ on.

Lisa went in to get dressed while I let Grandma know we were a leavin’ for Steamboat.

We were out the door ten minutes later.

Dave had piqued my interest by what he didn’t say, so I pushed the truck a little more than I’d normally do. Lisa looked at me kind a funny a few times, but didn’t say anythin’.

On the way down the road, the dispatcher called on the radio and asked us to meet the sheriff at the hospital. Lisa tole him we would, and I pushed a li’l more gas through the truck. This were gettin’ purty strange, and I wanted to find out what were a goin’ on.

It were still dark when we reached the hospital parkin’ lot. When we entered the building, the sheriff were in the lobby, a waitin’ on us.

“Damn, you got here fast,” Dave said as we walked up to him.

“Well, you kind a got my interest up; now what’s a goin’ on?”

Dave motioned his head, towards the hallway and said, “Come on, I’ve got someplace quiet where we can talk.”

Dave stopped at the guard desk in the lobby and asked the guy sittin’ there to see if’n he could find Dr. Carter and have him come to the interview room.

Dave led us down the hallway, and we entered a small room with several chairs, clustered around a table. We no more than sat down when a tall man, wearin’ one of them doctor coats came in.

Dave introduced us to Dr. Carter and then got down to business.

Dave looked at me and Lisa, sittin’ across the table from him and the doctor.