The Inheritance
Copyright© 2019 by Mark Randall
Chapter 11
As I walked in, Mabel called out. “Mr. Reynolds, welcome back. You weren’t gone very long. Is there something wrong?”
Glancing around at the usual crowd, I replied “yes Mabel, I need you to call the doctor. I’ve got Percy Wilcox out back with a busted leg.”
At that announcement there was a rush of people out the door. Mabel was on the phone before the last one was out the door. After calling the doctor, she brought a cup of coffee over. “What happened?” She asked.
“It’s a long story Mabel. I think you better call the sheriff too.” A shocked look crossed her face. Looking back over her shoulder at me, Mabel headed back to the phone. Before I had finished my coffee, Paul walked into the diner.
“Would you like to tell me what the hell’s going on Reynolds?” as Paul got closer, I could see that his hand was on his pistol.
Keeping my hands on the countertop I replied. “You don’t need to worry about me sheriff. I’m not going to try anything.”
Paul visibly relaxed. “Ok, that’s nice to know. But I still need an explanation. Percy Wilcox is out there screaming to high heaven that you tried to kill him.”
I took the next 10 minutes telling Paul the short story about Percy’s assault. Paul kept quiet during the story. Occasionally making notes. When I finished, he said. “Ok, I’ve got your side of the story. Now I’ll talk to Percy and get his side.”
“That’s going to be awhile Paul.” We both turned, a short, heavyset man with white hair was standing just inside the doorway.
“What’s the verdict Doc, is Percy going to survive?” Paul asked.
“Yup, besides the broken leg, and some minor cuts and scrapes, there’s nothing major wrong with him. Of course, I won’t know for sure until we can get some x-rays. I’ve got him in my office, waiting on the ambulance to take him into Grangeville.” Paul pondered for a minute. “Can I talk to him?”
After a moment’s thought, Doc Stone replied “You can talk, but I doubt if he’ll be able to answer. I’ve got him on painkillers right now. Probably tomorrow or the next day. But right now, he’s out of it.”
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