Bill Crider - Dan Rhodes 08 - Winning Can Be Murder by Bill Crider Read Free Book Online Page B

reported to you.  The people involved are the kind that like to settle things themselves.”
    True enough.  The emergency room of the Clearview hospital had a few cases every weekend that came from The County Line, though the patients usually said something like, “I fell off my bike,” or “I slipped in the tub.”  While the former excuse was at least likely, the latter was clearly false.  Most of the people who said it didn’t look as if they’d been near a bathtub for several weeks.
    “Did Meredith ever get in any fights out there?” Rhodes asked.
    “Not that I’ve heard about.  There are plenty of rough customers out there, though.  Wonder if any of them had a lot of money bet on the game last night?”
    Rhodes thought about Hayes Ford.  And he thought about the fight between Meredith and Jasper Knowles.  Meredith had wanted to kick the point instead of going for two.  Could that mean that Meredith was aware of some sort of bet on the game?  Or could Meredith himself have made a bet?  It didn’t seem likely, but anything could happen.
    “What about Meredith?” Rhodes asked.  “Do you think he might have bet with someone?”
    Vance gave it some thought.  “Maybe.  But if he did, I didn’t know about it.”
    The implication was that Vance knew most of what went on, but if Meredith had been betting on the team, he would have kept it very quiet.
    Vance changed the subject.  “And then there’s Meredith’s wife,” he said.
    “What about her?” Rhodes asked.
    “Kind of drab for the wife of a big-time football coach, wouldn’t you say?”
    Rhodes hadn’t really thought about that, but it was obvious that there was more to the story.  It was also obvious that Vance was going to tell him about it.
    “Brady married her when they were in college.  She was a cheerleader then, but she’s lost a little spark in the years since.  Brady thought he could do better.”
    “Who with?  Anybody I should know about?”
    “You catch on quick, Sheriff.”  The toothpick danced.  “No wonder you’re such an effective lawman.”
    Rhodes couldn’t tell whether Vance was paying him a compliment or being sarcastic.
    Vance said, “Ever seen Bob Deedham’s wife?”
    Rhodes said that he hadn’t.  Faye Knowles had been the one ringing Nancy Meredith’s doorbell.
    “Name’s Terry.  Now there’s somebody who still looks like a cheerleader.  Blonde, big hair, big eyes, big pom-poms.  The works.  The kind of woman that Meredith would go for.”
    Rhodes wasn’t sure how to take the “pom poms” remark, but he didn’t ask for clarification.  Deedham’s attitude was beginning to make more sense than it had earlier.
    “And there’s one other thing,” Vance said.
    Rhodes waited.
    “Did you notice anything about the team last night?  Did they seem especially aggressive to you?”
    “They were fired up, all right,” Rhodes said.
    “There’ve been some rumors about that,” Vance said.  He took out his toothpick and replaced it with a fresh one.  “You might have heard them.”
    “No.  I’m always the last one to hear rumors.”
    Vance looked as if he doubted that, then shrugged.  “Maybe so.  What do you think could hop up a team like that?”
    “I’m not very good at guessing,” Rhodes said.  “Why don’t you tell me.”
    “Steroids,” Vance said.  “Ever hear about them?”
    Rhodes had heard about them, all right.  “You say it’s just a rumor?”
    “But worth checking out.  Steroids can do funny things to a kid.  If one got mad enough, he might even shoot his coach.”
    “Would any of them have a reason to do that?”
    “They wouldn’t need much of a reason.  Let’s say someone identified pretty strongly with the head coach and you took a poke at him.  That might be enough.  It’s worth checking out.”
    Rhodes agreed that it was.  “Do you have anything else for me?”
    “That’s about it,” Vance said.  “I’d think that was enough to give you