Chapter 34: THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS

For the first few minutes after he had arrived at the hospital, Keith could deal with nothing but the apologizing farmer.

Dale Renner – proprietor of Renner Farms northeast of Stockard Creek – had practically been hyperventilating when Keith first walked into the clinic’s emergency room after being called by his officers. He was a quintessential cowboy with his old jeans and boots, a giant, silver belt buckle, a flannel shirt tucked into his jeans – which were probably pulled up too high – and a tattered cowboy hat. But he looked pale and worried and he kept rubbing the scruff on his chin with his palms.

“This is the problem, chief, I shot a goddamn wolf that was inside my fence and chasing my sheep!” Dale said – for the fourth time. “I fired twice into the air and the goddamn thing still kept going after them…”