by Gregg Stutts
He finished eating and tossed the bag in the trash. It wasn’t even seven o’clock. He knew he should work on getting ready for his meeting in the morning, but had no desire at all. He wondered how many of his coaches would even show up. He tried putting himself in their shoes and came to one conclusion. He wouldn’t blame any of them if they didn’t show up. He reached for his phone to listen to the voicemail from his assistant coach but thought twice and tossed the phone back on the bed. He just didn’t care to listen.
He pulled back the drapes and looked out on a mostly empty parking lot. Other than his truck, there were only three other cars. Late October in Lakeside wasn’t exactly the busy season. The old motel was probably full through the summer and easily charged over a hundred dollars a night. He was paying just thirty-five dollars, which was really what the room was worth.
He pulled the drapes shut and plopped down on the bed. A moment later, he heard one of the three cars start up and pull away.
Chapter 9
Thursday, October 31
It used to be the alarm would go off and he’d jump out of bed. Michelle used the word “bound” out of bed. But that was a long time ago. Back when coaching was fun. When Sarah was alive. When he and Michelle were happy together.
It didn’t help that the alarm was going off at four o’clock or that rain was pelting the window. He pulled the covers over his head, thought about the day ahead and gave serious thought to not getting up. First, there was the meeting with his coaching staff in an hour. Then classes to teach and practice to run. There was something else, but he couldn’t remember what it was. It took a few minutes to remember. Michelle had her first doctor visit for the pregnancy.
He parted the drapes. The rain was coming down harder. He checked the weather app on his phone. High of 37 degrees with a one hundred percent chance of rain. Winds from the north at fifteen miles per hour with higher gusts. Since they didn’t have an indoor practice facility like the other schools in their conference, the gym would be their only option. Not only would it be unproductive, but this late in the season meant the basketball team would be practicing and there was no chance Bob Burns would allow the football team to displace his basketball team.
The only remaining option was to practice outdoors. It would be miserable, but if they were going to face similar conditions on Friday night, then they might as well get used to it. He checked the forecast for Friday night. Game time temperature would be around 50 degrees with clear skies. Nothing like the current weather, so today’s practice would be a miserable two-hour waste of time.
If it wasn’t for his players, he would have stayed in bed and emailed his resignation to Bob Burns. But he owed them. They didn’t quit during the worst part of the season. So he couldn’t quit now. Maybe the day after the season was over, but not today.
At ten minutes to five, he had the coffee on and the meeting agenda written on the board in the coach’s meeting room. He was about to find out what was left of his coaching staff. And possibly his career.
Chapter 10
The first coach to arrive was the linebacker coach, Nate Sims, the one who left the voice mail he never listened to. “Hey coach, did you get my voice mail?”
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t listened to it, Nate.”
Nate stepped into the hallway, looked around, then came back inside and shut the door behind him. “I know we don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll make this quick,” he said. “You need to know that Bob Burns wants you out. He was looking for anything he could to use against you.”
That wasn’t a surprise. “Go on.”
“I’m sorry none of us said anything in his office yesterday, but he said it wouldn’t go well for any of us who didn’t cooperate with him. He’s trying to find anything he can that will link you to the Dante situation. He said it was too unbelievable to think you didn’t know what was going on.”
Max was sure he could feel his blood pressure rising. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Okay, Nate, I appreciate the heads up.” He glanced at the clock. “Do you think anyone else is coming?”
Just then, the door opened and several more coaches entered. A minute later, two more joined them. And at 4:59, the rest of the staff, minus one, was present. The only coach missing was Cody Walker, the defensive backs coach, who was also an assistant basketball coach under Bob Burns.
To say Max felt relieved came nowhere close to describing how he felt. He turned his back to write on the board, but mostly to wipe the tears from his eyes. “Okay guys, we’ve got a lot to cover. Grab a cup of coffee if you want it so we can get started.”
Several guys poured coffee and took their places around the table. Max waited for them to be seated and said, “I want to start by…” But he couldn’t get the words out. “I’m sorry…” He paused for a moment, got ahold of himself and said, “Thank you for being here. I mean that.” Now let’s get our minds on beating Bentonville.”
Over the next two hours, they re-worked the game plan. It was really too late in the week to do that, but they really had nothing to lose. They all knew it would take their best game and a few breaks to beat the number two-ranked team in the state.
At seven-thirty, they adjourned so they could get to their classrooms. Everyone felt good about the changes. They’d find out the following night if they’d made the right decisions and if it would be enough to beat Bentonville and make the playoffs.
After they left, Max went back to his office, closed the door and sat down at his desk. He shut his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Why did Bob Burns want him fired so badly? As he was trying to figure it out, his phone buzzed. It was Willy.
Chapter 11
“Hi, Willy.” He tried to sound upbeat, but didn’t quite pull it off.
“Hi, Max. I was calling to see how you’re doing.”
He’d been meaning to call Willy to get his perspective on everything, but now wasn’t the time. “I’m okay, Willy. Big game this week. We need a win to lock in a playoff berth.”
“Mmm, hmm,” Willy muttered. “What I mean is how you’re doing with the news about Donnie Black.”
“The news about Donnie? What news?” Max said.
There was silence for a moment. He thought they’d been disconnected when Willy said, “So you haven’t seen today’s paper?”
The newspaper was still folded and stuffed into the yellow plastic bag on his desk. He tore open the bag and read the front page headline:
PIONEER FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NOT INDICTED
“Max? Max? Are you there?”
“Yeah. I’m here,” Max said. “I can’t believe it. He’s literally getting away with murder.”
“Max?”
“Yeah?
“Please be careful,” Willy said.
Chapter 12
Max worked late again and didn’t leave the field house until after eight o’clock. Practice had gone much better than he’d expected. It was windy and cold, but the rain let up around noon. The field was still wet, but it wasn’t a wasted practice. Putting in an entirely new game plan the day before a game just wasn’t something you do. It was a total long shot. The more he thought about it, the more he realized what a desperate move it was.
As he exited the field house and walked to his truck, he was a little more vigilant than usual. He’d never noticed before how dark it was around the field house. Several lights were out on the side of the building and in the parking lot. The only vehicle in the lot was his truck, but someone could be hiding in the shadows and he’d never know. He picked up his pace, got into his truck and immediately locked the doors.
He turned the key in the ignition and heard a “click.” He tried again with the same result. He dropped his head to the steering wheel, waited a moment and tried again. Click.
“No, no, no. Please start.” He tried again. Click.
He tried to think of someone to come get him. Willy didn’t answer. He tried a couple of his coaches but got no answer from them either. H
e slammed his fist on the dashboard. “Start!” He turned the key again, hoping for the best. Click.
He sat quietly for a moment and took several slow, deep breaths. His heart was racing. He looked around the parking lot again. It was empty. At least as far as he could tell. He looked through his recent text messages but couldn’t come up with anyone else to call. He could swallow his pride and call Michelle or pay seventy-five dollars for a tow truck.
He debated with himself for several minutes hoping Willy or one of his coaches would call back. After twenty minutes of sitting in a cold, dark truck and starting to shiver, he gave in and called Michelle.
Chapter 13
It was almost eight-thirty. She hadn’t heard from him all day. She so badly wanted to make things right. So many times over the last month, she tired to tell him about Chris, but the moment never seemed right or just as she’d start, they’d get interrupted. It was an excuse though. She could have and should have confessed everything to him.
More than once, she’d told herself he probably knew anyway, so there was no reason to rub it in his face. And things had been going so well she didn’t want to ruin them. She’d even thought about letting some time pass, maybe a few more months, letting their marriage get on stronger ground before confessing to the affair. It was all just rationalizing though. She had cheated. It was that simple.
Max wasn’t innocent. He was the one who pushed her away, the one who ignored her needs. How many times had she tried to reach out, to break through to him? And how many times had he rejected her? She knew though. She knew she was trying to excuse what she’d done. Even if his behavior provided some type of explanation for how she felt, it still wasn’t an excuse for what she’d done.
She wanted to forget everything that happened in New Jersey, but it felt good to be wanted again. To be desired. To be needed. To be romanced.
If only she had never made the call to Chris. If only. Where would she and Max be now? But she did call. She ignored the whisper that said not to. And now the damage was done. There was no going back. No do-overs.
She picked up the phone to call her mom, but saw she only had 2% battery left. She plugged it in to charge in the bedroom and called her mom on the house phone in the living room.
Chapter 14
Michelle’s phone went to voice mail. Max tried again with the same result. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel. “Answer the phone!” He tried again. And got her voice mail again. He felt the side of his hand and realized it was bruised.
It was 8:40. He tried Michelle’s phone one more time. Still no answer, but this time he left a voice mail: “Why aren’t you answering your phone? My truck won’t start! I need you to pick me up at the school. If you get this just come get me. I don’t understand why you can’t just answer when I call. Or is that too much to ask? Maybe it is. Anyway, just come get me.”
He looked at his phone to end the call and saw it was dead. He hadn’t charged it all day. And now he had no idea whether she even got his message. He got out of the truck and slammed the door. It was getting colder and the wind was picking up. He went back to the field house to use the phone there but reached in his pocket for his keys and realized they were still in the ignition.
He jogged back to the truck and lifted the door handle, but it was locked. And his keys were inside. He ran around to the passenger door, but it was locked too. He rested his forearms on the window and leaned his head against the glass. There were his keys and his dead phone, locked in his truck that wouldn’t start. And no one he called for help even answered his call.
Despite knowing nothing about car repair, he popped the hood. It was too dark to see, but it didn’t really matter. It could have been the middle of the day and he was able to see every wire, switch, valve and whatever else was a part of a car engine, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. He had no idea what he was doing. But he knew the manly thing to do was look anyway.
It was at least a couple miles to the nearest store. He could walk it in less than thirty minutes and probably jog there in twenty-five or less. It was that or hope the voicemail to Michelle actually went through. As he considered his options, a gust of wind hit and a raindrop landed on the back of his neck. And then he heard it coming. He looked up and saw a wall of rain sweeping across the parking lot.
A few seconds later, he was standing in the midst of a downpour. It only took a moment to be drenched. It felt cold enough to snow, which would have been far better than a cold rain and gusty winds. In minutes, he was shivering uncontrollably. Staying put wasn’t an option. He needed to get moving.
Then he saw a pair of headlights turn into the parking lot and head directly toward him. “Thank you!” he yelled into the storm. Someone had gotten his message. He slammed his hood shut and walked toward the approaching car.
The vehicle stopped next to him. He tried to open the passenger door, but it wouldn’t open. He knocked on the window. “It’s locked!”
The darkly tinted window lowered six inches. “Not a very good night to be trick or treating, is it?”
It was Donnie Black.
Chapter 15
“What are you doing here?” Max said.
“Just out for a drive,” Donnie said. “Having some trouble with your truck?”
“Do you have something to do with this, Donnie?”
“Now why would you think I would have something to do with your truck not starting?”
Max wanted to reach into the car and grab Donnie by the throat, which he should have done when he had the chance. Donnie was murderer and was getting away with it.
“I don’t remember saying my truck wouldn’t start,” Max said. He couldn’t see Donnie’s face, but he imagined the smug look and wished he could knock it right off him.
“Oh, well I just assumed since no sane person would be standing out here on a night like this,” Donnie said.
“Well, you can just…” Max began.
“I’m sorry, Max, I’m getting a call I really need to take, but it was nice talking to you.” The window went up and Donnie pulled away. Then Max saw the brake lights come on and the window come down again. “Oh Max, in case you haven’t heard the good news, the grand jury concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to indict me.” Donnie hit the gas and fishtailed across the parking lot leaving Max alone in the dark parking lot.
He was cold and getting colder, but Max felt like a volcano that was about to erupt.
Chapter 16
After a few rings, Michelle’s mom answered. She felt a small measure of peace just hearing her voice. She asked how repairs were coming along after the hurricane. Fortunately, they’d been spared any serious damage and with the help of a friend, her dad was able to do most of the work himself.
It didn’t take long for her mom to realize this wasn’t a call to get an update on the house. “What’s wrong?”
“Mom, I’ve ruined everything.” She could no longer hold back the tears.
“Oh honey, what is it?”
She took a deep breath and said, “Mom, I’m pregnant.”
Her mom understood. “I’m so sorry, dear. I mean, I’m not sorry about a baby. I’m…”
“I know what you mean, mom. Hold on a sec.” Michelle set the phone down and grabbed a handful of tissues and tried to compose herself. “I suspected for a couple days. I’m never late, so I took a test a couple days ago.”
“I take it Max didn’t respond well.”
“No. And I can’t blame him. It’s just that I hoped we could work it out. We’d…been…doing so…well…” she said through her sobs. “I was…just…afraid…afraid…to tell him.”
“Where’s Max now, honey?”
“I think he’s…still at a motel. We really…haven’t talked.”
She knew her mom was searching for the right way to ask. “So you know for sure it’s not Max’s baby?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think there’s a good chance it’s not. We’ve been trying for years to get preg
nant again. I had an appointment today. My due date is July 3rd.”
“It could be Max’s baby, honey. We don’t know it’s not.” She could hear the hopefulness in her mom’s voice.
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I feel so ashamed. I mean, I’m pregnant and I’m not even sure who the father is.”
“Honey, don’t get ahead of yourself. It could be Max’s baby.”
“I hope you’re right. I just don’t have a good feeling.” Michelle stared out the window at a pitch-black backyard. “How did I ever let this happen? I don’t even want to think about how complicated it’s going to get if Chris is the father.”
