Back Spin

by Harlan Coben

  "And your son-in-law is there?"

  "Yes."

  "Driving balls?"

  "Of course." Bucky looked at him, surprised. "You always do that after a round. Every golfer on the tour knows that. You played basketball. Didn't you used to practice your shot after a game?"

  "No."

  "Well, as I told you earlier, golf is very special. Players need to review their play immediately after a round. Even if they've played well. They focus in on their good strokes, see if they can figure out what went wrong with the bad strokes. They recap the day."

  "Uh-huh," Myron said. "So tell me about the kidnapper's call."

  "I'll take you to Jack," he said. "This way."

  They walked across the eighteenth fairway and then down the sixteenth. The air smelled of freshly cut grass and pollen. It'd been a big year for pollen on the East Coast; nearby allergists swooned with greedy delight.

  Bucky shook his head. "Look at these roughs," he said. "Impossible."

  He pointed to long grass. Myron had no idea what he was talking about so he nodded and kept walking.

  "Damn USGA wants this course to bring the golfers to their knees," Bucky ranted on. "So they grow the rough way out. Like playing in a rice paddy, for chrissake. Then they cut the greens so close, the golfers might as well be putting on a hockey rink."

  Myron remained silent. The two men kept walking.

  "This is one of the famed stone-quarry holes," Bucky said, calmer now.

  "Uh-huh." The man was babbling. People do that when they're nervous.

  "When the original builders reached sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen," Bucky continued, sounding not unlike a tour guide in the Sistine Chapel, "they ran across a stone quarry. Rather than giving up then and there, they plowed ahead, incorporating the quarry into the hole."

  "Gosh," Myron said softly, "they were so brave back then."

  Some babble when nervous. Some grow sarcastic.

  They reached the tee and made a right, walking along Golf House Road. Though the last group had finished playing more than an hour ago, there were still at least a dozen golfers hitting balls. The driving range. Yes, professional golfers hit balls here--practicing with a wide array of woods and irons and big clubs, nay, warheads, they called Bertha and Cathy and the like--but that was only part of what went on. Most touring pros used the range to work out strategies with their caddies, check on equipment with their sponsors, network, socialize with fellow golfers, smoke a cigarette (a surprising amount of pros chain-smoke), even talk to agents.

  In golf circles, the driving range was called the office.

  Myron recognized Greg Norman and Nick Faldo. He also spotted Tad Crispin, the new kid on the block, the latest next Jack Nicklaus--in a phrase, the dream client. The kid was twenty-three, good-looking, quiet, engaged to an equally attractive, happy-just-to-be-here woman. He also did not yet have an agent. Myron tried not to salivate. Hey, he was as human as the next guy. He was, after all, a sports agent. Cut him some slack.

  "Where is Jack?" Myron asked.

  "Down this way," Bucky said. "He wanted to hit alone."

  "How did the kidnapper reach him?"

  "He called the Merion switchboard and said it was an emergency."

  "And that worked?"

  "Yes," Bucky said slowly. "Actually it was Chad on the phone. He identified himself as Jack's son."

  Curious. "What time did the call come in?"

  "Maybe ten minutes before I called you." Bucky stopped, gestured with his chin. "There."

  Jack Coldren was a touch pudgy and soft in the middle, but he had forearms like Popeye's. His flyaway hair did just that in the breeze, revealing bald spots that had started off the day better covered. He whacked the ball with a wood club and an uncommon fury. To some this might all seem very strange. You have just learned your son is missing and you go out and hit golf balls. But Myron understood. Hitting balls was comfort food. The more stress Myron was under, the more he wanted to go in his driveway and shoot baskets. We all have something. Some drink. Some do drugs. Some like to take a long drive or play a computer game. When Win needed to unwind, he often watched videotapes of his own sexual exploits. But that was Win.

  "Who's that with him?" Myron asked.

  "Diane Hoffman," Bucky said. "Jack's caddie."

  Myron knew that female caddies were not uncommon on the men's pro tour. Some players even hired their wives. Saves money. "Does she know what's going on?"

  "Yes. Diane was there when the call came in. They're pretty close."

  "Have you told Linda?"

  Bucky nodded. "I called her right away. Do you mind introducing yourself? I'd like to go back to the house and check up on her."

  "No problem."

  "How will I reach you if something comes up?"

  "Call my cellular."

  Bucky nearly gasped. "Cellular phones are forbidden at Merion." Like it was a papal command.

  "I walk on the wild side," Myron said. "Just call."

  Myron approached them. Diane Hoffman stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, her arms folded, her face intent on Coldren's backswing. A cigarette dangled from her lips almost vertically. She didn't even glance at Myron. Jack Coldren coiled his body and then let go, snapping like a released spring. The ball rocketed over the distant hills.

  Jack Coldren turned, looked at Myron, smiled tightly, nodded a hello. "You're Myron Bolitar, right?"

  "Right."

  He shook Myron's hand. Diane Hoffman continued to study her player's every move, frowning as if she'd spotted a flaw in his hand-shaking technique. "I appreciate your helping us out," he said.

  Face-to-face now--no more than a few feet away--Myron could see the devastation on the man's face. The jubilant glow after nailing the putt on eighteen had been snuffed out by something more pasty and sickly. His eyes had the surprised, uncomprehending look of a man who'd just been sucker punched in the stomach.

  "You tried making a comeback recently," Jack said. "With New Jersey."

  Myron nodded.

  "I saw you on the news. Gutsy move, after all these years."

  Stalling. Not sure how to begin. Myron decided to help. "Tell me about the call."

  Jack Coldren's eyes swerved over the expanse of green. "Are you sure it's safe?" he asked. "The guy on the phone told me no police. To just act normal."

  "I'm an agent seeking clients," Myron said. "Talking to me is about as normal as it gets."

  Coldren thought about that for a moment then nodded. He still hadn't introduced Diane Hoffman. Hoffman didn't seem to mind. She remained about ten feet away, rock-still. Her eyes remained narrow and suspicious, her face weathered and pinched. The cigarette ash was incredibly long now, almost defying gravity. She wore a cap and one of those caddie vests that looked like a jogger's night reflector.

  "The club president came up to me and whispered that there was an emergency call from my son. So I went inside the clubhouse and picked it up."

  He stopped suddenly and blinked several times. His breathing became heavier. He was wearing a tad-too-tight, yellow V-necked golf shirt. You could see his body expand against the cotton blend with each inhale. Myron waited.

  "It was Chad," he finally spat out. "All he could say was 'Dad,' before someone grabbed the phone away from him. Then a man with a deep voice came on the line."

  "How deep?" Myron asked.

  "Pardon?"

  "How deep was the voice?"

  "Very."

  "Did it sound funny to you? A little robotic?"

  "Now that you mention it, yes, it did."

  Electronic altering, Myron guessed. Those machines could make Barry White sound like a four-year-old girl. Or vice versa. They weren't hard to get. Even Radio Shack sold them now. The kidnapper or kidnappers could be any sex. Linda and Jack Coldren's description of a "male voice" was irrelevant. "What did he say?"

  "That he had my son. He told me that if I called the police or anybody like that, Chad would pay. He told me that someon
e would be watching me all the time." Jack Coldren accentuated the point by looking around again. No one suspicious lurked about, though Greg Norman waved and gave them a smiling thumbs-up. G'day, mate.

  "What else?" Myron asked.

  "He said he wanted money," Coldren said.

  "How much?"

  "He just said a lot. He wasn't sure yet how much, but he wanted me to get it ready. He said he'd call back."

  Myron made a face. "But he didn't tell you how much?"

  "No. Just that it would be a lot."

  "And that you should get it ready."

  "Right."

  This made no sense. A kidnapper who wasn't sure how much ransom to extort? "May I be blunt, Jack?"

  Coldren stood a little taller, tucked in his shirt. He was what some would call boyishly and disarmingly handsome. His face was big and unthreatening with cottony, malleable features. "Don't sugarcoat anything for me," he said. "I want the truth."

  "Could this be a hoax?"

  Jack shot a quick glance at Diane Hoffman. She moved slightly. Might have been a nod. He turned back to Myron. "What do you mean?"

  "Could Chad be behind this?"

  The longer flyaway hairs got caught up in a cross-breeze and fell down into his eyes. He pushed them away with his fingers. Something came across his face. Rumination, maybe? Unlike Linda Coldren, the idea had not snapped him into a defensive stance. He was pondering the possibility, or perhaps merely grasping at an option that meant safety for his son.

  "There were two different voices," Coldren said. "On the phone."

  "It could be a voice changer." Myron explained what that was.

  More rumination. Coldren's face scrunched up. "I really don't know."

  "Is it something you can imagine Chad doing?"

  "No," Coldren replied. "But who can imagine anyone's kid doing something like this? I'm trying to remain objective here, hard as that is. Do I think my boy could do something like this? Of course not. But then again, I wouldn't be the first parent to be wrong about my kid; now, would I?"

  Fair enough, Myron thought. "Has Chad ever run away?"

  "No."

  "Any trouble in the family? Anything that might make him want to do something like this?"

  "Something like fake his own kidnapping?"

  "It doesn't have to be that extreme," Myron said. "Maybe something you or your wife did that got him upset."

  "No," he said, his voice suddenly faraway. "I can't think of anything." He looked up. The sun was low and not very strong anymore, but he still sort of squinted up at Myron, the side of his hand resting on his forehead in an eye-shading salute. The posture reminded Myron of the photograph of Chad he'd seen at the house.

  Jack said, "You have a thought, Myron, don't you?"

  "Barely."

  "I'd still like to hear it," Coldren said.

  "How badly do you want to win this tournament, Jack?"

  Coldren gave a half-smile. "You were an athlete, Myron. You know how badly."

  "Yes," Myron said, "I do."

  "So what's your point?"

  "Your son is an athlete. He probably knows too."

  "Yes," Coldren said. Then: "I'm still waiting for the point."

  "If someone wanted to hurt you," Myron said, "what better way than to mess up your chance of winning the Open?"

  Jack Coldren's eyes had that sucker punched look again. He took a step back.

  "I'm only theorizing," Myron added quickly. "I'm not saying your son is doing that...."

  "But you need to explore every avenue," Jack Coldren finished for him.

  "Yes."

  Coldren recovered, but it took him a little time. "Even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't have to be Chad. Someone else could have done this to get at me." Again he glanced over at his caddie. Still looking at her, he said, "Wouldn't be the first time."

  "What do you mean?"

  Jack Coldren didn't answer right away. He turned away from both of them and squinted out toward where he'd been hitting balls. There was nothing to see. His back was to Myron. "You probably know I lost the Open a long time ago."

  "Yes."

  He didn't elaborate.

  "Did something happen back then?" Myron asked.

  "Maybe," Jack Coldren said slowly. "I don't know anymore. The point is, someone else might be out to get me. It doesn't have to be my son."

  "Maybe," Myron agreed. He didn't go into the fact that he'd pretty much dismissed this possibility because Chad had vanished before Coldren had his lead. No reason to go into it now.

  Coldren turned back to Myron. "Bucky mentioned something about an ATM card," he said.

  "Your son's ATM card was accessed last night. At Porter Street."

  Something crossed his face. Not for long. Not for more than a second. A flash and then it was gone. "On Porter Street?" he repeated.

  "Yep. A First Philadelphia Bank on Porter Street in South Philadelphia." Silence.

  "Are you familiar with that part of town?"

  "No," Coldren said. He looked over at his caddie. Diane Hoffman remained the statue. Arms still folded. Feet still shoulder-width apart. Ash finally gone.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Of course I am."

  "I visited there today" Myron said.

  His face remained steady. "Did you learn anything?"

  "No."

  Silence.

  Jack Coldren gestured behind him. "You mind if I take a few more swings while we talk?"

  "Not at all."

  He put on his glove. "Do you think I should play tomorrow?"

  "That's up to you," Myron said. "The kidnapper said to act normal. Your not playing would certainly draw suspicion."

  Coldren bent down to put a ball on the tee. "Can I ask you something, Myron?"

  "Sure."

  "When you played basketball, how important was winning to you?"

  Odd question. "Very."

  Jack nodded like he'd been expecting that. "You won the NCAA championship one year, right?"

  "Yes."

  Coldren shook his head. "Must have been something."

  Myron did not reply.

  Jack Coldren picked up a club and flexed his fingers around the grip. He lined up next to the ball. Again the smooth coil-and-release movement. Myron watched the ball sail away. For a moment no one spoke. They just looked off into the distance and watched the final streaks of sun color the sky purple.

  When Coldren finally spoke, his voice was thick. "You want to hear something awful?"

  Myron moved closer to him. Coldren's eyes were wet.

  "I still care about winning this thing," Coldren said. He looked at Myron. The pain on his face was so naked, Myron almost reached out and hugged him. He imagined that he could see the reflection of the man's past in his eyes, the years of torment, of thinking of what might have been, of finally having the chance at redemption, of having that chance suddenly snatched away.

  "What kind of man still thinks about winning at a time like this?" Coldren asked.

  Myron didn't say anything. He didn't know the answer. Or maybe he feared that he did.

  5

  Merion's clubhouse was an expanded white farmhouse with black shutters. The only splash of color came from the green awnings shading the famed back porch and even that was muted by the surrounding green of the golf course. You expected something more awe-inspiring or intimidating at one of the country's most exclusive clubs, and yet the simplicity seemed to say, "We're Merion. We don't need more."

  Myron walked past the pro shop. Golf bags were lined up on a metal stand. The men's locker room door was on his right. A bronze sign read that Merion had been designated a historic landmark. A bulletin board listed members' handicaps. Myron skimmed the names for Win's. Three handicap. Myron didn't know much about golfing, but he knew that was pretty damn good.

  The outside porch had a stone floor and about two dozen tables. The legendary dining area did more than overlook the first tee--it actually seemed perched right
over it. From here, members watched golfers tee off with the practiced glares of Roman senators at the Colosseum. Powerful businessmen and community leaders often crumbled under such century-old scrutiny. Even professionals were not immune--the porch's dining facility was kept open during the Open. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones and Sam Snead had all been subjected to the small restaurant noises, the grating tinkling of glass and silverware blending most disharmoniously with golf's hushed crowds and distant cheers.

  The porch was packed with members. Most were men--elderly and red-faced and well fed. They wore blue or green blazers with different crests on them. Their ties were loud and usually striped. Many had floppy white or yellow hats on their heads. Floppy hats. And Win had been worried about Myron's "attire."

  Myron spotted Win at a corner table with six chairs. He sat alone. His expression was both glacial and serene, his body completely at ease. A mountain lion patiently waiting for prey. One would think that the blond hair and patrician good looks would be life assets for Win. In many ways, they were; in many more ways, they branded him. His entire appearance reeked of arrogance, old money, and elitism. Most people did not respond well to that. A specific, seething hostility frothed and boiled over when people looked at Win. To look at such a person was to hate him. Win was used to it. People who judged purely on looks did not concern him. People who judged purely on looks were oft surprised.

  Myron greeted his old friend and sat down.

  "Would you care for a drink?" Win said.

  "Sure."

  "If you ask for a Yoo-Hoo," Win said, "I'll shoot you in the right eye."

  "Right eye," Myron repeated with a nod. "Very specific."

  A waiter who must have been a hundred years old materialized. He wore a green jacket and pants--green, Myron surmised, so that even the help would blend into the famed milieu. Didn't work, though. The old waiter looked like the Riddler's grandfather. "Henry," Win said, "I'll have an iced tea."

  Myron was tempted to ask for a "Colt 45, like Billy Dee," but decided against it. "I'll have the same."

  "Very good, Mr. Lockwood." Henry left. Win looked over at Myron. "So tell me."

  "It's a kidnapping," Myron said.

  Win arched an eyebrow.

  "One of the players' sons is missing. The parents have gotten two calls." Myron quickly told him about them. Win listened in silence.

  When Myron finished, Win said, "You left something out."

  "What?"

  "The name of the player."