“We’d tell the truth then.”

  “After our credibility is gone? Who’d believe us after that?”

  “Don’t worry. Nobody is going to turn on us. I paid them well enough to make sure of that.”

  “I still don’t understand why you didn’t just divorce him?” he asked.

  She sighed. “It was complicated. But ultimately I didn’t want to make things difficult for little Kelvin. He’s been through so much already.”

  “Have you told him that his father was murdered?”

  “No need to tell him anything until it’s proven. Besides, I’ve kept him out of school this week. He doesn’t know anything yet.”

  He sat back down. “Do you think they’ll be able to prove he was murdered?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Even without proving who did it?”

  “Not sure. Proving he was murdered is enough to get the insurance settlement.” She stopped. “Why are you so concerned about that?”

  “It’s our future, baby. If we can save Ballou Baller Records, the sky’s the limit for us.”

  She smiled and interlocked her fingers behind his neck. “I like the sound of that.” She leaned in and kissed him.

  He then stood up. “Okay, I’ve gotta get going. Big meeting in the morning and I don’t want to leave here in broad daylight.”

  “Good idea. Don’t want the media to start thinking that we’re anything but friends at this point.”

  “At this point,” he reiterated and smiled.

  She hugged him again. “Go out the back. And don’t worry. It’ll all be settled soon enough—and we’ll be on our way to making millions.”

  CHAPTER 25

  CAL OPENED HIS EYES and felt his chest. Then he looked down at Kelly. No blood was visible. He turned around to see their two tormentors lying face down on the ground, blood snaking its way out of their heads and into the sand.

  Cal reached into one of the men’s pockets and fished out his phone. He put his fingers on their neck to make sure they were dead. Nothing.

  Kelly continued to shriek and cry.

  He put his hand on her back. “It’s okay, honey. They’re dead.”

  She raised up on her knees. “What? Dead?” She paused. “Well, then who killed—”

  “I did,” came a familiar voice.

  Cal spun around to see Wizards’ assistant coach Terrance Goodwin, a handgun at his side.

  “You did this?” Cal asked. “But—”

  “The less you know, the better, Cal.”

  “But I had no idea. How did you know we were in trouble?”

  Goodwin smiled and shook his head. “It’s not important, but if you must know, I was watching you.”

  Cal eyed him cautiously. “How’d you get a gun on our flight?”

  “DC Air designated me as a marshall for our flights. It’s totally legal.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Absolutely.” Goodwin looked at the two bodies. “Now, will you help me shove these two thugs into the two graves you dug?”

  “You’re not going to call the cops? They need to know about this.”

  “I’ll leave that up to you, but we’ve got a plane to catch.”

  Slackjawed, Cal stared at Goodwin. “That wasn’t our plane that flew overhead?”

  He shook his head. “I have no idea whose plane that was, but we’ve only got a few minutes before we need to get back to ensure that we catch the Wizards’ charter. Got it?’

  Cal stood up and stared back toward the tarmac. He walked forward several steps and craned his neck around the hangar to look for the DC Air charter. It hadn’t moved, as several people stood at the bottom of the stairs.

  Goodwin bent down to shove one of the men into the grave. Cal remained motionless, other than hugging Kelly.

  “Are you gonna help me or what?” Goodwin asked again.

  Cal followed Goodwin’s lead and shuffled around to the second body to roll it into the other part of the trench.

  Goodwin stood up and started shoveling dirt onto the bodies.

  “We’re just gonna leave them here like this?” Cal asked.

  Goodwin nodded.

  Cal snapped pictures of the two men, making sure to capture the tattoos on their forearms.

  “For the scrapbook?” Goodwin asked.

  “No, but I need to know who these two men are so I can figure out who tried to kill me.”

  “The less digging you do on that, the better off you’ll be.”

  Cal slipped his phone into his pocket and hugged Kelly again. She’d stopped crying but continued to sniffle.

  “It’ll be all right, honey,” he said.

  “That’s right—just as soon as we get these bodies fully into the ground,” Goodwin said as he looked up at the couple. “Now gimme a hand.”

  Cal raked more dirt onto the bodies with his foot, as did Kelly.

  In a matter of minutes, the men were sufficiently covered. Goodwin grabbed several nearby tumbleweed and dragged them on top of the shallow grave, weighting them down with nearby rocks.

  “That oughta do it,” Goodwin said. “Now, let’s get back to the plane.”

  Cal and Kelly followed him as Goodwin’s pace quickened. Goodwin slid his gun into his waistband, hidden by his jacket.

  “Did the Army teach you that?” Cal asked.

  Goodwin chuckled and shook his head. “The less you know, Cal. The less you know.”

  Cal didn’t stop. “Have you ever seen these two men before?”

  Goodwin shook his head. “No, but if you want to know who they were, I’d be careful about it.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Anytime the Bratva targets you, it isn’t good news.”

  Cal hastened his pace to catch up with Goodwin. He grabbed him by the arm. “The Russian mafia. That’s who you think those guys were?”

  “The tattoos were a dead giveaway. One of the guys was an assassin, if the tatts were any indication of who they were.”

  Cal shook his head. “Are you sure?”

  “I just saved your life, Cal. Do you have any reason to doubt me?”

  Cal didn’t. But he wasn’t just going to let it go. Whoever wanted him dead undoubtedly had something to do with Kelvin Jameson’s murder—or at the very least wanted to keep him from digging into it for one reason or another.

  “You’re not going to keep pursuing this story, are you?” Goodwin asked. “I’d hate to see something happen to you.”

  “No,” Cal answered. “There are some things I don’t mind letting remain a mystery.”

  “Good.”

  Kelly squeezed his hand and Cal knew why: He was lying, and she knew it.

  CHAPTER 26

  ON FRIDAY MORNING, Tonya Jameson waltzed into the Metropolitan Police Department’s Third District office to give her statement to the detective who contacted her. She clung to her purse strap as she settled into the chair across from his desk.

  “So, Mrs. Jameson,” began Detective Adam Davis, “I want to start off by saying that I’m sorry for your loss. I’m a big fan of the Wizards and I loved watching your husband play.”

  She forced a smile. “I appreciate that. It hasn’t been easy.”

  “I doubt what we’re about to do will be easy either, but we’re simply doing our due diligence here to make sure there was no foul play involved.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good,” he said as he folded his hands. “So, I’m going to tape this and take a few notes, if you don’t mind.” He paused and glanced down at a notepad in front of him. “Can you start off by telling me about where you where and what you remember from the night of your husband’s death?”

  “Sure.” Tonya took a deep breath. “So, I went out with some friends to several different bars after the game.”

  “Do you remember which ones?”

  “Trusty’s, The Looking Glass, Open City.”

  “So you got around quite a bit, then?”

  She nodded. “Yes, me and my friend Kimberly were celebrating after the win.”

  “But you weren’t with your husband?”

  Tonya shook her head. “We’d had a little marital spat, you know, like all couples. And we just decided we both needed some space. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. We both had our own lives.”

  “I see. So, what times were you at all these bars?”

  “I think we we went out about 11:30. I don’t think we spent more than thirty to forty-five minutes at each one.”

  “What time did you go home?”

  “Well, after we finished bar hopping, I have a friend who works at Red Derby. She stayed open later for us and kept the kitchen open so we could get something to eat.”

  “About what time was that?”

  “We left there a little after three and headed home.”

  “Did you take a taxi?”

  “No, Kimberly drove us. She’s the responsible one and wasn’t drinking.”

  “And what time would you estimate arriving at home?”

  “Somewhere around four. I can’t be exactly sure. All I know is that our nanny was asleep when I got back.”

  Detective Davis scanned his notes before his gaze met Tonya’s.

  “Sounds good. Now, I’ve got a few more questions that might be a little difficult to answer. So, take your time with them.”

  “Okay. I’ll do my best.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Is there anyone you can think of who might’ve had a reason to kill your husband?”

  “I’ve been thinking about this for days and I can’t think of anyone.”

  “No gambling debts or involvement in illicit drugs?”

  “Oh, god, no. He was a model citizen. He never did anything like that.”

  Detective Davis looked down at his notes. “Well, that wasn’t always the case. Are you aware of his arrest for attempting to buy narcotics from an undercover officer five years ago?”

  She shook her head. “How could this have been kept a secret?”

  “He used an alias and then entered a plea deal and had the records sealed. Apparently the media never got wind of it.”

  “So you think this might have been related to a vendetta by a drug dealer?”

  He shook his head. “We don’t know anything at this point. Again, we’re just trying to be thorough.”

  Tonya squirmed through several more questions until Detective Davis finally released her.

  “Thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Jameson,” Detective Davis said. “And again, my condolences on your loss.”

  They both stood up. She shook his hand and exited the building.

  As soon as she walked into the street, her cell phone rang. It was her bank.

  “Mrs. Jameson, I’m calling to inform you that you’re behind on your payments and we need to get something from you now. Are you prepared to make a payment right now over the phone.”

  She wasn’t. And she had no idea how she could afford the $15,000 mortgage payment due each month on their home at Miami Beach.

  Then her phone rang again, this time from her local bank.

  “Mrs. Jameson, we were wondering if you plan to continue paying your mortgage on your home,” the lender said. “If not, we need to know so we can begin with foreclosure proceedings.”

  “How far behind are we?”

  “Nine months,” the woman answered.

  “Nine months! Did you speak with my accountant? He usually handles these things.”

  “He told us to contact you directly since he claimed that there weren’t sufficient funds to make even one payment.”

  Tonya swallowed hard.

  Not even enough to make a mortgage payment.

  She hoped the Metropolitan Police Department determined Kelvin’s death was a murder—and she hoped they didn’t suspect her.

  CHAPTER 27

  NIKOLAY GAVIN MULLED over the options in his limousine’s wet bar. It was far too early in the day for a drink, but he felt like he already needed one. He’d flipped the radio on for just a moment—and the sports talk programming put him in a mood. No Hank Bingham this time, but the radio chatter still made him angry.

  More criticism from another overweight schmuck.

  He called his accountant.

  “Any update on the offer you pitched to the station?” he asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, keep me posted. I’ve had about all I can stand of their drivel.”

  He hung up and stared at the traffic inching along.

  His phone rang again, this time with an update on the team plane.

  “Everything is fine, sir,” said his assistant.

  “It’d better be. If you’re just now calling me to tell me something was wrong, so help me—”

  “Nothing to worry about, sir.”

  “Good.”

  “And the pilot is fine. The doctors couldn’t explain what happened.”

  Gavin hung up and cursed under his breath. He hated cleaning up other people’s messes.

  Fifteen minutes later, he lumbered past his secretary and toward his office.

  “Good morning, sir,” she said as he went by.

  He mumbled a “good morning” and opened his door.

  Gavin slammed the door behind him and turned on SportsCenter. On the show “First Take,” further discussion about the Wizards and their fleeting chances of making a run at the NBA title angered him again.

  If I hear Stephen A. Smith’s voice one more time …

  His intercom system crackled to life.

  “Sir, Daniel Hough is on line one,” his secretary said.

  “Great,” he said as he punched a button on his office phone to speak with the Wizards’ general manager. “Daniel, so good to hear from you. I was beginning to get concerned.”

  “No need to be concerned, sir. I’ve got everything under control.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. So what about Kyle Hutton? Is this a done deal?”

  “It will be in about fifteen minutes, once I fax the paperwork to the league office.”

  “Excellent. Why don’t you stop by my bar early this afternoon and we’ll celebrate with a drink?”

  “I’d love to, sir, but I’ve got some loose ends to tie up and make sure that Hutton will be joining the team out west.”

  “Excellent excuse. I’ll give you a rain check.”

  “I’ll take it—and perhaps we can celebrate after he wins us a few more games at home in the coming weeks.”

  “I have complete faith that will happen, thanks to your leadership.”

  Hough laughed. “I don’t know if I’d call it leadership. Perhaps applying the right pressure points would be a more accurate description.”

  “Oh?”

  “You’re too humble, sir. You practically gave me this deal on a silver platter—especially after you clued me in about catching the operative who was working for the Orlando Magic a few days ago. That was all the leverage I needed to make the deal happen.”

  “I can’t wait until we announce it. Everyone is going to be as happy as a fiancé!”

  “A fiancé?”

  “Just an expression from the Motherland.”

  “Well, we’re hoping everyone is happy.”

  “Good. And my plane?”

  “It’ll be ready to pick you up at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow in time for you to make tipoff tomorrow night. Hutton will be joining you if all goes well.”

  “Excellent. I can’t wait to share my expectations with him.”

  Hough laughed. “Go easy on him, okay? He’s not invincible.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be charming as usual.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Gavin laughed. “Just make it happen.” He paused. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. Someone keeps trying to beep in on my line.”

  He switched lines.

  “What is it?” Gavin growled.

  “Things didn’t turn out as planned,” the man said.

  “Sounds like you have some unfinished business to attend to,” Gavin snapped. Then he paused. “Don’t make me finish it for you.”

  CHAPTER 28

  CAL AND KELLY AWOKE in Los Angeles on Friday morning to the buzz of a cell phone. Instead of enjoying some of the California sun and city life, they decided to sleep in. But Cal’s editor wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “Cal Murphy,” Cal said as he answered his phone.

  “I heard you had some trouble with the plane last night,” Hale said. “Did you make it to L.A. okay?”

  “Yeah, we made it. But we would’ve preferred to sleep in past six-thirty here.”

  “We can’t always get what we want.”

  “Is there something you want?” Cal grumbled.

  “I want to know if you’ve got a story for me about what happened last night. We need something like that up on the blog.”

  Cal sighed. “Look. It’s not what you think. Last night was difficult for us.”

  “Oh? How so?”

  “We were abducted and threatened at gun point.”

  “Cal, do you just sit around all day thinking of random stories to impress me with? Or is this some kind of game to see how gullible I am?”

  “I swear it’s true. Some guy led us into the desert and pitched my phone into the dark while we were stranded in godforsaken Ajo. And when I went after it, two gunmen confronted us. And if it hadn’t been for someone who stopped them, you wouldn’t be talking to me right now.”

  “You really expect me to believe that?” Hale huffed. “You’ve got a fanciful imagination.”

  “I’m not making this up. It’s the truth.”

  Hale laughed. “If only you could tell real stories as well as the ones you invent.”

  Cal hung up, unwilling to listen to any Hale’s ramblings. He rolled over and looked at Kelly.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Hale—he’s being unreasonable.”

  Cal’s phone buzzed again. It was Hale.

  “What do you want now?” Cal said as he answered.

  “I wanna know the truth. What really happened?” Hale snapped.

  “I told you what happened. But if you don’t believe me, talk to Kelly.”

 

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