Murder by Mascot
Page 23
Shelly received an occasional piece of hate mail from a DeVoster diehard, but all things considered, she’d been relatively unscathed by the publicity. For Bridget and the other coaches, however, it was a concern. Would people guess DeVoster had raped someone on the team? Would parents of potential recruits decide that the University of Iowa wasn’t a safe place for their daughters? According to Orchid, Bridget should remind the concerned parents that there is no safe place for women, but I’m guessing she won’t take this advice.
Kate blocked a shot, and Orchid thumped me on the arm. “I heard that she and Varenka are an item.”
That would be nice if it were true. “Where’d you hear that?”
A sub snagged a rebound and got fouled. As the players headed to the line, the pep band’s trumpets blasted a fanfare, and everybody shouted “Go Hawks.”
Orchid waited for a patch of quiet. “Latisha’s most recent ex showed them an apartment the other day. They’re moving in together.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re a couple.”
Orchid shrugged and reached for some more popcorn. “Latisha swears by her ex’s gaydar. And you know what else, my friend Dani, the one who teaches American Studies, she said that Kate is writing her final paper on Boston marriage.”
“Do you know what DVDs she and Varenka have been renting?” I asked.
Orchid waited for me to enlighten her. The sad thing about sarcasm is that it often goes unnoticed.
The sub’s first free throw was too hard, but the second one slowly rolled around the rim before dropping through the net. The entire bench leapt to its feet. On the other side of the court, Herky flapped his wings, driving the crowd into a frenzy.
“I love it when all our players get to score,” Anne said.
A hapless Cyclone fumbled the inbound pass. Jessie grabbed the loose ball and tossed it inside to a sub, who—despite the help defense and a wide open teammate—took an off-balance jumper and missed the rim.
“Don’t rush your shots,” Bridget yelled. “Let the game come to you.”
Sometimes I felt like that eager shooter. I wanted to make things happen with Bridget. I wanted us to head toward coupledom at lesbian warp speed, but she was always slowing the tempo, ever the savvy point guard who wanted to make just the right move at just the right time. Not that I was complaining too much. I enjoyed Bridget’s moves.
After a few more wild shots on both sides of the floor, the crowd rose to its feet and cheered, anticipating the final buzzer. But I remained quiet, even after it sounded, watching Bridget hug Coach C and pump a fist in the air. The pep band started its traditional victory tune, “In Heaven There Is No Beer,” and the crowd began clapping along. As Bridget strode toward the Cyclone coaches to shake hands, she looked up at me and winked. I joined the celebration.
Afterword to the Third Edition
Good news, bad news.
The good news is that since I first published this novel in 2006, homophobia seems to be losing ground in women’s sports—at least at the professional level.
The bad news is not really news but a sad, old story: powerful men—men more powerful than college basketball players—continue to rape women and get away with it.
Although this novel is, well, a novel, and all the characters fictional, I’m sorry to say that the character of Dave DeVoster is loosely based on an actual former Hawkeye basketball player.
In September 2002, a player on the Iowa men’s team was arrested and charged with rape. He pled guilty to a lesser charge and received no jail time. Nor did he lose his place on the team or his scholarship.
Despite petitions, he enjoyed a redshirt year and returned the following season as the team’s leading scorer.
In 2005, he was again arrested because he choked, stripped, and threatened his ex-girlfriend with a knife. He also damaged her apartment and stole from her. Facing felony charges, he was finally dismissed from the basketball team although he was allowed to keep his scholarship.
He spent only a year in prison. He served 11 months of a two-year prison sentence and then later another month for violating his parole. After this violation, the Iowa Supreme Court allowed him to leave the state so he could play basketball in France, where he signed a contract worth $120,000.
All this information is easily accessible to the public. I detail it here in solidarity with the many voices now speaking out and insisting that no man—however high-profile and “important”—should be allowed to get away with harassing and raping women.
Mary Vermillion
2019
Acknowledgments
I want to thank the following people who helped me create Murder by Mascot: the best writer’s group ever (Eileen Bartos, Mo Jones, Kate Kasten, Jane Olson, Tonja Robins, Mary Helen Stefaniak, Kris Vervaecke, and Ann Zerkel); Chad Loes, Emily Gersema, and Kelli Grey for answering my questions about police procedure, sports writers, and Carver Hawkeye Arena; and my consultants on all things canine—Cathy Cutler, Kirby Salisbury, Kate Aspengren, Kathy Janz, and Nancy Reincke.
Big thanks to Gail Murphy, who helped prepare the interior of this edition.
Huge thanks to Morgan Ortmann, who designed its wonderful cover.
Most of all, I thank my partner, Benjamin Thiel, who makes it possible and delightful for me to follow my muse.
About the Author
Mary Vermillion is the author of three lesbian mystery novels—all set in Iowa and all featuring the plucky and neurotic radio personality, Mara Gilgannon. Her first, Death by Discount, a finalist for two Lambda awards, portrays Walmart’s impact on small-town America. Her second, Murder by Mascot, provides a darkly comic look at homophobia and sexual violence in the world of Division I basketball. And her third, Seminal Murder features a murder in a sperm bank, and explores the differences between lesbians who want to parent and lesbians who don’t.
She is a Professor of English at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she teaches a delightful range of courses including Shakespeare, Creative Writing, and Law and Literature.
Mary and her husband, Benjamin Thiel, are writing a dual memoir about his gender transition and its impact on their marriage.
They live in Iowa City with their cats and guinea pigs.
Visit Mary’s web site and blog: maryvermillion.com
Follow Mary on Twitter: @Mary_Vermillion