She remembered talking to the team manager a few days ago and he was adamant that his guys were clean. Was that just about the steroids? Or were they possible secret gamblers instead?
Pacing round her living room, she clenched and unclenched her fists. She slowed her breathing, trying to calm down, and picked up the phone to call her parents to see if they saw the news report. She noticed two texts from Davis and one from Tom flashing on her screen. She was so engrossed in the story that she missed hearing the buzz alert of the messages.
The text from Tom said he had some more information about William Chase that she’d probably be interested in. The two texts from Davis were checking in on how the conversation with Tom went the night before and one checking to see if she had seen the news this morning.
Madeline sent a quick message back to Tom asking if he wanted to meet for coffee before work. She was intrigued as to what kind of information he could’ve gotten in one night. Then, she sent a quick message to Davis where she told him she would talk about everything when she got into the office that afternoon. The information would keep for a few more hours. Especially if she could get more information from Tom when they went to coffee.
Tom responded that he would meet her at the Dunkin’ Donuts closest to the stadium later that morning. She still had time to check in with her mom to see if she heard about the accusations Jennifer Roberts was throwing around that morning. She had a little over an hour before she would be meeting Tom.
She let the phone ring for a few minutes and then left a message asking her mom to call her back when she got a chance. She was probably busy getting ready for the next games, so maybe she didn’t see the report yet. Madeline just wanted to keep her parents away from all the drama if at all possible. The last thing they needed was more stress around game days.
Madeline grabbed her purse and left with a quick goodbye to the cats. She knew that it was crazy to talk to her pets, but those cats seemed to like her talking to them. “Okay guys, I’m heading out. Wish me luck!”
She locked the door behind her and looked around the neighborhood. Shivering, even though it wasn’t cold, she could swear that someone was watching her. The neighborhood seemed empty. There weren’t any strange cars on the street, and since she lived on a dead end, she knew most of the people in the neighborhood. Even though it was quiet, she still had a weird, eerie feeling.
She tried to put the uneasy feeling out of her mind. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day, and she had a coffee meeting with a cute guy. Granted, the meeting was about murder and death, but she was still getting out of the house, so it was a win.
The traffic was light on the South Shore after the morning commute, most people leave early to beat traffic to Boston. People tried to avoid the crushing congestion of the standard rush hour. That was something Madeline definitely didn’t miss. Her commute was so much better now, that if she was a better person, she would probably bike to work. Of course, she had a somewhat unhealthy aversion to working out, so she was not about to start doing that. Her workouts consisted of walking the ballpark and that was pretty much it.
Madeline pulled into the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot about ten minutes before she was supposed to meet Tom. She took the chance to get her usual drink of a medium iced tea with two sugars. She looked at the selection of donuts, she knew she wasn’t going to miss out on getting one. She chose a Boston Crème donut dripping with chocolate frosting. She hoped she could wolf it down before Tom showed up.
She had just finished the donut when Tom walked in the front door. Dressed casually in khakis and a Red Sox polo shirt, he looked like he just stepped out of a baseball program. He stepped up to the counter and ordered a black coffee before joining Madeline at her table.
She must have looked eager because he broke into a smile right away. “So, I guess you want to know what I found out about William Chase last night? Or would you rather talk about the bullpen meltdown during the Sox game last night?”
“C’mon man! Don’t leave me hanging! Of course, I want to hear what you know. There is just something about that guy I really don’t like.” Madeline almost jumped out of her chair in excitement.
“Well, this is a good piece of gossip that I got from my mother actually. She apparently knew William’s family from years ago. Since his parents died several years ago, she’s lost touch with the family. She was pretty close with his mother, and from her she learned that he had a great uncle that was part of Whitey Bulger’s crew in South Boston.”
She gasped. “NO!”
“Yup, apparently he was tangentially involved with some of the shenanigans with that group. Now, it didn’t seem like the uncle and little William were all that close, but they did see each other at family functions in Southie.” Tom leaned closer over the table. “But now it turns out that William had idolized his uncle for a long time. In his office there is a large picture of said uncle with the former owners of the Red Sox. I don’t know if that means anything, but it definitely seemed like another piece of the puzzle you might want to know about.”
Everyone in the greater Boston area knew about Whitey Bulger and his criminal gang from the late 70s and 80s. He grew up in South Boston and became one of the well-known crime bosses of the era. He was rumored to have been involved as an informant of the FBI, but still perpetuated several murders without the law catching on. There were also links to him and the Isabella Steward Gardner heist, one of the most intriguing crimes of the decade. Several paintings were cut from their frames in the well-known museum and have disappeared. Before Whitey could go on trial, he fled and was on the run with his Southie girlfriend. It still boggled the mind that it had taken the cops over 25 years to find him.
It was big news in Massachusetts when he was finally captured in California, and even bigger news when he was actually convicted and sent to prison. Even more shocking was when he was found dead in prison only a few years after the conviction. It was a big deal. In her previous corporate life, she had several co-workers from South Boston who all had their own stories about Whitey and his crew. Who knows if the stories were true or not, but it made the workdays more interesting.
Madeline leaned back her chair and took a big sip of her drink. Tom looked at her with a smile on his face. He knew that it was good information. She thought about all he told her for a minute. “Wow, that’s crazy. And wasn’t Chris Dailey a Southie kid too? I wonder if they knew each other better than everyone thought. Make sure to thank your mom for this information.”
Tom laughed. “She was definitely excited to dish some gossip. When I told her that you were looking into the murder at the ballpark, she couldn’t wait to get and give the scoop.”
She laughed along with Tom. Nothing like gossipy ladies to help solve a crime. As she laughed, she made a realization. She had never asked him about that fight she overheard with the player’s father. What was his name, Rich? She didn’t want him to think that she was stalking him or anything, but she definitely wanted to find out what the deal was. Before she could ask him, he stood up.
“Hey, this was great, but I have to get going. I have some stuff to do at the club before coming out for the game tonight. I have my eye on the pitcher from the other team. He might be looking to break into the affiliated leagues after today. Next time we do this, we’ll get dinner.” He gave her a quick smile, a wave, and then was out the door.
Well, next time she was for sure going to bring up the argument she overheard. Just because he was cute didn’t mean he could get a free pass. She remembered hearing the father mention something about murder but found it hard to believe that Tom would keep good information from her and the police. She assumed the police didn’t know anything about it, otherwise they would’ve questioned Tom and she for sure would’ve heard about that. She remembered that she planned to meet Davis at the ballpark around this time and resolved to ask him if he knew anything about Tom and Rich. She felt she had so much to tell him and didn’t even know where to start.
The game wasn’t scheduled until seven that night, under the lights, so the late morning and afternoons were to finalize any promotional items, work with the people performing the Anthem, and answer questions on social media. The team tried to keep fans in the loop as much as possible so they felt invested in the team and continued to follow the Armadillos.
Madeline threw her purse onto her desk, turned on her computer, and walked down towards Davis’ office while it warmed up.
Davis was there behind his desk, tapping away on his laptop. His office had several monitors set up to view security cameras. His responsibilities didn’t include monitoring the cameras, but he liked to keep an eye on things anyway. The main security office was located closer to the clubhouse where the players went in and out, and there was even a drunk tank in case any fans got too rowdy during games. Luckily, the team didn’t have to use it much. Not a ton of people got drunk at the minor league games; it tended to be a more family affair.
Davis looked up at Madeline’s knock on the door. “Hey, Maddie, how was your morning?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked. But first, any update on the investigation from the police? Are they any closer to finding out who the killer was?”
“The police don’t actually report to me, Maddie. I only get updates from Detective Stephenson periodically. He hasn’t contacted me recently though. From what I hear, they are closing in on a suspect and there might be an arrest soon. I don’t know who it is or when it’s going to happen. So far it’s just a rumor.”
Madeline nodded and took the seat across from him. “Well, hopefully that’ll calm some of this craziness down. I can’t keep turning on the TV and seeing Jennifer reporting that someone involved with the team is a murderer. Speaking of which, I did get some interesting facts from Tom last night and this morning about Christopher Daily and his life.”
Davis leaned forward in his chair and whistled. “This morning, too? Must’ve been a good date.”
Madeline waved a hand. “No. No. Not like that. We met for coffee this morning because he found out some interesting tidbits of Dailey’s life that he thought I’d find interesting. Like the fact that apparently William and Chris might have known each other through Southie connections. William Chase’s uncle was involved in the whole Whitey Bulger thing, and Chris Dailey just happened to grow up in the same neighborhood! So, they definitely know each other. Isn’t that the type of connection we were looking for? Maybe that’s what William wants to meet with me about.”
“You know, you might be on to something. He has been around an awful lot. And seems to want to meet with you specifically and not your parents, so it must be something more personal than team business. I’m not sure what that might mean, but hopefully the police will clear this situation for good sooner rather than later. Any other news you need to tell me?” Davis leaned back and put his arms around his chest.
“Nope, that was all the info I got from Tom. I’m going to take a quick walk around the park to see if everything is pretty much in order for tonight’s game. Yell if you need anything.” Madeline hopped up out of the seat and waved as she made her way out the door back to her office.
She did a quick check of her email. Not seeing anything too important, she decided everything could hold for another half hour. She stashed her purse under her desk, grabbed her cell phone and radio and walked to the home plate section of the park. That was the best time of day. No fans, just a few team members and grounds crew working on the infield. It was peaceful. The team had a shortened practice, so by the time she walked the perimeter of the park, they were heading back to the clubhouse. She gave Billy a quick wave and made her way back into the office.
As she approached the front office area, she saw Detective Stephenson leading her brother out of the office door. Davis was with them looking grim. Her parents were standing by the front desk, her mom crying into her dad’s shoulder. She looked back to Ben who was on his way out the door and noticed his hands behind his back.
“This can’t be happening!” She exclaimed to the group. They all looked over at her as she stood in the front door.
“Madeline, we found evidence that your brother was responsible for the murder of Christopher Dailey. He is currently under arrest and we are taking him down to the station. If you don’t mind, could you please move?” Detective Stephenson gestured to the doorway behind Madeline.
As she stood there paralyzed by the tableau in front of her, Davis grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. As she burrowed her head into his shoulder, the police guided Ben out of the door and to the front entrance of the ballpark. Her father ran into his office and picked up the phone. She assumed he was calling the family lawyer, and her mom grabbed her keys from her office. They looked over at her and Davis.
“We’re going down to the station. Madeline, can you please hold down the fort here with Davis just in case anything else goes wrong? One of us will be back by the time the game starts tonight. And no media!” Her mother nodded, content that Madeline and Davis could handle things, and made her way out the door.
Madeline nodded at her mother’s retreating back. Of course, she wouldn’t talk to the media. This was all their fault anyway. There was no way her brother murdered that guy. Jennifer Roberts just kept stirring the pot and made the police turn their attention back to her family. Davis guided her over to her office and shut the door behind them.
“Madeline. Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m not okay!” She exploded and threw her hands in the air. She turned towards the window that overlooked the parking lot. She watched the police cruiser drive away with her brother in the backseat. Not ten seconds later her parents SUV tore out of the parking lot to follow the police to the Abington station. “My brother has been arrested for a murder that happened at my ballpark to some guy who no one even liked or even knows! I mean, what kind of evidence do the police have? That he fought with the guy? It sounds like a lot of people did that. Plus, I thought he had an alibi. Davis, what do you know about this arrest?” She turned her attention back to him.
“Well,” Davis began uncomfortably, squirming in his seat. “They just said they got an anonymous tip that a connection between Chris and your brother would be found in his office. They didn’t say what it was, but since your brother did fight with the victim before his murder, they found that to be probable cause to search his office.” He wiped a hand over his face. “They found a vial that contained the same type of steroids that Dailey was selling to other teams. That, and his alibi apparently can’t be confirmed.”
“What! That’s crazy! He would never help someone deal steroids. I still bet that Jennifer Roberts has something to do with this. Let me guess, she’s camped out in front right now, probably got some great roll of my brother being carted off to jail. Why does she want to ruin my family so much?” Madeline paced across the floor of her small office. Hearing a dinging noise, she looked down at her phone and saw several text messages from her friends trying to find out what was going on.
Eliza came running into the office, knocking quickly on the door. Not waiting for an answer she just came in and shut the door right behind her. “Maddie, it’s crazy out there. You won’t believe what’s happening. There are reporters banging on the front office doors trying to get a comment. I’m not sure how they got in the front gates, but I didn’t know where I could hide. I remember you and Davis were back here in the office. Davis, I’m glad you’re here, is there any way your guys can get rid of the vultures outside?”
Davis took out his cellphone and dialed his security officer who was in charge of the field level access. “Dan, can you come up here for some crowd control? There seems to be some reporters who got into the ballpark and we need to move them outside the front entrance of the park. From there they can do their reporting, just not inside the ballpark at this time.” He waited for a minute. “Thanks, man.”
He hung up the phone and looked at the two ladies in front of him. “Guys, we’ll mov
e the reporters, but we should probably still issue some sort of statement. Hopefully that will mollify them for a little bit longer. Or at least until an arraignment or another arrest.”
“Oh, the police will have another suspect. There is no possible way my brother murdered anyone or was dealing steroids to the team. It’s just not the type of guy he is. He loves this team just like the rest of the family and wouldn’t jeopardize it for anything!” She realized she was yelling and took a deep breath to try and calm down.
Davis held his hands up as if in surrender. “I get it. I’m just preparing you for any eventuality. I’m going to see if I can get in touch with any police contacts to find out more about this phone call and evidence they found. Maybe it’ll turn out to be a big misunderstanding. Now, I’m going to head out to make those calls. Keep me appraised if you get any new information, Maddie.”
She nodded as he opened the door and left her office. She sank into her office chair and put her head in her hands. Everything was just happening too fast. She needed time to think.
Eliza peeked out the door and saw that the reporters had all moved away from the front office door. “Man, I was not looking forward to having to deal with all those reporters. Did you know that Jennifer Roberts was one of them out there yelling at me to open up? Does she know who she’s talking to? I mean, really.” She looked back at Madeline and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Are you going to be okay, sweetie?” She reached over and took one of Madeline’s hands.
Madeline sighed. “Not really, Eliza. I mean, I lose my job, come home to the baseball family, and now my brother is arrested for murder. I thought I would have a normal few weeks before things got too dramatic around the ballpark. I guess now my parents are going to depend on me to handle this situation today and I don’t even know what to do. Hopefully they’ll call with good news from the station soon. I guess I’ll be okay, but I’m just going to take a few minutes to process everything. You don’t need to stay.”
Murder at First Pitch Page 12