by Nancy Star
“Hey,” Tim said. “What’s going on?”
“I just finished throwing out all my Plans for the Day. Now I’ve moved on to trashing the To Do lists.” She read the heading of the one in her hand—“Five Steps to a Happy Week.” She ripped it in half and tossed it in the can.
“What happened?” Tim asked.
Annie scooped up several papers that had drifted to the floor. “I was wrong.”
“About what?”
“A lot of things. ‘Never say no,’ for one thing. That’s been my motto, right? Can you believe I have a motto?”
“You don’t have a motto.”
“Yes, I do. I have a few mottos. ‘Work hard, and if that doesn’t work, work harder.’ I really believed that one,” Annie said.
“What’s going on, Annie?”
She dumped another pile of papers in the trash. “I have to make a change.”
Tim looked at the open, emptied desk drawers, the papers on the floor, the overflowing garbage can, the completely clear and clean surface of Annie’s desk.
“What kind of change?” he asked. “You don’t want to move to a cabin in the hills of West Virginia and live on clover and worms, do you? Not that I couldn’t grow to love West Virginia. I hear it’s a beautiful place. And I bet clover is really nutritious. And if I have to, I could learn to eat worms. What I’m trying to say is, whatever your new plan is, it better include me.”
“There is no new plan,” Annie said.
“Mom?” Charlotte called up the stairs. “It’s time to leave for the game.”
“We’ll be right there,” Annie called back.
“If there’s no plan,” Tim said, “what’s the plan?”
Annie smiled. “I don’t know. I think we’re just going to have to wait and see. Do you think you can do that?”
“I’m not sure,” Tim said. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Charlotte was waiting for them in the back of the car, grim faced and silent.
“Is everything okay?” Annie asked her.
Charlotte sighed. “It’s against the rules for me to speak while I’m getting focused.”
“Who told you that?” Tim asked.
“Winslow. We’re not supposed to talk for two hours before every game.”
“Well, Winslow isn’t here right now,” Annie said. “So feel free to talk all you want.”
“He’ll know,” Charlotte said.
“How?” Annie asked.
“By how we play,” Charlotte explained. “Winslow said he can see by watching how we play who focused before the game and who didn’t. He said even if we’re on the bench he can see just by looking in our eyes.”
“I think you were right,” Annie said as they turned into the parking lot at the field. “I think joining the Power wasn’t a good idea.”
“It is a good idea,” Charlotte said. “A very good idea.”
She slid down a little in her seat so she could talk without being seen by anyone passing by outside.
“I should be on the best team I can be on. The girls on the Asteroids aren’t serious about anything. They’re afraid of working hard and I’m not. And if working hard doesn’t work, I’m not afraid to work harder. I have to go,” she whispered.
She got out the car and ran to join her team.
“What have I done?” Annie asked.
Thirty-nine
The girls walked across the field, checking the ground for irregularities.
“Thank you, ladies,” Winslow called out when they were done. “Let’s warm up. Miss Fleming, I’d like you in midfield, please, left side.”
Charlotte took her place.
The girls looked good, Winslow thought. And once they loosened up, they’d look even better.
The refs arrived, checked the players’ cards, and called in the captains for a handshake. The whistle blew, and play began.
Winslow’s feet moved a phantom ball as he watched. Good aggressive opening by Evelyn. Nice—very nice—pass by Charlotte to Shelby. But, wait. Something was off. Something was wrong. His eyes scanned the field, searching for—what? He couldn’t quite tell.
Vicki got off the bench and joined him. “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know.” He scanned the field.
“The girls are looking at you, Win. You’re not acting like yourself.”
“Settle,” he yelled out to the girls as he scanned the field again.
The girls looked over to Vicki. The other team was making a substitution. The ball was no longer in play.
“Why are you telling them to settle the ball, Win?” Vicki asked. “The ref just called a time-out.”
Ken walked over. “What’s up?”
“I’m not sure.” Winslow scanned the grass for holes. They’d done their field check. The field was fine. “Did you talk to the pest control people today?” he asked Ken.
“Yes,” Ken said.
“What did they say?”
“We can talk about it later,” Ken said.
“Why later?”
“You’re busy now,” Ken said.
“Kenneth.” Winslow turned to face him. “What exactly did they say?”
“They said it was a gopher, didn’t they?” Vicki interrupted. “Or was it a mole. Alice, who lives behind us, had problems with moles. Winslow thinks it was a groundhog, but groundhogs are definitely too big to dig holes that size.”
“Actually, what I said was it might be a badger,” Winslow corrected her. “Badgers are devious creatures. Very clever. Smarter than you think.” His eyes scanned the field again. Something was not right—what?
“It wasn’t a gopher or a mole or a groundhog or a badger,” Ken said.
Winslow stepped to the side where there was a small rise in the grass. He moved to the top of the rise and looked down at Ken. “What was it, then?”
“The holes were dug by a human.”
The ref blew the whistle. “Offsides.”
Winslow turned to the ref and threw up his hands. “What?”
“Winslow,” Vicki whispered and tugged his arm. “You weren’t watching.”
Winslow took three steps back and nodded, coach code for apology.
He kept his eyes on the game now. “What exactly do you mean by human?” he asked Ken.
“The guy said there was no way those holes were dug by an animal. He said he was a hundred percent sure they were dug by a person using a small shovel.”
The ref blew his whistle, and pointed toward the other team’s goal to show who got the throw-in.
“What is wrong with the girls today?” Winslow hissed.
Vicki couldn’t help herself. “They’re waiting for you to tell them what to do, Win. You’re not talking to them.”
Winslow continued sweeping the field with his eyes. “My God,” he said. “Look at that.”
Vicki turned. “What?” She didn’t see anything.
“The sideline. See how it bows out slightly, and then curves back in. Don’t you see?” He walked onto the field.
The Power stopped their play. The Crush played on, and scored a goal.
When the whistle blew the Power didn’t move. They watched as Winslow walked the field.
Shelby sat down first, as if she were hurt. The rest of her teammates followed. The ref yelled at Winslow to step off the field. He reached in his pocket for a card.
Winslow ignored him. He stopped in front of the Power parents.
“May I ask everyone to please stand up and move your chairs a foot back from the sideline.”
They stood up as one and did what he asked.
Slowly Winslow walked the line. It was obvious now to everyone. The sideline bowed out in an arc at the middle, and then in again at a sharp angle. Someone was playing games with them.
How had he missed it? How had everyone missed it?
“Ref,” Winslow called.
The ref came over. The Crush coach joined them. They walked, single file, up and down the sidelines
. When they were done, they huddled together to discuss what to do.
The ref blew his whistle, and called out, “Play on.”
The Power lost the game.
Winslow called the police.
Forty
They stopped at a drugstore for a costume on their way to the Halloween party, but there wasn’t much of a selection left. Charlotte settled for a clown. Annie bought a bag of candy corn.
When they got back in the car Charlotte’s face was a snapshot of misery.
“Why don’t we skip the party?” Annie suggested.
“I’m fine with not going,” Tim added.
“We have to go,” Charlotte said. “The only one who’s allowed to miss the party is Bobbi, and that’s because her grandmother just died.”
“What do you think would happen if you didn’t show up?” Annie asked.
“I’m going,” Charlotte said. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
Barbie and Ken’s house was easy to spot. A smoke machine blew clouds from behind the bushes. Stone grave markers were set into the lawn. Two headless bodies, made of old clothes, swung from a crabapple tree. Skulls swayed from branches. Heads hung out of windows. Every ghoul clutched a soccer ball.
A green-faced witch answered the door. She smiled, showing off yellow teeth. She scratched her nose with her long black nail, and her wart fell off.
“I told Ken it wouldn’t stay on,” Barbie cackled. “Come on in. Winslow is meeting with the team now. And while the girls bob for balls in the basement,” she told Annie and Tim, “we can bob for olives in the living room.”
“We can only stay for a little while,” Annie said.
“That’s fine.” Barbie didn’t seem to care either way. “Come on, Charlotte. I’ll take you back to Winslow.”
Annie and Tim joined the parents in the living room.
“I didn’t realize we were supposed to wear costumes too,” Annie said as she scanned the zombies, bunnies, ghouls, and ghosts.
“You should have known,” said the bride of Frankenstein, sitting beside a vampire who was Parker. “You never wear a pink suit to a navy meeting.”
“Linda?” Annie asked the bride. “What are you doing here?”
“Parker invited me. Annie is how we met,” Linda explained to everyone.
Ken, the grim reaper, came in with a tray of Bloody Marys. He handed one to everyone, whether they wanted it or not. When he got to Annie he leaned closer.
“Winslow would like to speak with you. Would you mind coming with me?”
All eyes locked onto Annie as she followed Ken out of the room.
“Right in here,” Ken said, stopping in front of a pair of French doors.
Annie could hear Winslow lecturing someone. Her eye began to twitch.
“It’s your left eye, isn’t it?” Tim asked, coming up beside her. “I can see it.”
“You can?” Annie asked. “For real?”
“Yup. There it goes again. I hope it’s not because of that guy.” Tim pointed to Winslow. “Come on. Let’s go find out what he wants.”
“Thank you,” Annie said.
“Hey—we’re on the same team, right?”
“I’m quite sure you will,” Winslow was saying to someone they couldn’t see. “Because you’re a team player, aren’t you? Ah,” he interrupted himself. “Here come your parents now. Why don’t you run along and join the other girls?”
Charlotte got up from an oversized chair. Annie saw that she was fighting back tears. As she squeezed by her mother she quietly said, “I’m fine,” before Annie could even ask the question.
“The girls are all in the basement,” Winslow called to Charlotte.
“We’ll be leaving in about five minutes,” Annie added.
Charlotte nodded and Annie took note that she made no attempt to negotiate more time.
“We just had the most delightful chat,” Winslow said, leading Annie and Tim farther into the room. “I was a bit concerned that Charlotte was demoralized by today’s disgraceful game. But she has a wonderful attitude. She’s a very hard worker. Did you know she has a plan for how to improve some of her weaker skills? She has a plan for every day of the week. Very impressive.”
He gestured to the sofa. “Please. Sit.”
Parker, Marilyn, Barbie, and Vicki appeared as if on cue, and joined them. Ken closed the door.
“Before I begin,” Winslow said. “I just want to remind everyone that nothing said in this room is to be repeated. Is that understood?”
Parker, Marilyn, Ken, Barbie, and Vicki nodded vigorously.
Winslow turned to Annie and Tim. “I assume you are both aware that our team has had some problems over the past month.”
“Oh my God,” Barbie said. “The worst was the dog poop all over the field. I’m still nauseous thinking about it.”
Winslow shot Ken a look, which Ken then shot over to Barbie.
“There have been several incidents,” Winslow continued. “The incident that was just referred to, as well as the incident with the holes.”
“You mean the gopher holes?” Annie asked. Vicki had told her about that.
“We had the field checked by an expert,” Winslow said. “And they weren’t gopher holes. They were traps.”
“Can you believe it?” Vicki said. “Because of that, Dinah can’t play for a month.”
“Dinah is not who I’m worried about,” Winslow said.
“Winslow,” Vicki warned.
“Don’t misunderstand,” Winslow went on. “Dinah is a very fine player. A very, very fine player. But there are other players who—” He was talking himself into a hole. He started again. “We need to protect all our players.”
“All of them,” Vicki echoed.
“As you know,” Winslow continued, “we had a bit of a problem with the field lines this morning.”
“They were repainted,” Vicki interrupted. “By someone who was not authorized to do so.”
“The police took a report,” Winslow said. “But I do not feel they were appropriately concerned. So I am going to begin my own investigation—which is why I wanted to speak to you.”
He turned to Annie. “I have reason to believe that these acts may have been committed by someone on your former team. Vicki, would you please pass around the roster.”
Vicki handed everyone a roster of the Asteroids.
“I offered to give this to the police, but they were not keen on the idea of interviewing these suspects, because they claim they have no proof that any of these people have committed a crime.”
“It’s because you cut Heather King,” Vicki snapped. “If Brian King were still a parent on this team, he’d have the whole Asteroids roster locked up in jail by now.”
“Be that as it may,” Winslow said. “The police may claim their hands are tied. Mine, thankfully, are not. It is my firm belief that the name or names of the person or persons responsible for these acts of terror are on the list you now hold in your hands. So, Annie, would you please look over the list, and tell us what you can about each member of your former team.”
“Acts of terror?” Annie said.
“What would you call it?” Winslow said. “Did you see how the girls played today? They were paralyzed with fear.”
“What exactly are you asking me to do?”
“I want you to go through the list, one family at a time, and tell us everything you know. For example, have any of these people ever expressed any feelings—jealousy, curiosity, admiration—any feelings at all, about either the Power or about me?”
A soft knock on the door stopped the conversation.
Ken got up and opened the door a crack. Annie heard a small voice. It was Charlotte.
Annie came over.
“Can we go home?” Charlotte whispered.
“Of course,” Annie said. “Give me a minute.”
“Why don’t we start with the unhappy people first,” Winslow said.
Annie walked over to Tim.
“Or, if you’d prefer, we can start at the top of the list and go down the alphabet one family at a time. What can you tell me about the Andersons?”
“Charlotte wants to go home,” Annie told Tim.
Winslow stiffened. “This won’t take long.”
“We have to leave now,” Annie said.
“We’re all members of the Power family,” Winslow reminded her. “We all want the same thing. Now, I have my suspicions as to who might be responsible. What I’m looking for is some proof. A comment. A question. Anything you remember overhearing.”
Tim stood up. “Let’s go.”
Annie and Tim started toward the door.
“Excuse me,” Winslow said, his voice rising. “I need a few minutes of your time so we can figure out which of the pathetic parents on your former team is behind these awful acts.”
Annie stopped. “They are not pathetic parents. They are decent people. All of them.”
“You do realize you’re not on that team anymore,” Winslow said. “You’re on my team.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you,” Annie said.
“Leaving this way looks very bad,” Winslow said.
Tim put his arm around his wife. “We have to go.”
Annie and Tim headed for the door. Vicki walked over and yanked the list of Asteroid families out of Annie’s hands.
Winslow turned toward the window that faced the backyard.
“Well,” he said as he stared at his own reflection in the dark of the night. “It appears as if we’re done.”
Forty-one
POWER POINTERS—November 1st!!! News of the Day
IMPORTANT! READ IMMEDIATELY!
Bad Patch Update: All teams have bad patches! But bad patches are really opportunities in disguise!! What one does with one’s bad patch is what determines one’s future success!!!
Team Strategy Update: Beginning today, all players are to view each game as if it were their first game ever! All players are to put all thoughts of all previous games, indeed all thoughts of all games they’ve ever played, behind them once and for all!!
Focus Update: To improve our focus, we will continue my new policy of having a Winslow West Word of the Week every week. This week’s Winslow West Word of the Week is Focus! And the lack thereof!!!