by Gregg Stutts
Michelle found the number in Max’s phone and dialed it on hers. Max started giving her instructions, but she cut him off and said, “I’ve got this. Just listen.” She winked and put the phone to her ear.
The phone started ringing. Bill wouldn’t recognize the number, so Michelle wondered if he’d even answer. And then on the sixth ring, he did. “Hello?” he said.
“Bill? This is Michelle Henry. Can you hear me okay?”
“Michelle? Yeah, I can hear you fine.”
“Bill, I don’t have long. We stopped for gas. Max is inside getting some coffee.”
“Michelle, where are you?”
“I don’t know. We’re somewhere in Missouri. Look, you’ve got to help me. Max is acting all crazy.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“I just watched him knock some guy out and then he stole a car. Bill, he’s crazy. He keeps talking about solving the crime. That’s all he talks about. Solving the crime. Solving the crime. I don’t know what to do, Bill.”
“What crime is he talking about?”
“I don’t even know, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Dante’s mother.”
“Michelle, what did he say about Dante’s mother?”
“I don’t think he’s telling me everything, but I get the feeling she told him whatever he needed to know, to, you know, solve the crime.”
“Okay, Michelle, now listen to me. You have to convince Max to meet with me. And it’s very important that he brings Ms. Jones. Do you understand?”
“Bill, I’m scared. I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Michelle, listen to me, it’s nothing we can’t fix. Tell Max that if he’ll be a team player, we can all come out okay on this.”
“Wasn’t Jack a team player, Bill? I’m just so scared.”
“Listen to me, things got a little out of hand and Jack thought he could just walk away. But see, he wasn’t being a team player. He started looking out just for himself and they weren’t gonna go for that.”
“Bill, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Who are ‘they’?”
“That’s not important right now. What’s important is that Max gets back here and brings Ms. Jones. Is that clear?”
Michelle paused for a moment and looked over at Max and smiled before she played the card that might just give them a key piece to the puzzle. “Bill, would ‘they’ be referring to the Pioneers Athletic Foundation?” There was silence on the line.
Then Michelle said, “Thank you, Bill.” And then she hung up.
CHAPTER 70
Michelle looked at Max, broke into a grin and said, “Oh yeah! I’m good!”
“I know, Shelle! That was awesome! What did he say?”
“It’s what he didn’t say,” Michelle said. “When I asked him about the Pioneers, he froze, Max. I could tell he was stunned.”
“Oh, you did so great, Shelle! That was amazing!”
“Yeah, that wasn’t a bad performance, was it?” she said, still with a grin on her face.
“Okay, so what did we learn?” he said. “We know this somehow involves the Pioneers foundation, right?”
“No doubt about that,” she said. “We’ve got Alex’s wallet and Bill’s almost admission.” Michelle was trying to replay the conversation. “They’re really scared of whatever Ms. Jones knows.”
“Yeah, so we know Ms. Jones and the Pioneers foundation are big pieces to the puzzle,” Max said. “I’m just not clear on what they have to do with it.”
Max kept trying to piece it all together. There was a relationship between the Pioneers and the Lakeside football program. Jack had been a part of it. Bill still was. And Dante and his mother were involved. But how?
“Ms. Jones knows something they don’t want anyone else to know,” Michelle said. “And they’re scared of her.”
“We’re really close, Shelle, but I’m afraid without whatever she knows, we’re stuck. And in danger.”
They drove in silence for about twenty minutes. Both were thinking through everything that had happened in last twenty-four hours. It had been a wild day. Adrenaline had kept them revved up, but that was wearing off now.
“Shelle, we’re driving a stolen car. We just left our other technically stolen and damaged rental car in Ozark, along with a guy I may have almost killed. I think we need to stop for the night and regroup,” Max said.
“I agree.”
“I say we stop in Branson for the night. We’ll get rid of this car somewhere and find another way back to Lakeside tomorrow.”
Max pulled off highway 65 at the exit for Branson Landing. “How’s the Hilton Promenade sound?” Max asked. “I can leave the car in that parking lot along the river. No one’s gonna find us tonight.”
Five minutes later, Max dropped Michelle off at the Hilton. “Go ahead and check us in,” he said. “I’m gonna leave the car way down at the far end of the lot.”
Max found a spot, parked and turned the car off. Before leaving it, he looked around to see if there was anything that could help them. It was also a rental and the two guys they took it from didn’t have much with them. Max shut the door and thought about tossing the keys in the river, but kept them just in case he needed it again.
It was a ten-minute walk back to the hotel. Fortunately, it was a beautiful late-September night in southwest Missouri. He and Michelle had enjoyed a number of romantic getaways and mini-vacations in Branson. They loved going to Silver Dollar City and riding the roller coasters. And during the Christmas season, they loved coming up to see all the lights. They hadn’t been back since Sarah had died though.
He wasn’t used to seeing so few people at Branson Landing where the Hilton was located. It had lots of shops and restaurants, but on a Sunday night in September, it was almost deserted. It actually made Max more vigilant. He was careful to check out everyone he saw. And if he saw a guy with a busted nose, he’d know to start running.
He thought about the forearm he’d delivered to Alex’s face. It was a vicious shot, but it had been necessary. Alex might not have been a professional killer, but he was hunting Max and Michelle. That was all the reason Max needed to take him down.
He made it back to the hotel without incident. He hoped the rest of the trip back to Lakeside would be uneventful. He wasn’t counting on it though. He saw Michelle waiting for him in the lobby. When he saw her sitting there, he realized they had no luggage. No change of clothes. No toothbrushes. No nothing. They’d left her bags in the other car.
He sat down next to her and said, “There’s a Walgreen’s a couple blocks from here. Why don’t you text me a list of what you need while I walk over there?”
Michelle walked to the elevator while Max walked to the store. As he entered the Walgreen’s a few minutes later, he received the text with her list of items. He went up and down the aisles, filled a basket and checked out. On his way back to the hotel Max texted Michelle to ask for the room number. She sent it to him and he took the elevator upstairs.
Max got out on the seventh floor, found the room and knocked. A moment later, Michelle opened the door with the chain in place. She was standing behind the door, so Max could only see her face. “Hey,” she said and closed the door slightly to unhook the chain. When she opened the door fully, Max was surprised to see she was only wearing a black bra and a matching thong.
Max really hadn’t expected to see her dressed, or not dressed, the way she was. It had been over a month since they’d even lived together. And much longer since they’d shared a bedroom. “Um, here’s the stuff you wanted,” he said, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Can you put it in the bathroom for me?” she said.
Max set the bag in the bathroom and removed his toothbrush and toothpaste. He stepped out of the bathroom and said, “Should we do breakfast at 8:00?”
“Sure, that sounds good,” she said.
Max stood there and waited, but Michelle was just sitting on the bed turning on the TV. “
I want to see how bad the storm damage is in New Jersey,” she said.
“Yeah, good idea,” he said still waiting near the door. He watched Michelle flip through the channels until she found FOX News.
After watching for a moment, she looked at Max and said, “What are you doing?”
“I need my key,” he said.
“Did you forget something?” she asked.
“What? No, I mean the key for my room.”
Michelle genuinely looked puzzled and then realized what Max was saying. She grinned like she had in the car after tricking Bill. “Max, you’re in your room.”
“Oh, well, I guess I just saw the one bed…” he said without really finishing his thought.
Michelle looked at Max standing there by the door. “Would you get over here?” she said. Max sat down next to her and she said, “It hasn’t been a great couple of years, Max. We’ve both made mistakes,” she said. “You, more than me.” She paused for a moment and said, “I’m kidding.”
“I have made more mistakes than you,” Max said. “Way more.”
Michelle smiled and said, “Yeah, we have some work to do, don’t we?”
“I’m committed to doing whatever I need to, Shelle,” Max said.
“Me too,” Michelle said. “I have tell you though, the way you came to Seaside…the escape from the storm…getting away from those two guys today…well, it’s kind of arousing.”
“Arousing?” he said.
“Very,” she said as she pointed the remote at the television and turned it off.
CHAPTER 71
Max woke up before Michelle and quietly slipped out of bed. He threw on the same clothes for the third day in a row. They were definitely starting to smell like it too. He took the elevator to the lobby and ordered two cups of coffee to go. He checked his phone while he waited—still no call or text from Ms. Jones. It was only a few minutes after 7:00. He’d wait another hour before trying to call her.
She was really the only hope Max had. He knew some bad stuff was happening, but he couldn’t prove anything. What did he really have? A picture of skid marks and a cracked rear bumper on Dante’s car? That didn’t prove anything. The police ruled the accident was mechanical failure. His cell phone picture wasn’t going to change that. Not unless there was someone within the police department who’d come forward. But who would do that? And why?
Jack Murphy was dead. Killed the morning Max had flown to New Jersey. He had no idea why someone would want Jack dead. Bill Jackson had said something about Jack not being a team player. Max didn’t believe Bill was capable of killing someone though. Bill was probably trying to avoid meeting the same fate as Jack.
Bill seemed to confirm that somehow the Pioneers Athletics Foundation was involved. What did that mean though? How were a dead high school player, a dead president of the high school booster club, a scared athletic director and two guys—at least one of whom worked for the Pioneers—connected? And what was so important that it was worth killing over?
As Max took the elevator back upstairs, he was hit with how surreal this all was. He was a football coach, not a policeman, not a spy. Michelle was, or had been, a schoolteacher. She wasn’t an undercover government operative. They weren’t Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And yet here they were, on the run while trying to solve...he wasn’t even sure what they were trying to solve.
Max opened the door to the room. The shades were still drawn and Michelle was still in bed. He quietly shut the door and set the coffees on the dresser.
“Max?”
“Yeah, Shelle,” he said. “I brought some coffee.”
“Oh, good,” Michelle said, “but that can wait. Come back to bed.”
CHAPTER 72
Max and Michelle checked out of the Hilton after enjoying the best night they’d had in years. It would have been even better if they weren’t in possession of a stolen car and Max wasn’t a suspect in Jack Murphy’s death. Other than those things though, it had been a great night…and morning.
Max and Michelle sat down on a bench overlooking the river. Max should have been preparing his team for the Fort Smith Northside game and Michelle should have been teaching school. Instead, they were in Branson, Missouri trying to figure out their next steps.
The Lakeside Police Department had covered up what Max was convinced was Dante’s murder. He couldn’t trust them. And he couldn’t trust his boss, Bill Jackson, who was definitely involved in whatever was going on. The key player was still Ms. Jones. If he could talk to her, he’d know what he was up against.
“Try calling her again, Max.”
Max took his phone from his pocket, said a silent prayer and touched the screen to call Ms. Jones. He held the phone to his ear and hoped. One ring. Two. Three. Four. Five. “Hello?”
“Ms. Jones, it’s Coach Henry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mr. Henry. It’s time to make this right. Some people have to pay for what they done.”
“Yes, they do, Ms. Jones. If you’ll tell me where you are, my wife and I will meet you. And together we’ll make this right.”
Dante’s mother told Max where she was. It was a hotel in Eureka Springs about twenty minutes from Lakeside. She said Jack Murphy had paid for her to stay there for five nights. He’d also given her $200 for food and said he’d be in touch with her, but then she never heard from him.
Max and Michelle walked a few blocks to an Enterprise car rental. It would be the third rental car in three days. One he’d damaged and abandoned. One he’d stolen. He hoped this one would be incident-free. He wasn’t sure if the rental car company in New Jersey had flagged his license or if the Lakeside Police Department had put out an APB, so they rented the car in Michelle’s name.
It was a little over an hour to get to Eureka Springs. Considering how far they’d come, it wasn’t much time before they’d have answers. But knowing how things had gone, there were no guarantees.
As they got in the car and began the drive to Eureka Springs, Michelle said, “Can I just say…I’m really into fugitive sex?”
CHAPTER 73
It was 1:52 p.m. They agreed to meet Ms. Jones in the lobby of the Basin Park Hotel at 2:00. The Basin Park was one of a number of hotels in Eureka Springs which were supposedly haunted. Al Capone’s sister was believed to have stayed there at one time as well. Now it was known as a romantic get away in the heart of downtown. Unfortunately, there was nothing romantic about this visit.
They parked in a lot across the street and made their way to the hotel. They had no reason to think she wouldn’t be there, but little reason to think she would. She had to be scared and if someone else had gotten to her, she might just as easily have decided not to go through with the meeting.
At 1:58 p.m., Max and Michelle entered the lobby of the hotel. There was no sign of Ms. Jones. They bought some coffee and sat down to wait. At 2:03, Ms. Jones entered the lobby. Max stood up to greet her.
“Ms. Jones, have a seat. This is my wife, Michelle.”
“You didn’t bring anyone else, did you?” Ms. Jones said.
“No, Ms. Jones, we’re alone,” Max said.
“Can we get you something to drink?” Michelle asked.
“I’ll have some water,” Ms. Jones said.
Michelle left to get the water. Ms. Jones sat down across from Max. He could see she was tired and afraid. She scanned the room, keeping her eyes on every person that entered the lobby. Max understood. He’d been doing the same thing lately.
Michelle returned with a bottle of water and sat down next to Ms. Jones.
“Ms. Jones, I know there’s something really big going on, but I feel like there’s one or two puzzle pieces missing—and you know what they are,” Max said.
Ms. Jones took a sip of water and nervously looked around the lobby. “I never should have listened to him,” she said. “It all sounded too good to be true.”
“Who, Ms. Jones?” Max said. “What was too good to be true?”
Ms. Jones started to cry and
Michelle put her arm around her. “Tell us what happened, Ms. Jones,” Michelle said.
She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “It was almost two years ago,” she said. “Right after Dante’s sophomore year of high school.” She took a sip of water. “He had such a good season. Most valuable sophomore in all of Alabama. That’s when he came.”
“Who came?” Max said.
“Mr. Murphy,” she said. “He showed up at the house one day.”
“Jack Murphy?” Max said. “Jack Murphy came to your house? In Alabama?”