“Yeah, well, they’re not publicizing this, but he took a nasty hit during practice yesterday. It was just a bad tackle. Helmet to helmet. Kid’s definitely got a concussion. I heard him throwing up in the locker room. But Chase gave him the okay to start this week.”
“That motherfucker. Dick’s just pulling Chase’s strings. Dick wills it, so shall it be. Swear to God he’s the dirtiest general manager in the league. And Chase needs an ass whooping, I’d be glad to give him.”
“Get in line. Hey, how’s your girl?”
I ran a hand over my face. “Yeah, someone broke into her house and left another threat, but thank fuck she wasn’t home.”
“I meant the dog, but no shit? When was this?”
“Last night.”
“Where was she?” I could tell Hayes was choosing his words carefully and I appreciated it.
“Guess.”
“Ahh. You okay, man? You sound like you’re walking the edge. I mean, I would be too with everything.”
He didn’t know the half of it. “Yep. Pretty much. Keep me posted on shit there, okay? If the quilting bee mentions my shoulder, or anything about the girl?”
“The one suing you?”
“The dog trainer. Something weird happened before I got sent home. I overheard some talk about her, and I can’t put the pieces together.”
“Umm, okaaay.” I didn’t blame Hayes. I was confused, too.
“We’ll talk when you get back.”
As I let Hayes go, Darius—a senior team trainer—rounded the corner. “Shaw, you’re with me today.” He unlocked the room and I followed him in.
“Where’s Devon?”
Irritation darted across his face that was gone as fast as it came. “He had a family thing come up. So how is it?” Feet spread, arms crossed, he nodded at my shoulder. “You’re supposed to be in an immobilizer. Where’s it at?” Darius’s tone was all business.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. That’s not my ego talking, Darius. Something is shady here.”
His focus shifted back to my shoulder. “Lift your arm straight out.”
Fifteen minutes later he’d run me through much of the same routine Lily had. “You may be right. But I’m not a doctor.” Shaking his head, he looked like he wanted to say more but stopped himself.
“Fuck.”
“Yep. You certainly are. Look, man.” He readjusted his arms. “I didn’t say this, but they need you sidelined for Bishop to gain experience.”
Dropping my head to stare at the floor, I just couldn’t figure it out. The pieces didn’t fit. “Why go through all this, Darius? Why not just bench me?”
“I don’t know, my man. Your rehab with the dislocation was ahead of schedule, too. Were you benching the same weight you did before the dislocation?”
I grunted. “More.”
Darius harrumphed. “There’s nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know, except that if you think Dick Head and Adam Chase are scheming to keep you out...well, you’ve always had good instincts, bro.” He slapped me on the shoulder.
* * *
After I left the Bulldogs facility, I picked up CC, packed a duffel, and told Staci I would be gone a few days. Figuring Lily would be wiped out, I also did my damnedest to adjust my mood.
She didn’t need one more thing to worry about.
“Lucy, I’m home!” I called as I carried a bag from the Blue Goose through the back door.
My girl wanted Mexican food.
Standing in the kitchen with her cell to her ear, she waved me in.
“H-hang on. Officer Johnson, my partner just showed up. If I put you on speaker, can you start again?”
I hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon. Lily pulled the phone away from her ear, putting it on speaker as I set the food on the counter. “Ya got me, Ms. Costello?”
“Sure do.”
“Hi, Officer Johnson. I’m Lily’s friend Brody. Thanks for getting back to us so quickly.”
“No problem. I have a soft spot for dogs as Ms. Costello knows. My Malinois was the best partner I’ve ever had. Okay. Bad news first. I dug into Andrew Brower and I’m fairly sure it’s an alias, but I was able to pull some footage from a CCTV camera and a neighbor’s doorbell camera. The perpetrator was dressed in a black hoodie and gloves. We never got a clear face shot from the camera. Fingerprints from the house also didn’t turn up anyone in the system. It doesn’t mean they’re not in the system, just that they were careful. I’ve got nothing on the letter yet, but chances are they won’t find anything there either. This guy was careful.”
With every sentence, Lily’s shoulders sagged a little more.
“However. We did get a make and model on the truck. 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor.”
Lily bit the inside of her cheek. “That makes sense. It would fit with the body style of the truck we saw at the rental place.”
“Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got so far,” the officer continued. “I called a few local contacts and put feelers out about your daddy’s ring, Ms. Costello. You might also check pawn shops over the next few months and keep tabs online.”
She nodded. “Okay, I can do that.”
“I hate to see Billy’s championship ring go missing like this. He’s a legend. I even saw him play a few times. But I digress...
“Now, about the mill. The phone number you gave me for Andrew Brower is a prepaid that’s gone quiet. They’ve likely dumped it. We were able to pinpoint a location near the Bulldogs practice facility where the phone was getting a lot of use, but it’s out of Frisco PD’s jurisdiction. I put in a call to a county deputy I know, and she said what I already suspected—not enough probable cause to get a search warrant. But the Davis Ranch outside Prosper is already on her radar for other complaints. Whoops, I guess I shouldn’t have told you where that was.” Johnson went quiet, letting the info sink in.
After a heartbeat, Lil asked what I was about to. “Let’s say, hypothetically, the sheriff’s department received photos, anonymously, of dogs coming and going or the conditions inside the mill. Would that give the sheriff probable cause?”
“Indeed, I believe it would,” the cop said. “In which case, the sheriff’s department could get a warrant and confiscate the dogs if the conditions are inhumane. As well as pursue prosecution if they can locate the responsible party. I don’t think it’s Mrs. Davis, given her advanced Alzheimer’s.”