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“You know, don’t you?”
The unfamiliar voice startled him for a second, but Dan just figured that the guy hadn’t been talking to him. Still, when he sneaked a look, he could see some stranger was staring directly into Dan’s sunglassed eyes.
Little guy, Dan thought, but then again, everyone looked little to Dan. Not short. Just small. Small hands, thin arms, almost frail. The guy who was staring at him now stuck out here because it was so clear he didn’t belong. There was nothing football about him. Too little. Too nerdy. Big baseball cap pulled down too low. And that soft, friendly smile.
“You talking to me?” Dan asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m kinda busy here.”
The guy kept smiling as Dan slowly turned back toward the track. On the field, Ke
But for once, his eyes stayed dry.
Dan risked a glance back. The guy was still smiling and staring.
“What’s your problem?”
“It can wait till after the race, Dan.”
“What can wait? How do you know my—?”
“Shhh, let’s see how he does.”
On the field, someone shouted, “On your mark, get set,” and then the gun went off. Dan’s head snapped back toward his son. Ke
The race lasted only scant seconds, but it felt much longer. One of Dan’s new drivers, some kid working off a student loan, sent an article that said time slows down when you’re having new experiences. Well, this was new. Maybe that’s why the seconds ticked away so slowly. Dan was watching his boy heading for a personal-best time in the forty and, in doing so, locking in a full ride to someplace special, someplace Dan could never have gone, and when Ke
Except they didn’t.
“Great time,” the little guy said. “You must be so proud.”
“You bet I am.”
Dan faced the stranger straight-on now. Screw this guy. This was one of the greatest moments—maybe the greatest—of Dan’s life and he’d be damned if he’d let some dork get in that way. “Do I know you?”
“No.”
“You a scout?”
The stranger smiled. “Do I look like a scout, Dan?”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know lots of things. Here.”
The stranger held out a manila envelope.
“What’s this?”
“You know, don’t you?”
“I don’t know who the hell you think—”
“It’s just hard to believe no one has ever raised this with you before.”
“Raised what?”
“I mean, look at your son.”
Dan spun back toward the track. Ke
“His weight was, what, two thirty last year,” the stranger said. “He put on fifty-five pounds and no one noticed?”
Dan frowned, even as he felt his heart drop. “It’s called puberty, asshole. It’s called working out hard.”
“No, Dan. It’s called Winstrol. It’s called a PED.”
“A what?”
“Performance-enhancing drug. Better known to the layman as steroids.”
Dan turned and moved right up into the little stranger’s face. The stranger just kept smiling. “What did you say?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Dan. It’s all in that manila folder. Your son went to Silk Road. You know what that is? The Deep Web? The online underworld economy? Bitcoin? I don’t know if you gave Ke
Dan just stood there.
“What do you think all these scouts are going to say when that file goes public?”
“You’re full of it. You’re making this up. This is all—”
“Ten thousand dollars, Dan.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to go into this in detail right now. You’ll see all the proof in that manila envelope. Ke
Dan put his finger on the little guy’s chest. “Are you threatening me?”
“No, Dan. I’m asking for ten thousand dollars. A one-time payment. You know I could demand a lot more, what with how much college costs nowadays. So consider yourself lucky.”
Then the voice that always brought the tears sounded to his right: “Dad?”
Ke
“I’m going to leave you now, Dan. All the information is in that manila envelope I just gave you. Look at it when you get home. What happens tomorrow is up to you, but for right now”—the stranger gestured toward Ke
Chapter 29
The American Legion Hall was close to the relative bustle of downtown Cedarfield. This made it a tempting place to park when the limited metered spots on the streets filled up. To combat this, the American Legion powers that be hired a local guy, John Bo
Bo
Everything’s a racket.
Bo