Double Play (37 page)

“
Why
would you make things worse for everybody? I’m this team’s last
resort, okay? If you throw my name in the mud, even just as a
suggestion, this franchise will be frozen by the commissioner and
you’ll be out of a job
,
too.”

There was nothing
she could say to that.

“
Anyway, I don’t gamble. Check it out if you want but it so
happens I have alibi for that evening. I’d rather it not come out
into the open because it would just cause my brother more
pain.”

Kiki
.

Cat met his eyes
knowingly. They shared the same look they had when she’d walked in
on the coat closet canoodling.

“
But I
do want that ring back
;
otherwise, I’m reporting it stolen and giving the police your
brother’s name, you got it?”

“
I’ll
bring it to you tomorrow.”

He nodded, turned
on his heel and sauntered back to the makeshift studio.

Benji tended to
avoid her workplace and she
,
his. She’d done college and didn’t care for the
reminders, which today
included
dodging Frisbees in the quad and navigating
her way to the psychology building
using
obscure campus maps. Three “You Are Here”
stops later and she’d found room 205. The door was open and she
poked her head inside. The top of a bald head
was visible
above an issue of
Psychology
Today
.

“
Excuse me, Dr. Martinez?”

He lowered the
magazine just enough for his
hazel
eyes to peek over briefly
before again disappearing behind his
magazine
shield. “Office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays
from
three to
six
.”

“
I’m
not a student.” She
might have
been
flattered
to be
mistaken
for a co-ed
 …
had
Benji
not
remarked at the
start
of the semester that a quarter of his students
were older than his parents. “My name is Catriona
McDaniel
.
I’m
the team
reporter for
the Buffalo Soldiers.”

“
I
have nothing to say to the press about George Hudson.”

“
I
didn’t say
‘
George
Hudson.
’
How do you know
I wasn’t going to ask you about the game?”

He brought the
magazine down again
, this time
low enough that she could see his gaunt cheekbones and a thin,
black mustache decorating his upper lip
. “Did George mention
my name
? I
s that why
you’re here?”

“
No,
I’m not looking for a story. I saw you at Damien Staats’ memorial.
My boyfr- uh, fiancé
,
teaches here and he told me who you were.” She cocked her head.
“Although George did say that the foremost authority on addiction
therapy had cured him, so it wouldn’t have been hard to figure out
who
that
was.”

Nine times out of
ten, flattery would get a tight-lipped interviewee to sing like a
bird.

“
You
can’t cure addiction, you can only manage it.” He brought the
magazine back up to his face.

And one time out
of ten, that bird
would
instead fly into the window with a thud.

Cat decided to
forgo waiting for an invitation and entered, shutting the door
behind her. She sat down in front of his desk.

“
Miss,
you can’t just barge in here.”

“
I’m
sorry, but this is important.”

He picked up his
telephone. “I don’t care, I’m calling security.”

“
Please don’t.” She held her hands up. “I just need to know if
you really believe George Hudson was cured
…
er,
is
managing
his problem.”

Dr. Martinez
hesitated for a second and then put the phone back on the receiver.
“Have a seat.”

“
Thank
you.”

He pointed at
her. “This is off the record.”

“
Of
course.”

“
He
had a close call a couple of years ago
. T
here was some mixed martial arts match in town
that really had him jonesing. He called me before he did anything
and I was able to talk him out of it before he relapsed. After
that, he doubled the frequency of his counseling and he’s been
clean since. Or so I thought.”

“
What
did
you think when you
heard about the Soldiers
’
scandal?”

“
I was
stunned. I had just visited with George, like you mentioned, at
that player’s service. I stopped in to
share
my condolences, but George was upset at my
presence. He
doesn’t
like to be seen with me
…
for obvious reasons.”

“
Why
were you shocked? You deal with addictive personalities all day
long. If an alcoholic falls off the wagon, it sucks, sure, but it’s
not exactly a surprise.”

“
I was
actually surprised
by
what
he was betting on.” He smiled fondly. “Even in his
darkest of days, George never bet on baseball. I think he loved it
too much, or thought it was too pure. He always said that the
beauty of this game was its uncertainty. On any given day, the
worst team can beat the best.” The smile
morphed
into a tight frown. “Of course,
that’s moot if you’ve fixed the outcome.”

“
What
would you say if I told you I think he might’ve been set
up?”

“
I’d
say good luck proving that. I’ve heard the police have pretty solid
evidence against him.”

“
I
know. I gave it to them.” Upon seeing his furrowed brow, she
sighed. “I was the one who
unearthed
his payout statement from the
casino.”

“
Then
why do you think he was set up?”

“
The
evidence is too solid. If George was so paranoid that he didn’t
even want to be seen with you the other night, then don’t you think
he would’ve been more careful
about
how he placed his bets? The guy’s a
billionaire, with all sorts of bank accounts and houses that
would’ve been a lot harder to trace. For that matter, he could’ve
placed this bet in Monte Carlo, but
instead
he does it in his own backyard?” She cocked
her head. “It’s like he was trying to get caught.”

“
Ms. McDaniel, I’ve known George for a long time now and
believe me, I’d love nothing more than to find out this was a
mistake.”

“
But?”

“
But …
he has an impulse control disorder. When that impulse hits, his
mind stops
working
rationally. Whereas you or I might stop and consider the
consequences, his only desire is to satisfy that
impulse.”

“
It’s
weird
,
though. He was
able to stop himself and call you for help during that
spur-of-the-moment fight
.
T
his
betting
scheme
took days of planning and execution.”

Dr. Martinez
stroked his
bare
chin as
he considered her points. “Well, impulses don’t always have
timeframes. However, still off the record, his attorney has
contacted me to do an assessment. There’s a chance I could agree
with you and become a witness for the defense.”

“
I
look forward to your findings.” She stuck out her hand. “Thank you
for talking to me.”

“
Ms. McDaniel, if I may ask, who do you think set him
up?”

Cat smiled. “I
don’t know. I’m gonna do an assessment of my own.”

“
Good
luck.”

“
Oyez,
Oyez, Oyez! If it isn’t Buffalo’s town crier. Come to give me a
scoop?” Webbs spun around on the slot machine stool and hopped off,
intercepting her path. “Been meaning to thank you for that little
raid the BPD conducted on my computer.”

Cat bit her lip.
“Sorry. I know what it feels like to get caught in the
crossfire.”

“
No
worries
;
I knew what I
was getting into.” She grabbed a newspaper from the top of the
machine and pointed at the second paragraph. “This is the closest
I’ve ever been to front page news.”

“
Have
you heard anything from my brother?”

“
Nope.” She
raised
an eyebrow as she reached for the pack of menthols in the waistband
of her high-waisted red leather pants. “Although, given the amount
of money he pocketed, I’m wondering if he didn’t have a little
insider’s knowledge
,
too. It might be best if he stays away
.
I don’t appreciate being taken, no matter how
gorgeous the taker is.”

“
I
understand, but promise me if you see him, you’ll call me
first?”

“
Yeah,
yeah.” Webbs lit the cigarette and took a long draw.
“
You know what doesn’t make sense
to me? G-Hud ain’t a genius, but he knew enough to keep his
gambling past a secret.”

Cat pulled her
off to the side to let a giggling bachelorette party pass. “I was
thinking the same thing.”

“
Yeah,
it’s been bugging me. Why would he place the bets under his own
name? He’s got a full set of staff, not to mention
that
a rich guy like that surely
has
an alias or two for
when he buys hookers and pleasure treasure.”

“
He
doesn’t need hookers. He’s got Kiki, who, by the way, he put in
charge as head chairman. He’s rich, not smart.”

Webbs burst out
laughing, so loud that the slot zombies actually took their eyes
off the machines to stare at them. “Kiki? You’re serious? That ditz
can’t even count to three strikes.”

“
You
know Kiki?”

“
Everyone here
knows
Kiki.” She smirked. “I have the
unfortunate history of not only knowing Kiki Hudson, but also
knowing Kiki LeBow. Where do you think G-Hud made his
Love
Connection
?”

“
Here?”

“
I
told you this was the place to be. You sure you don’t want to take
another look at the chapel?”

“
Wait
a minute. I spoke with George’s gambling counselor
,
who told me he’d been clean as a
whistle for the last seven years.”

She giggled. “I
don’t know if I’d say
clean
, but he didn’t come here to
gamble.” Webbs pointed to a neon set of legs just beyond the game
tables. “Knotty Buoys Gentlemen’s Club.”

“
A
strip club? There’s got to be a dozen in the area
. W
hy would he go to one located inside a
casino?”

“
Girl,
do I know?” Webbs rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you go ask
them?”

“
Oh …
uh, I don’t
…
I mean,
I’m not
—
”

“
Aren’t you in locker rooms every day with guys’ junk swinging
around?” Webbs challenged her with a
n
ornery smile.

“
It’s
not exactly like that.” She turned and hesitated. The neon legs
mock
ed
her with their
blinking fishnet stockings. “Can you take me in there?”

“
You
don’t need an escort, sweet cheeks.” She winked at her and
mockingly whispered, “It’s not really a
gentlem
e
n
’s
club.”

Cat rolled her
eyes. “Come on, I don’t want to go in there alone.” She spied the
empty martini glass sitting next to the slot machine. “I’ll buy you
a drink.”

Webbs groaned and
unglued herself from the shimmering wallpaper. “What is this power
you McDaniels have over me?”

Underneath the
neon legs was a solid black door with a sign that stated OVER 21
ONLY.

Cat stopped in
her tracks, but while she was hesitating, Webbs wiggled past her
and opened the door.

“
After
you.”

Cat followed Webbs
into a small
foyer
,
where a muscled
bouncer stood in front of
a
second door. He wore a Knotty Buoys t-shirt, tight
and black, with a logo of the neon legs hanging off the back of a
boat.

Cat surveyed the
tiny room.

“
Hmm …
an airlock. That bodes well for what must be awaiting us on the
other side.”

“
It’s
just so the casino patrons don’t get a sneak peek and decide to
spend their money on lap dances instead of the craps
tables.”

A sign
that said, COVER CHARGE:
$10
was posted behind the bouncer. Cat pulled her wallet out
of her purse. Webbs grabbed her hand to stop her. “Save your money,
Sweetness
, ladies get in
free.”

“
Oh.
How chivalrous.”

The bouncer
nodded and opened the door for them.

Webbs chuckled
and pushed her through the door and into the dim
ly
lit club
, illuminated mostly by strobe lights
.