QB1 by Pete Bowen

went into a den. “Man, what a day,” he
said shaking his head. “This really, really sucks,” and wiped a
tear away.
    “What’s going on with the team?” I asked
him.
    “I would say, we’re stunned,” he said. “In
this league, you get used to seeing people come and go, but not
die! I couldn’t even talk to the press. What is there to say? The
leader of the team and my good friend is gone. Someone murdered
him? I can’t get my head around it.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss man,” was all I
could think of to say.
    He went around the small bar and pulled out a
beer handed one to me and a Coke to Roger. “I guess all there is
left to do is to get drunk,” he said shaking his head.
    “Jerry, let me ask you something,” I said.
“You guys were friends; do you have any idea what Tony was up to
for the last month?”
    “I don’t, Tom. He was pissed off about the
contract and he said he was going to get away for a few weeks. I
thought it was a good idea. I think he needed a change of scenery.
I’ll tell you this, something was really bothering him after the
Championship. I think he was more upset about Elizabeth than the
contract bullshit. He should have been the happiest guy in the
world but here he was moping around like a sick sow. I didn’t
understand it, the whole separation from Elizabeth thing. I asked
him, what’s wrong with you, how could you leave her?”
    “What did he say?”
    “He said they were having some issues but I
knew they weren’t. Penny talks to Elizabeth. He was having issues
and he wasn’t talking about it and he wasn’t himself.” He crushed
the beer can, got himself another, popped it open and said, “it was
like he was depressed or something. Anyway, one day he bugs out, we
don’t hear anything from him for a month and this morning he turns
up in his driveway murdered. What the fuck?” No one said anything.
The three of us just sat. We could hear the kids in the other
room.
    “What are the prospects for the Team this
year?” I asked.
    “Beats the shit out of me after today. Tony
got us there last year. I don’t have a lot of confidence in
Isackson. It’s tough enough without this kind of a distraction.” He
thought about it for a moment. “Maybe it’ll be motivation. Doesn’t
feel like it today.”
    “I’m going over to see Isackson tonight,” I
said.
    “Don’t tell him what I said. Not my best
day,” Cochran said.
    “I’m thinking Tony would have wanted you guys
to suck it up and kick some ass,” I said. I handed him my business
card and told him to get in touch if he heard anything. The girls
were in the kitchen. Each had a child in their arms. I said, “We
need to push on, I’d like to talk to Paul Isackson.”
    Penny and Liz looked at each other. Penny
said, “Say hello to Lydia for me.”
    Liz grimaced and said, “I’ll wait in the
car.” The girls laughed. I had no idea what was going on there.
Everyone said their goodbyes with promises to meet up in a few
days. I told Jerry I would probably see him around the Team offices
until this thing got solved.
    Once again we were on the road. Roger on the
computer. Liz staring out the window. We took 101 to Menlo Park.
Houses in this area were very expensive. We pulled up in front of a
big house on a quiet street. Liz said, “I’ll wait in the car.”
    “You were serious back there,” I said.
    “Yes, I’m not a big fan of Lydia Isackson,”
she said.
    “Okay. We’ll try and make this quick.”
    “Take your time, I could use a few winks,”
she said as she stretched on the long cabin seat. Roger and I went
up to the front door.
    A Team security guard who I recognized from
yesterday came out of the dark and said, “Good evening Mr. Mullins,
Mr. Isackson is expecting you.” I thanked him and rang the
doorbell. It was answered by the most drop dead beautiful blond I
think I’ve ever seen.
    “I’m Lydia Isackson, please come in.” I was a
little overwhelmed to be honest. She shook hands with