CHAPTER 50

“JARRETT! HOW ARE YOU?” Cal asked as he answered his phone.

“Fine. And you?”

“Wonderful. I’m alive.”

“That’s good news. Well, since you helped us out, you get some privileged information first. We found out there was someone else behind everything.”

“No kidding?”

Cal was half joking, half playing coy. He wanted Anderson to feel like he was giving him some information that nobody knew but him. A person feels more comfortable about sharing juicy details if he thinks he’s the only one who knows them. It was a little interviewing trick he learned that always helped him get those extra details that nobody else could get.

“Nope. And I wish I was, too. This is pretty unbelievable.”

“Oh? Who was it? Would I know the person?”

“Probably not, but you’d know his son. A guy by the name of Trent Newton. His son Hunter plays quarterback for the Dolphins. Ever heard of him?”

“Hunter Newton’s dad? No way! You’ve got to be kidding me! How did you discover this?”

“Well, it’s crazy, but one of the casino’s security detail had been watching this guy for the past few days. He plunked down 100Gs on the Dolphins to win. Nobody knew who he was at first because he checked in under an alias and was wearing a disguise.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, one of the security guys eventually recognized him but they didn’t say anything to him. Then when Seattle scored at the end, he went crazy. He started destroying some of the Oasis’ black jack tables with a cane. It was crazy.”

“So, then what happened?”

“Well, after their security team apprehended him and ushered him off the floor, we entered the scene and are dealing with him now.”

“Did he happen to make any calls after the game?”

“As a matter of fact, he did. According to the phone records stored on his phone, it didn’t look like anybody answered—and supposedly that’s when he went crazy.”

“OK, thanks so much. Can I print this?”

“Sure, just call me tomorrow to confirm and make sure that everything I said is able to be released to the public.”

“You got it.”

* * *

CAL HAILED A CAB and headed back to his hotel. He had a story to write, one that made the articles being pounded out on deadline by a tent full of serious reporters seem like the Sunday comics in comparison. They wrote about a game; he was going to write about the biggest scandal in sports history since Shoeless Joe and the White Sox threw the 1919 World Series.

He texted Solterbeck.

Have you talked to the office in Vegas? Check Hernandez’s phone for the last call. See if it was from Trent Newton. Talk in the morning?

Cal waited a few seconds for Solterbeck’s reply.

Thanks for the tip. Will look into it. I’ll call you at 10 am.

Cal clicked his phone off and slumped into the back seat of the cab. He needed some rest.