CHAPTER 51

CAL WANTED TO GO TO SLEEP. It was nearly midnight by the time he reached his room and the morning would come early. But he couldn’t go to sleep. Not with all the plotlines for the story he would write pinging around in his mind.

One father was willing to give up his dream—his legacy—for his son’s life. Another father was intent on kidnapping an innocent child to ensure his son would be hailed as a hero. Cal knew this Super Bowl would forever be remembered by what he would write the next morning, not for the dramatic ending.

But this was the ending Cal wanted to write about, the one where good overcame evil. It was the one where the reckless actions of many were negated by the good actions of a few.

When Cal pondered all the facts of the story—especially the latest one, that Newton’s dad directed the Mexican cartel to ensure his son would win the Super Bowl by means of kidnapping family members of the opposing teams’ key players—the words of the Juarez priest stuck with him:

We, who question, have no way of knowing the full story.

Cal knew the full story wasn’t written. Who knew how this horrific event might change the course of these families’ lives? Maybe it would even be for the best. Maybe not. But this chapter was written. Done. Finished. And evil didn’t win. Justice did. Two kids slept at home with their dads tonight, right where they should be. Cal didn’t know the full story. Nobody did. But this piece of it was a satisfying one. It was a good thought to drift asleep to.