Hill said.
Ray stared at them, unseeing, as if trying to process what Hill had said.
“Ray? Why don’t you sit down?” Hill put his arm around the other man and led him to the arrangement of chairs that overlooked the ballpark below.
“Someone killed Willie?” he asked, seeming genuinely shocked and devastated by the news.
“I’m afraid so,” Avery said. “I’m so sorry.”
“People were mad about what happened last night. But that someone could kill him...”
A knock on the door preceded Ray’s assistant as he came into the office, white-faced and wide-eyed. “Mr. Jestings, there’re cops all over the building demanding entrance.”
Ray’s dark eyes narrowed with rage that he directed at Sam. “I run a clean organization here, Lieutenant.”
“If that’s the case, then you have nothing to worry about. Let my people in so they can do their jobs.”
He nodded to the assistant, who scurried from the room, closing the door behind him.
“You can look all you want but you won’t find anything to tie this organization to what happened to Willie. He’s a valued member of this ball club.”
“Even after what happened last night?” Sam asked.
“Especially after what happened last night. No one wanted that win more than Willie did. He was a fierce competitor, a superior athlete and teammate. We all felt terrible for him, but no one felt worse than he did. The poor guy was in tears after the game.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I can’t believe he’s dead.”
“I’d like to speak to your general manager, team manager, security director and anyone else who had access to Willie after the game last night.”
Jestings looked to Hill, seeming to seek guidance.
“Get them up here,” Hill said. “The more you do to aid in the investigation, the less we’ll need to look at you and your team.”
“Me and my team? You know me, Avery. You know I could never hurt anyone, let alone a ballplayer I loved and respected.”
“Who cost your team its first trip to the World Series,” Sam interjected.
Once again, Ray’s furious gaze landed on her. “And you think I’d put that ahead of a man who had a wife and two small children at home? That I’d put winning ahead of his health and safety?”
“I don’t know you at all. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t have the answers to those questions just yet. But your friend Hill is right. The more you cooperate, the more your people cooperate, the less time we’ll spend here when we could be out finding the person who did this.”
After a charged moment of silence, Ray got up, went over to his desk and made a call. Weariness clung to him as he leaned against the desk. “Aaron, will you please ask Bob and Jamie to come up? Thank you.” He returned to the sofa. “I’ve asked our manager, Bob Minor, and trainer, Jamie Clark, to join us. They were with Willie longer than I was last night. Our general manager, Garrett Collins, is out today. The security director, Hugh Bixby, is dealing with police at the moment.”
“You were with Willie after the game?” Sam asked as she made a note to pay Collins a visit at home.
“For a short time. He was inconsolable. We kept the media out of the locker room so he wouldn’t have to face their questions.”
“Walk me through everything that happened from the time Willie was brought off the field by team security,” Sam said. “I need to know who was with him, what was said, when he left, how he left.”
“Bob and Jamie will be able to speak more to that than I can. I was with him briefly in the training room after the game.”
“Who were his friends on the team?” Hill asked.
“Again, Bob would be better able to speak to that, but from what I observed, Willie was friends with everyone. His teammates respected and admired him. We all did. Have you seen Carmen?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “My partner is with her, and her brother is on the way from the Dominican Republic.”
Ray closed
Ray stared at them, unseeing, as if trying to process what Hill had said.
“Ray? Why don’t you sit down?” Hill put his arm around the other man and led him to the arrangement of chairs that overlooked the ballpark below.
“Someone killed Willie?” he asked, seeming genuinely shocked and devastated by the news.
“I’m afraid so,” Avery said. “I’m so sorry.”
“People were mad about what happened last night. But that someone could kill him...”
A knock on the door preceded Ray’s assistant as he came into the office, white-faced and wide-eyed. “Mr. Jestings, there’re cops all over the building demanding entrance.”
Ray’s dark eyes narrowed with rage that he directed at Sam. “I run a clean organization here, Lieutenant.”
“If that’s the case, then you have nothing to worry about. Let my people in so they can do their jobs.”
He nodded to the assistant, who scurried from the room, closing the door behind him.
“You can look all you want but you won’t find anything to tie this organization to what happened to Willie. He’s a valued member of this ball club.”
“Even after what happened last night?” Sam asked.
“Especially after what happened last night. No one wanted that win more than Willie did. He was a fierce competitor, a superior athlete and teammate. We all felt terrible for him, but no one felt worse than he did. The poor guy was in tears after the game.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I can’t believe he’s dead.”
“I’d like to speak to your general manager, team manager, security director and anyone else who had access to Willie after the game last night.”
Jestings looked to Hill, seeming to seek guidance.
“Get them up here,” Hill said. “The more you do to aid in the investigation, the less we’ll need to look at you and your team.”
“Me and my team? You know me, Avery. You know I could never hurt anyone, let alone a ballplayer I loved and respected.”
“Who cost your team its first trip to the World Series,” Sam interjected.
Once again, Ray’s furious gaze landed on her. “And you think I’d put that ahead of a man who had a wife and two small children at home? That I’d put winning ahead of his health and safety?”
“I don’t know you at all. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t have the answers to those questions just yet. But your friend Hill is right. The more you cooperate, the more your people cooperate, the less time we’ll spend here when we could be out finding the person who did this.”
After a charged moment of silence, Ray got up, went over to his desk and made a call. Weariness clung to him as he leaned against the desk. “Aaron, will you please ask Bob and Jamie to come up? Thank you.” He returned to the sofa. “I’ve asked our manager, Bob Minor, and trainer, Jamie Clark, to join us. They were with Willie longer than I was last night. Our general manager, Garrett Collins, is out today. The security director, Hugh Bixby, is dealing with police at the moment.”
“You were with Willie after the game?” Sam asked as she made a note to pay Collins a visit at home.
“For a short time. He was inconsolable. We kept the media out of the locker room so he wouldn’t have to face their questions.”
“Walk me through everything that happened from the time Willie was brought off the field by team security,” Sam said. “I need to know who was with him, what was said, when he left, how he left.”
“Bob and Jamie will be able to speak more to that than I can. I was with him briefly in the training room after the game.”
“Who were his friends on the team?” Hill asked.
“Again, Bob would be better able to speak to that, but from what I observed, Willie was friends with everyone. His teammates respected and admired him. We all did. Have you seen Carmen?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “My partner is with her, and her brother is on the way from the Dominican Republic.”
Ray closed
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