Time Control by Rex Bolt

Author:Rex Bolt [Bolt, Rex]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25 The River

Hamilton was playing Curtis on Saturday, a rare afternoon game, and then they had an off week, a bye, and then one more game, at home, before the sectional playoffs. Which they were already penciled into, probably even it they managed to screw it up royally these last couple games, which was unlikely.

They were looking good at 5 and 2. They’d lost their opening two, but those were against outside opponents and didn’t count as league games. Then, starting with the Bellemeade game, they’d gone undefeated, all in CFC play. Pike supposed it would be nice all around if they could run the table.

Coach Geddes hadn’t directly singled out Pike at practice on Monday, with the Hannamaker incident still on the front burner from that morning, but he did warn the team during a water break how they need to keep their poise, on and off the field.

Tuesday had been practice as normal, but Wednesday, the day Pike met with Mr. Gillmore, Coach took him aside and told him if he heard one more unfavorable thing he’d be suspended from the team, he didn’t give a rat’s ass how well he was throwing the ball.

By this point a rumor had circulated that it was Pike who broke the steering wheel off the basketball kid’s car, Cox, and Coach was likely factoring that in. Not to mention the fight in the backyard with Foxe.

Pike kept quiet and nodded his head. He could respect Coach in a way, if he was willing to maybe lose a game while suspending a good player on principle. Though Pike doubted Coach’s principles would go so far as to keep him out of a playoff game. But the man was right, why keep pushing it?

That night he called Mitch.

“Anything?” Pike said.

“Not much. How’ve you been?”

Pike didn’t feel a need to tell him about hospitalizing Hannamaker. “So-so,” he said. “You hear anything else on that Texas guy … he’s still … alive and everything. Right?”

“Oh yes,” Mitch said, “I’ve checked in on that. Guy’s name is Tim. No obvious improvement in strength, but no further appreciable decline either.”

“This is a dumb question,” Pike said.

“No such thing.”

“Well what’d they do with that filling they took out? I mean do they just throw ‘em away in a case like that? … Or what.”

“Believe me, it’s something I’m pursuing,” Mitch said. “Normally yes, they are disposed of along with the normal medical waste, the same as someone who had a tooth extracted, or part of a gum cut away in a procedure.”

“Ah c’mon,” Pike said.

“In this case, it’s unclear right now what happened to it.”

“Oh great … And why is that?”

“Just a feeling I have. Tim was slightly vague, when I brought it up.”

“What—you think he may held onto it?”

“There is that possibility.”

Pike said, “So ask him what happens when he puts it back in his mouth … Or holds it in his hand, or whatever … Ask him like you already know he has it, and see what he says.

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