Chapter 16 The Final Play
Kenosha had just won their game 42-7 over Hamilton High School. Coach Russell ran off the field along with a group of his players, smiling brightly as yet another win got put into his record book.
Uncle Mike and 4 other officers were standing near the school locker room entrance. Brooks, Brad and Brooks’ dad stood off in the shadows watching as the men stopped the coach as he came off the field. Uncle Mike didn’t want the men seeing the boys they had kidnapped quite yet.
“COACH RUSSELL” said Uncle Mike, strongly but firmly. The Coach stopped running and walked over to the group of policemen. His smile was not as bright as it had been a few moments ago. “We’d like to have a word with you if you don’t mind.”
Just at that moment his 2 sons arrived expecting to see their dad in the locker room and help him celebrate. One of the other officers said “Smokey Russell, I’d like to have a word with you.” Bob was next to be greeted by one of the officers. Smokey was getting visibly agitated. “What’s this about? I demand to know!”
Uncle Mike walked over to him and he towered above Smokey who backed down immediately from the intimidation. “Just a few questions, that’s all.” Bob Russell stood there quietly, with a slight tremble in his body.
Ever the coach, their dad said, “Don’t worry boys, they just want to talk – probably want to get some tickets for next season’s State College games!” Uncle Mike turned his cold stare to the Coach. “Not quite,” he replied. “Let’s go inside gentlemen.” Smokey smiled arrogantly and said, “If you want to do an interview with us, it’ll have to wait.”
This visibly angered Uncle Mike. “Actually Smokey, it’s about something a little more serious than that.”
“I want to see your warrant!” Smokey exclaimed. Uncle Mike snapped, “Smokey you’d better relax, we don’t need a warrant to talk to you!” Then motioning to the other officers he said, “ Get them inside.”
The officers took the 3 men inside the school where Uncle Mike had arranged for private rooms to be available. The plan was to split them all up and let them talk separately. Then bring them together to see if they could get any more information out of them.
Uncle Mike & Brooks approached Bob’s room first. “Remember, let me start,” said Uncle Mike. Brooks nodded, he and Uncle Mike had discussed some interrogation strategies on the ride over.
Uncle Mike opened the door and saw Bob sitting at a table silently looking down at the floor. Sweat was forming on his forehead and he looked visibly uncomfortable. He was nervously tapping his finger on the tabletop.
“Tell me about it,” said Uncle Mike. Bob looked confused. “Tell you about what?” he asked. “The kidnapping of my nephew.” Bob appeared more confused now. “Kidnapping? What are you talking about?”
“What about this?” Uncle Mike pulled a laptop computer out of his briefcase and turned to Brooks. Brooks handed him the CD that had fallen out of Smokey’s bag when his dad had knocked it out of his hand. Uncle Mike put the CD in the computer and the video started playing. The video started with a view out of the scoreboard capturing the Tosa East on field practice and quickly switched to the video filmed from Coach Vitrano’s bookshelf.
Bob was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, obviously more agitated. “I don’t know what that is, I’m being framed here. I’ve done nothing.”
Brooks looked at him closely. He knew he was about to make things go from bad to worse for Bob. “I think he’s telling the truth Uncle Mike. What if we make him swear to tell the truth? I don’t have a Bible to use, but I do have this book.”
Brooks pulled the book Vince Lombardi Coaching Methods out of his backpack. Bob’s hand started to tremble visibly and his face went white. As Brooks slid the book across the table Bob held up his hands. “Stop. I did it. I videoed their practices and put the hidden camera inside the coach’s office. My brother and dad made me do it, I didn’t want to. My business was just getting off the ground and that school district set up was a real big win for me. Then my dad got the State College job and they made me do it. I owed my dad a lot of money. He helped me set up my business – paid for a lot of equipment. I felt I owed it to him. I ran the camera into the coach’s office, and then I had my computer take the live feed and record it on the hard drive at my office. Then Smokey made me give him the CD’s each week with all of the video on it. I don’t know what he did with them, and I didn’t care. I don’t even like football!” Bob looked relieved but still very scared.
“Anything else you want us to know?” asked Uncle Mike. “I’ve told you everything,” said Bob.
Uncle Mike & Brooks left the room. “One down, two to go,” said Uncle Mike. Brooks smiled at him. The next room was Smokey. “Wait here,” said Uncle Mike, holding up Brooks right before they entered the room. “Remember what we discussed.” Brooks nodded.
Uncle Mike opened the door and faced Smokey. He appeared to have kept his smug attitude. “Hello Smokey,” said Uncle Mike. “First, here’s the CD back that you dropped at your dad’s game when he knocked them all out of your hands. Nice disguise by the way. Why don’t you tell me what you know?”
He threw the CD across the table and it skidded off the end and landed in Bob’s lap. It was a ploy to get him to spill his guts on his own without having to pressure him. This bit of evidence being literally thrown at him apparently hadn’t diminished Smokey’s cocky attitude. “I’ve done nothing wrong here, officer. May I go please?” asked Smokey with a smile and phony politeness. “Not quite yet, son,” Uncle Mike said sternly, “your brother told us everything. You may as well do the same.” It was a bluff by Uncle Mike, since Bob hadn’t said anything about the kidnapping. “I wish I knew what he told you about – something about his lame computer business?” mocked Smokey.
Uncle Mike walked to the door and ushered Brooks in. The smile was removed quickly from Smokey’s face and the color drained from it, making it a pale white. His eyes grew wide as Brooks stood in front of him. Brooks greeted Smokey, “Hey, great to see you again. Here’s your towel back. You left it in the laundry cart on Wednesday night. I must have been exhausted, I fell asleep right inside that scoreboard!”
The towel floated from Brooks’ hand and landed right in front of Smokey. Smokey flinched and started sputtering, “I want to see a lawyer, I need to see a lawyer. I need a cigarette!” Uncle Mike read him his rights and told him to sit still until he returned. Brooks and Uncle Mike left the room and told one of the officers to stay in the room with Smokey.
They got to the third room and approached it. Brooks opened the door and he and Uncle Mike walked in. Uncle Mike nodded to Brooks to signal him to start it. Brooks was really excited to lead the questioning.
“Coach Russell. You have a long, successful career and a brand new future with State College. Why did you do this?” Coach Russell stood up from his chair “Look kid, I don’t know whom you think you are talking to but I’m old enough…” Uncle Mike stepped forward, “I think it would help you if you listened to him, and answered his questions.“
Coach Russell sunk down in his chair. “Coach,” Brooks restarted, taking a different tactic, “we’ve just spent 45 minutes talking to both of your sons. They told us everything.”
The coach remained defiant. “They’d never say a word to anyone!” Brooks countered, “You mean Bob would never tell us that he taped Tosa East practices and had a hidden camera in the coach’s office? And how Smokey would never tell us how he delivered tapes to coaches the week before they played Tosa East so they could have an advantage while playing them?”
The coach’s demeanor had changed considerably now. He was slumped over in his chair. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. “I got greedy,” the coach struggled to choke out the words. “I finally got that gosh darn State College coaching job. I should have had it 10 years ag
o!”
Uncle Mike stopped him and read him his rights. Brooks put his hand on the coach’s shoulder, “Go on, Coach.” The coach looked at Brooks and he started to tremble. “I’ve always done it for the kids. I just wanted to win. To see the joy in them when they won and help them learn the greatest game in America. Then I got this head-coaching job at State College. Worked my whole career for it. Thought I could turn them around from a joke to a team to rival the University. I knew that State’s coach was leaving after this season. So when Bob won that contract to do the wiring on the school district’s computer system, Smokey came to me with the idea. He’d worked with Jeff Kopish for the past 6 years at that State College camp and knew how good he was. We’d give all of the coaches in the district video of Tosa East’s practices and inside their locker room. And we’d help Tosa West win all of their games. We went to the Marc Ille boy and started giving him video of the opponents too – so he cold win his games and look like a superstar. We wanted to prop him up and bring down Jeff Kopish. That way, I’d get to have Jeff come to State and be my quarterback, he’s 5 times the player Ille is. Then we took some heat when Ille’s dad found out and tried to make him stop watching the video. That didn’t last long though Ille kept on watching and kept on winning. I figured it was a win – win. State would get a great quarterback, I’d look good in my first year as coaching and Ille would get to go to the University. Who is the loser there?”
Brooks grew angry upon hearing the coach’s explanation, “How about Jeff Kopish who could have gone to the University!” “I felt I would have been able to make him a winner at State,” said the coach with a tear running down his cheek.