The red digits on his alarm clock were telling anyone who could see them that it was almost midnight… but Berry couldn’t see them right now… he had decided to get some rest and let his mind rest too. He had been asleep for almost an hour when the ringing of his phone brought him out of REM sleep…
What was I dreaming… I seem to remember clouds… finally he recognized the sound that woke him. Uhhhhhgg… the phone… it’s the phone.
As he picked up the phone he could hear loud classical music coming from the handset… is ahhhh… this you… Muffin?
Shore is Bear. Did I wake you? Sounds like you were asleep.
I was resting my eyes a bit… and my brain… kinda worn down… figured I needed some rest so I could stay sharp on the case... you coming over this way?
Yep, need to chat…
I’ll be here…
See ya in a few Bear…
Berry got up, slipped on some jeans and a tee shirt, and walked out to sit down at the terminals. Reaching over to one side, he flipped a switch that made several of the computer screens come to life.
He figured that Muffin must have some important information because he usually didn’t call this late… of course they had not really worked on a case like this one before… so many angles… so much to discover… so many loose ends.
It seemed like only a minute or two when he heard one of the garage doors down stairs open and could tell by the blearing classical music it was Muffin’s car pulling in. In reality it had actually been about 20 minutes since Muffin called, but Berry was still sort of in a haze from waking up and the time had passed quickly for him… he shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and tried to bring himself to being wide awake and ready for whatever Muffin had to say. He had no idea how earth-shaking it was going to be and how wide awake he would be after hearing it.
When Roger walked through the door he didn’t have his usual toothy smile or joking manner. Berry could tell that Roger was in a very serious state of mind.
Remember when you first told me about this case, and I kind of made light of it… you said it involved politics, influential people, hidden plots, and that it might put Sullivan Investigations on the map. Well you might have been exaggerating a little at that point, but from what I know now, you were exactly right on the money. I’ve had a couple of conversations lately that bear out your predictions… only it goes a lot deeper than you imagined.
Berry swung his chair away from the computer displays and looked directly at Muffin. I’ve come into some stuff myself Muffin, that makes this case look like it’s gonna be a real mind blower… I’m not sure anything you can add will surprise me at this point.
Ohhhh, I don’t know about that Bear, I think you’re gonna change your mind after you hear what I have… it appears that you have gotten into a real serious situation that that could not only put you on the map, but maybe also put you in the ground! This is NOT just another one of you run of the mill cases. I’m concerned that it could also end you career… there are some real heavy players in this. There’s already been an attempt to take out one of my information people… You need to be VERY careful about who you talk to about it… this thing could backfire and cause some real trouble for anyone who gets involved.
Berry was fully awake now and his mind was racing on the extent of what he knew already… well, let me go first. I’ll fill you in on what I have and then you can add your earth-shaking news.
Berry told Muffin about his meeting with Dave Lutz, and how they had come to the conclusion that the committee was part of a plot to make a lot of money. Muffin listened intently nodding his head occasionally as Berry told him his suspicions about what was going on and the people he thought were involved.
Well, you have got most of it right from what I can see… the only thing you missed is the extent of how far it goes… it’s not just state politics that is involved, it goes all the way to the federal government level, and up the ladder from there to elite power brokers and people behind the scenes that have a lot of power... enough to make both of us disappear if we get in their way!
It appears that they are planning to generate a lot of money from gambling… gambling on a new semi-pro league made up of athletes that are now participating in popular college sports programs. If they can sway academic leaders to remove what they consider violent sports from institutional backing, they can build a new national sports program that encourages gambling on the outcome of games. There are even politicians involved who are trying to sponsor bills in congress that would help encourage state supported universities to remove certain college level sports programs by denying funds to institutions that do not bow to their desires.
Gambling on college sports is nothing new… It goes on already, but most behind the scenes out of the sight of college sports associations. The new arrangement would now only allow it, but would sanction gambling on a non-professional sports level. There are a lot of people involved, some for more altruistic motives, others who want a cut of the money that will be generated… but there are a few players that are just in it for the power it could give them… and that is where it gets dangerous.
You need to keep what I am about to tell you as quiet as possible, otherwise we might be in for some real trouble. Roger was more serious than Berry could ever remember… no jokes, no smiles… none of his normal humor was being displayed this time.
It appears that a deal has been made between one of the most powerful people in our country when it comes to politics and a popular senator to put that senator in the White House in exchange for his support. As it turns out, it looks as if you have gotten yourself into a major plot to control not only a lot of money, but also who will be our next president.
…
Leroy Harrington was getting antsy. He had spent several days at Muffin’s request, staying at Arnold’s place and he was bored and restless. It was not like him to be so hemmed in… he thought of himself as sort of a social gadfly and staying low at Arnold’s was not his idea of a good time. As he slipped out the back his thoughts were on having fun…he figured that since he had not heard anything else from Muffin, it was probably safe to venture out into the night, and he decided to go to the men’s sauna he frequented a lot. Maybe he could find some fun there...
About a half hour later, as he started to cross the street to the sauna, a car sped around the corner and came rushing toward him… when he stepped out into the street he was so engrossed in the idea of having a good time that he didn’t notice the speeding automobile heading his way. With a loud crunch and thud the car hit Lee head on and threw his listless body into the air and over the vehicle… it sped away on into the night leaving the broken form of Lee’s almost lifeless body in the street.
A small crowd gathered around Lee… is he dead? Someone call 911… did anyone see the car? They were all shouting and talking. One of them recognized him. Hey, It’s Lee … what the heck happened? …
Muffin was just finishing telling Berry the detail of what he had found out, when Berry’s phone began to ring again… it’s almost 2 AM. Now who could be calling at this hour? Berry picked up the phone … Sullivan Investigations… Yes this is him… Yes I know him… what!!! He is? … had my card on him? … what happened? … is he going to be alright? … Ok, thank you.
Muffin could tell by Berry’s end of the phone conversation that something bad had happened. What’s going on Bear?
It’s Lee, he’s been hit by a car … hit and run … they are not sure if he will make it through the night. It appears that he might have been right about someone being out to get him. It looks like it’s gonna be a long night Muffin… things are taking a change for the worse … and all you have told me makes me think that we have a tiger by the tail and it wants to get free real bad!!
They decide that the first thing they would do is go to the hospital and check on Lee’s condition. Roger was feeling a little guilty. I told him to lay low and stay at Arnold’s. I didn’t push him on it though??
? at that point I really didn’t think he was in any danger… I should have been more persuasive!!
…
Dave was still up thinking about his conversation with Berry. He had decided he would talk to the chief. If it didn’t go well it could cause Berry some problems with his investigation, but if it went ok it could really provide some help to the department and give both of them an opportunity to work together with fully sanctioned approval. He had worked with consultants in the past and it had usually turned out to be a good thing. If the chief approved, maybe this time it would provide him a better grasp on HIS work, and it could prove to be a real career booster for both of them.
…
As he punched in the code numbers on the security key pad, the glowing digits of time located at the top of the console reminded him that he was still going from the day before. it was 4:32 AM! This HAD been a long day and night, and he was ready for some well deserved rest. Crossing the room he headed straight for his bed. He figured he would sleep well for a few hours at least, even with all the information he had rolling around in his brain. He was so tired that his normally active mind would this time he was sure, surrender to his body and even remain quiet for while…