Chapter Twenty-Nine
We had yesterday off, which conveniently gave us time to show our evidence to Ray and Phil.
After that, they told us to hold tight and not let on to anyone outside of our team until after they figure out how to handle the situation.
Amy has custody of the samples, but we hadn't thought to record Jared's conversation with his buddy last night.
We need more proof. The irrefutable kind.
"Leave it with us," Phil suggests. "We don't want to tip off Jared or his cohort just yet. Better figure out exactly what's going on before we make any serious accusations."
I understand his reasoning, though the idea of Jared continuing to mess with our gear—and maybe even our bodies—makes me want to punch my fist through a wall. I need to confront Jared, but that would alert the bastard that we're onto him.
"What about our bats?" Amy asks, concern evident in her voice. "We can't keep playing with compromised equipment."
Ray rubs his chin. "I've ordered new bats—regular and torpedo. They'll be here tomorrow. Until then, we'll need to be extra vigilant."
"Should we take drug tests?" I ask.
Phil and Ray exchange a look. Then Ray explains, "The THC is probably out of your system already, but just to be safe, we've scheduled tests for the team tomorrow morning. It's mandatory for everyone, though we won't say anything about the marijuana yet."
Amy's brows scrunch up. "Why not? Are you worried that one of our guys might be Jared's cohort?"
"I can't believe that, but it pays to be suspicious of everyone—for now."
"Yeah, we need to be on guard at all times," Phil adds. "Only the four of us will know what's really going on."
"Understood," I say, though my muscles tense at the thought of letting Jared get away with this travesty for even one more day. "But I don't like the idea of that asshole touching our stuff in the meantime."
Amy places her hand on my arm, her touch calming me in a way only she can. "I agree, Charlie. But we have no other options."
"We've got the night game tomorrow," Phil reminds us. "I'll have our equipment managers keep a closer eye on everything, but they won't know why. All we can do is act like normal, like nothing unusual is going on—especially around Jared."
"Fine, I understand." But inside, I'm grinding my teeth and seething with rage.
"And for now," Ray adds, "I'll have our security team review the camera footage from the clubhouse and equipment rooms. If Jared's been tampering with our gear, we might catch him on video."
"That's a solid plan," Amy agrees. "But what if Jared finds a way to hide or destroy the evidence before security can review it? Or his cohort does it? We still don't know who the other man is."
Her question hangs in the air, and I can't help but picture Jared's smug face as he gets away with everything. My fists clench involuntarily.
"We need a trap," I blurt out. "We need to catch him in the act."
Phil raises an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
"Tomorrow, before the night game, we let him think we're not suspicious.
" I hesitate, hit by the sudden fear that we might be walking into a trap.
Are Jared and his buddy that clever? I just don't know.
But I trust Ray and Phil. "Amy and I will make a show of leaving our equipment unattended at a specific time.
We'll have security watching with cameras, ready to catch whatever he does. "
Ray nods slowly. "Not a bad idea. But it's risky."
"If we don't stop him now, what's to prevent him from escalating?"
Ray leans back in his chair, considering my words. "You've got a point, Charlie."
Amy crosses her arms. "I agree, it could get worse. What if he moves beyond THC? What if next time it's something more dangerous?"
The thought knifes a chill through me. I hadn't even considered the possibility.
Phil shuts his eyes briefly, then sighs. "All right. We'll set up a sting operation. But you two need to behave normally around Jared, like you don't have a clue what he's up to. If he suspects anything, this plan won't work."
"I can do that," Amy says confidently. "Behaving normally, I mean."
Maybe she is confident that our plan will work. But I'm not so sure about myself. Every time I see Jared's face, I want to punch it. "I'll try my best. Since I already hated him with a vengeance, he won't be suspicious if I glare at him even harder."
"This is bigger than personal grudges, Charlie," Ray asserts firmly. "This is about the integrity of the game and the safety of our team."
Since there's nothing else we can do right now, Phil and Ray gather the entire team in the locker room.
They explain everyone will take a random drug test as a new safety feature or…
something. I kinda zoned out while the head honchos were talking, lost in my own thoughts.
We all submit to the drug tests. But we won't know the results until after tomorrow's game.
I'm hoping like hell that I've sweated out the THC by now.
After team practice, I head back to my apartment, my mind spinning with everything that's happened. I'm barely through the door when my phone vibrates. It's Amy.
"Can I come over?" she asks, sounding hesitant. "I don't want to be alone right now."
"That's understandable. I'll order us some food while you get your fine ass over here."
Twenty minutes later, Amy is sitting cross-legged on my couch, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She picks at the label on her water bottle. "What if we're wrong? What if the culprit isn't Jared?"
I pause, a slice of pizza halfway to my mouth. "The evidence points to him. He had access to our equipment, and we heard him talking about the THC. I'd bet my signing bonus it's him."
Amy wilts against the sofa's back, setting her water bottle on the coffee table. "I know it must be him. It's just…this is serious, Charlie. If we're wrong, we could ruin someone's life."
I wriggle up beside her on the couch, near enough to feel her warmth but not quite touching her. "You're anxious, I get that. I am too. But if we're right and we don't stop him, he could ruin our lives—or worse."
"Yeah, I understand that. But I'm scared," she admits quietly. "Not just about Jared, but about what happens if any of us test positive tomorrow. I've worked so hard to get here, Charlie. What if this is how it all ends? I doubt a disgraced woman coach will get many job offers."
The vulnerability in her voice…it startles me.
Amy Keller, the toughest female coach in the MLB, seems uncertain of…
everything. I reach out and clasp her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"We won't end like this, I promise. Ray and Phil know we aren't responsible.
They trust us, and they'll fight for us. "
She stares into my eyes, unexpectedly vulnerable in a way I haven't seen before. "You can't promise that, Charlie. Baseball is still a boys' club in so many ways."
I sidle even closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You need to stop imagining every worst-case scenario. Besides, if the tests come back positive for multiple players, they'll have to investigate further. They can't bench the whole team."
Amy lets her head fall back against the sofa. "God, I hate this feeling of helplessness. I've never let anyone have this kind of power over me before."
"Yeah, I'm feeling the strain too." I scrape my hands through my hair. "Ugh. It's like being back in the minors all over again, waiting for someone else to decide your fate."
We cuddle in silence for a few minutes, the sound of the TV in the background barely registering. Amy's hand is cradled in mine, and I never want to let go. I will need to at some point, obviously, but not yet.
"Charlie, what if we both get kicked off the team?"
I turn to face her. "Then we fight it. We get lawyers. We clear our names."
"And if we can't?"
"Then I guess we'll have to figure out what's next together." The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "Because whatever happens, we stick together—forever."
She snuggles up to me, curling herself tightly into almost a ball. I kiss the top of her head, combing my fingers through her hair. The gesture seems to soothe her.
Then she wriggles free and leaps off the sofa. "I should probably go now."
"Stay with me, Amy." The words came out huskier than I intended. "I mean, it's late, and we've both had a hell of a day."
Amy studies my face, and I can almost see her weighing her options. "Well, we are engaged to be married. So it wouldn't be inappropriate." She yawns loudly. "I'm bushed, anyway. Might as well sleep with my favorite guy beside me."
"I'd really like to sleep with you tonight—just sleep. We shouldn't let this drug-testing thing pull us apart." I lift her hand to my lips, kissing it tenderly. "A good night's rest will rejuvenate us for whatever comes next."
"Well…I've never had much luck resisting you." She finally smiles, almost shyly. "I would love to sleep with you tonight—only sleep—in your arms."
I pick her up and carry her into the bedroom.