CHAPTER 28 #3
“I meant the club, honey. Regardless of any possibility of the consortium's involvement with the protesters, Drew's in bed with both of them. He feeds them both information. And that man is assistant manager of your football club.”
“What about DeShaun? What'd you find out? Is he with them? Was he the leak to the press?”
Dex took his hand from the folder. “I haven't found anything on him, Sasha, but such a high-profile player would be protected. If the information came from him, you can be certain someone else handed it to Angus Hamilton.”
“Could he be innocent, Dex?”
“Honey, you should stay away from him... Especially after what happened between us the other night.”
I cringed, ashamed I'd already kissed two different guys only days after breaking up with DeShaun. “That was a once-off, Dex.”
“Really?”
“Yes, keep this professional.”
He was staring at me.
I was staring ahead at the punters sat outside the pub, enjoying an afternoon beer. “I'm meeting the consortium tomorrow morning,” I said. “It's to finalise the sale.”
Dex exhaled.
“Did you find anything more on Kyle?”
He shook his head.
“Dex, the two of them are up to their eyeballs in hatred for me. Time's short and I'm asking the impossible, but I need you to find something that proves the consortium have been manipulating the management of my club. Illegally or otherwise.”
“Sasha, look, is anymore evidence necessary?”
I nodded.
“You could just call off the sale now.”
“My finances would take a hell of a hit, especially if we miss out on the play-offs.” I wiped moisture from under my eye.
“I'd have to sack those two. Despite everything, they've been getting the results.
We're on a winning run. Who the hell would I find to manage the team now, at this stage of the season? There's two matches left and...”
“And?”
“And, honestly, Dex, selling Broxburgh FC would make my life a whole lot easier. The offer's generous... And I can still be a fan.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I still feel it's time to walk away,” I said. “As much as I hate admitting it, it'd be such a shit show to pull out and stay now.”
Dex dragged at his seatbelt. “Then... Are you really sure you want me to keep digging?”
I took a deep breath. “One hundred percent, Dex. I need to know.”
I stood under the setting sun on the terrace of Lady Macbeth Park, waiting for a call I knew all too well wouldn't come.
I started to strut my boots down the levels until I was at the gate to the pitch. I reached down, undid the latch, and let myself onto the beloved turf of my Broxburgh Football Club.
I stared at where the new stand to be named after my late husband was to be built, guessing the new owners would name it something else.
It was little more than the humble beginnings of a construction site right now.
I wondered if the consortium would even bother continuing it, suspecting zero carbon was unlikely to figure in their plans.
I looked at the flags which flew proudly from the other stand, the Saltire, the trans flag with its trio of colours, the LGBT rainbow and Broxburgh's own club crest, and wondered if it'd all been worth it.
I spied the groundsman, Willie, in the corner of my eye and expected a telling off for stepping onto the pitch he so lovingly tended to.
He disappeared without a word.
I suspected everybody at the club knew by now it'd be in the hands of the consortium tomorrow.
A sequence of lights were shut off on the main stand.
If only I'd more time. More evidence. And more conviction.
“Sasha.”
I turned around to come face-to-face with the club captain.
“Penny for them,” he said.
“Just saying my goodbyes, Blair.”
He grimaced.
“I wish it didn't have to be this way.”
He pursed his lips. “I take it none of the other players have spoken to you today?”
I shook my head.
He stepped alongside me. “Then allow me.”
Late April rain battered my bedroom window that evening, as I paced the floor with ever-increasing impatience.
So many calls made. So many texts sent.
Finally, my mobile began to ring.
“Hello,” I said, almost shouting. “What'd you find out?”
“Sasha, hi,” Dex said. “I tried, but I cannae prove the consortium's been manipulating Kyle, Drew or anyone who works for you.”
I started to strip off.
“I still stand by my own claim Drew's one of them. No doubt about that.”
I let the double-doors of my bedroom swing shut behind me.
“I'm adamant more time would reveal evidence they've engineered this takeover for months.”
“Time's up, Dex. I have to meet the consortium in the morning.”
He breathed down the line.
“I just don't have enough to go on. Thanks for trying. I'll settle your bill. But it's over. Broxburgh FC will have to be sold.”
I felt as lonely as I felt vulnerable, stepping naked out of the shower and slipping into a lace one-piece for bedtime. My bed, like my whole home, was too big for one person alone. I grabbed my mobile and placed one last call.
“David,” I started, “it's me. You told me to call if I need something.”
“Yes, Sasha,” he replied, hope in his voice.
“I need that something.”