The Lakeside Conspiracy (11 page)

CHAPTER 39

“Hi, Shelle,” Max said as he got up and walked outside as Jack was pulling out of the parking lot.

“Hi, Max,” she said.

“It’s good to hear your voice,” he said as he walked to his truck. The wind had picked up since he’d gone into the coffee shop. Leaves were blowing off the nearby trees.

“Where are you, Max?” she said. “It’s hard to hear you.”

He had nothing to hide, but it was a long story that only seemed to be getting longer, so he said, “Just got done with a meeting. Now I’m walking back to my truck.” It was the truth. Just not all of it. Of course, Max didn’t know all the truth. He actually knew very little of it.

“Max, I got your text,” Michelle said. “The one about what makes me feel loved.”

“What did you think?” he said as he climbed into his truck and started the engine.

“Well, that’s why I’m calling,” she said. “Max, where’s this coming from?”

“Coming from?” he said.

“Yes, Max, why now?” She was sounding more irritated than pleased.

“Well, I know I haven’t done a good job the past few years. At being a husband, I mean,” he said. “I want to do better.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just don’t know.”

Max didn’t want to irritate her further, but he was confused. “Okay, well then, do you want to just take some time to think about it?” he said.

“You don’t understand,” she said.

“What is it?” Max said.

“Max, I know what makes me feel loved,” she said. “It’s too late though.”

“Too late?” Max said looking at the clock. It was 9:38, which meant it was 10:38 eastern time. “We can talk in the morning, if you want.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Max didn’t know what else to say and was afraid to hear what Michelle might say. Finally, she said it, “For us, Max, for us. It’s too late for us.”

Max felt like he’d been punched in the stomach again, a feeling he was becoming used to. Even if he’d known what to say, the lump in his throat would have prevented it.

“I’m sorry, Max,” she said. “I have to go.”

And then a question popped into his head and before he realized it, it was coming out of his mouth, “Is there someone else, Shelle?”

Silence. Then, “I have to go,” she said.

CHAPTER 40

He’d been so sure he was doing better. He had plans. And he was working those plans. He was meeting with Willy and Rose who were going to help him restore his marriage. They were coming off a win over Springdale. And less than an hour ago, he’d thought he was about to get to the bottom of some of his unanswered questions. And now he felt like he’d been sent back to square one.

He came to a fork in the road and kept right to head back to Lakeside. He was also at a fork on this new road his life was on. A big part of him felt justified in being angry with God. Just when he’d been trying harder, to make better choices, to be the man and husband he should be…God wasn’t coming through. Max felt the darkness again. It was feeding on his anger and disappointment.

He’d let his guard down and had begun to believe again that God was trustworthy. It was like the old trust test where you cross your arms in front and fall backwards, trusting someone will catch you before you hit the floor. Well, he was trying to do things God’s way and he could feel himself falling. The hard floor was approaching fast. And he had little confidence God would catch him.

Maybe he didn’t even deserve to have God catch him. He’d wanted nothing to do with God for over three years. God had every right to ignore his cry for help now. So why even try? Why even expect God to show up?

Max tried to quiet his mind. He didn’t want to go back down the dark path of anger and resentment. He didn’t want bitterness to rule his heart any more. It had already cost him too much.

At 10:15, he pulled his truck into his driveway. He missed seeing Michelle’s car. He wanted her back. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. He sat in the driveway for several minutes and wondered if he’d already lost her.

CHAPTER 41

Max’s alarm went off at 5:30 Tuesday morning. He picked up his phone, turned the alarm off and noticed the date. It was already September 23
rd
. It had been almost three weeks since he’d last seen Michelle. He wondered when or if he’d see her again. If he did see her again, he hoped it wouldn’t be in a courtroom.

He normally didn’t have trouble getting out of bed, but today was different. He pulled the covers over his head. No part of him wanted to get of bed. For much of his life, he had hopped out of bed ready to attack the day. Now it felt like the days were attacking him and he wasn’t sure how much fight he had left.

Outside, he could hear a steady rain beating against the window. The weather had started to cool off. The high was only supposed to be in the upper 40’s. No one liked practicing in the rain. Especially a cold rain. He wished he had a job that allowed him to call-in sick.

The previous night had been a blow. It was like the first play of the Fayetteville game. Everything looked good until the whistle blew and a few seconds later the ball was bouncing into the hands of an opposing player.

If he were only dealing with one problem, he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed. But there was so much on the line. His job. His marriage. His life.

After the phone call with Michelle, he hadn’t even given much thought to Dante’s mother. He didn’t even want to think about what might have happened to her. He didn’t know what Jack was capable of.

If Jack was involved in Dante’s death and had prevented Ms. Jones from meeting with him—what was he supposed to do? Go to the police? Which police? He was sure the Lakeside police knew more about Dante’s death than they were letting on. And he could only imagine how crazy he would sound trying to explain Jack’s threats and one missed meeting at a coffee shop.

As Max lay there in bed listening to the rain coming down and the wind whistling through the trees, he thought about something he’d told every one of his teams. It was something he’d come to believe many years before: Champions are made when no one is watching.

Max had known a lot of football players who didn’t train in the off-season. They had talent, but not character. They were lazy. They did just enough to get by. They were self-focused, not team-focused. So they took the easy road. When no one was looking, they slacked off.

But there were a few guys who were different. They didn’t care if anyone was watching. They didn’t care how hot or cold or lonely it was. They showed up. They gave a hundred percent. Even when no one was watching. It was what made a guy with average ability a difference-maker.

It was the “give your all when no one is watching” mentality that had allowed Max to succeed in high school and college football. He’d always had average ability, but he’d always had above average commitment and effort.

He’d pushed himself to the point of exhaustion when other guys were hanging out with their girlfriends. He’d shown up at the gym on 4
th
of July when everyone else was at the lake. He’d run sprints in the rain on Thanksgiving Day, because that’s what you do on Thursdays.

How was today any different? If he’d been willing to do all that for football, how could he do any less when it really mattered? When his marriage was at stake? When actual lives were at stake? And then those three words kept coming to mind…

Don’t give up.

CHAPTER 42

On Friday at exactly 3:30, the buses pulled out of the parking lot. It was a thirty-minute drive down to Rogers. Max had arranged for the pre-game meal to be delivered from Charlie’s Chicken in Fayetteville. It was owned by a close friend of his. The food was great and so was the service. Mostly though, Max liked helping out a friend.

It hadn’t been an easy week. In fact, it had been a difficult week. He felt like the team was ready, but he wasn’t sure he was. He’d had no further contact with Michelle. Not that he hadn’t tried. His calls and texts had gone unanswered. He’d tried to not think about his wife with someone else, but that was a battle he’d been losing more than winning.

He didn’t know what to do about the situation with Dante’s mother. He’d tried calling her several times, but she hadn’t answered. He knew Jack was involved, but he couldn’t risk accusing him of anything. Despite Max’s feelings, Jack was a pillar of the community. Max was not in a position to accuse Jack of things he couldn’t prove.

It wasn’t easy, but by 7:00 p.m., Max was able to put aside the distractions and focus on the matter at hand—beating Rogers. They were coming into the game with the same record as Lakeside, 1-2. It was too early in the season to say that everything was riding on one game, but it sure felt like everything was riding on one game. At least for Lakeside. They couldn’t afford another loss. He had no doubt Jack Murphy would be the first one in Bill Jackson’s office if Lakeside fell to 1-3.

As the Rogers kicker teed up the ball to kick-off, Max knew a loss could easily cost him his job. And he knew the chances of Michelle coming back home to Arkansas to work things out with an unemployed football coach were slim.

The referee blew the whistle and signaled for the game to start. Max looked down the sideline at his team. He felt confident he’d prepared them well. He turned the other way and saw Dave Turner and wondered how much of his job, his life and his marriage depended on a defensive coordinator he didn’t trust any more.

CHAPTER 43

Chris dropped Michelle off at her parents’ house after dinner. She told them she was tired and going to bed. It was awkward. What were the rules of etiquette when dating your boyfriend of fifteen years ago while your husband was a thousand miles away asking for a second chance?

Before she realized what was happening, she’d become involved. Involved? Is that what she was? Involved? What did that even mean? It had happened so fast. She’d been vulnerable. Chris was available. And now they were inseparable.

She just couldn’t shake the text Max had sent that said, “
I’m trying.”
They’d been through so much. Did she owe him a second chance? Or was it a third chance? Or a tenth chance?

Max had rejected her for three years. He’d pushed her right into the arms of someone who cared. Someone who wanted her. Someone who loved her. And someone she had once loved. And maybe loved again.

And then she’d gotten the texts. He wanted to know what made her feel loved. Shouldn’t he know? Why was it her responsibility to tell him? Especially after being married for fourteen years. Shouldn’t he know by now?

He said he was trying. Well, she’d been trying for years, not just weeks. She’d been trying through the pain of losing a daughter, through the pain of watching a husband slip away.

There was a knock at the door.

“Can I come in, baby?” her mom asked.

“Yes, Mom, come in.”

Her mom came in and sat on the bed. “How are you, sweetie?”

Michelle felt tears filling her eyes. “I don’t know, Mom.”

She laid her head on her mom’s lap and was glad she didn’t press for details. They were quiet for several minutes while her mom just stroked her hair.

“I know I’m going to hurt one of them,” Michelle said. “Or both.”

CHAPTER 44

Lakeside took the opening kick-off and returned the ball to their own 45 yard line. It was a great way to start the game. And four plays later, they were in the end zone. The extra point made it 7-0 early in the first quarter. The rest of the quarter was scoreless until Rogers scored with no time remaining after a seven play, 83-yard drive that took up over eight minutes.

Max was happy the defense was playing so well and that Dave Turner was actually making good calls. In the second quarter, the teams again traded touchdowns, which made the halftime score 14-14.

Often a football game will come down to which team makes better adjustments at halftime. In this case, it was Rogers. They had the ball three times in the third quarter and scored on each possession. By the end of the third quarter, Rogers was up 35-14.

Max was hoping for a couple drives in the fourth quarter like they had near the end of the Siloam Springs game. They tried some of the plays that had worked for them in that game, but Rogers was ready. They’d watched the film and had also seen what worked.

With just over six minutes left in the game, Lakeside was on the Rogers 28 yard line. A touchdown would bring them within two scores. Still a long shot, but it was a chance.

Lakeside’s quarterback threw a pass down to the goal line that was picked off and returned 99 yards for a touchdown. It put Rogers up 42-14. Max felt sick as he watched the game, the season and very likely his job slipping away.

Lakeside fumbled the ensuing kick-off at their own 8-yard line with 3:49 remaining in the game. Rogers didn’t appear to be interested in scoring again. They just ran the ball up the middle on first down for a gain of 2 yards. They ran the same play on second down and gained 3 yards. On third down at the Lakeside 3 yard line, they ran the same play again. No one on the defense even got a hand on the ball carrier. With the extra point, the score was 49-14.

In Arkansas high school football, when a team is up by 35 points, the “mercy rule” is invoked, which means the clock continues to run even when it would normally stop for an incomplete pass or a player running out of bounds. The idea is to get the game over as soon as possible and cut down on additional scoring. Max knew what it was like to be up by 35, but he’d never been on the receiving end of the mercy rule. It was humiliating.

With less than two minutes remaining, Rogers put their sophomore defense on the field. Lakeside’s starting offensive was still in the game and scored on a 79 yard run with no time left on the clock. It was their first points since the second quarter. They missed the extra point, which was the icing on the cake. The final score was 49-20. It wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The second half had been the worst exhibition of football Max had ever seen. He couldn’t get off the field soon enough.

After shaking hands with the Rogers head coach, Max turned to head to the visitor’s locker room. The first person he saw was Jack Murphy making his way onto the field and heading right toward Max. Max altered his course to avoid Jack, but it didn’t matter. Jack was about to speak, but Max pushed past him and yelled, “If you know what’s good for you, Jack, you’ll keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way.”

Max caught the look of surprise on Jack’s face. Maybe no one had ever stood up to him before. Well, someone needed to and Max was glad he’d done it. He was sorry some of the parents and players had to hear it, but Jack had it coming.

He looked over his shoulder once he was through the gate and saw Dave Turner and Jack Murphy walking off the field together.