Chapter 33

Steve

From the moment of kickoff, this game has been intense, with both teams fiercely battling for every yard. Neither side has been able to gain a decisive advantage. That seems to be the norm for a Grey Cup match, and at halftime, the game is a nail biter with the score tied.

I finally make it up to the owners’ box for the second half. I kiss Eliza on the cheek, and she wraps her arms around my waist. We’re too anxious to sit in our seats and instead stand near the window as the second half gets underway.

The Pirates come out firing on all cylinders. They immediately score another touchdown, giving them a fourteen-to-seven lead. The crowd is on their feet, cheering. But the Tigers are not going down without a fight. They mount a furious comeback, scoring a touchdown of their own to tie the game once again. The tension in the stadium is palpable as fans of both teams nervously watch the clock tick down.

With just seconds left, the Tigers kick a field goal, taking a three-point lead. The Pirates have one last chance to win the game.

Eliza stands with her hands together as if in prayer, her eyes tracking every movement on the field. The Pirates drive the ball hard, and in three plays, they score the winning touchdown.

The final whistle blows, and the Pirates erupt in celebration. It was a hard-fought game, but in the end, the Pirates emerged victorious, winning the championship by four measly points.

“It wasn’t a blowout, and given how the team started this year, they should be very proud of themselves,” Eliza says, probably more to herself than me.

I give her a squeeze. “I agree, but let’s not be too forgiving until maybe tomorrow. Let them stew and plan their revenge for next year.”

We watch the ceremony on the field as the Pirates get the Grey Cup. Tom whispers something in Eliza’s ear and she nods. “Steve and I will be there.”

I look at her expectantly.

“Dad says Charles has an update. Would you like to join me when I meet with him?”

I nod. “Of course. But I have some things to do down in the locker room.”

“That’s fine. We’ll meet later this afternoon. I want to go down and talk to Coach Roy and tell him how impressed I am.”

“He may need to hear that today.” I wink at her.

It takes nearly two hours to get everything done, including the press conferences, and then we have to deal with traffic to get back to our hotel.

“Did you at least have fun this weekend?” I ask as we take what feels like the longest elevator ride ever.

Eliza nods enthusiastically. “I did. I’m glad we were here together.”

I kiss her softly. “Me too. ”

When Eliza knocks on her father’s hotel suite door, Laura opens it with Minni and Logan right behind her. They look like they’re heading out.

Eliza peels Minni from her leg. “Where are you going?”

“We’re going to a play park that has lots of slides and trampolines,” Minni says, bouncing up and down.

“They have a lot of energy, and I plan on running it out of them so we can sleep tonight,” Laura explains.

Eliza hugs her. “Good luck.”

As they step out, we move into the living room area. Tom is sitting in a leather chair with a drink in his hand. Charles is standing, looking out the window at the Montreal skyline.

“You brought Steve,” Tom states.

“As I told you I would,” Eliza replies. “He was part of this when we first talked to Charles, and he has insight into the team.”

Charles hands each of us a stack of papers that have been bound together. “We found four issues at least loosely related to the three players added to the roster erroneously, and each of them impeded the team’s success this year.”

Eliza gasps. “Four?”

Charles nods. “We believe that there were games thrown to guarantee losses, you had a doping scandal, and there were issues with your travel and leaks to the press.”

I have so many questions, but I sit back and listen.

“Can you break this down?” Tom asks.

“First, the losses. We found a money trail to Sean Rhymes. After each loss, he received a deposit of fifty-thousand dollars.”

“What?” Eliza screeches. “Where did the money come from?”

“An offshore account.”

“Do you know who sent it?” Tom asks.

“We do,” Charles says. “But I’d like to go through everything first. Can you hold that thought?”

Tom nods and takes a sip of his drink .

“Sean Rhymes often fumbled catches he should have completed. Granted, these issues could have been legitimate, but the payments seem to indicate otherwise.”

“But we continued to lose after he left,” I point out.

Charles smiles. “We did. The other part of bringing on those three was to impact team morale, and that continued to contribute to the losses.”

“Why would anyone do this?” Eliza asks, shaking her head.

“Then we had a doping scandal.” Charles turns to look at me. “You were a suspect, Dr. McCormick.”

I sit up straight. “I was? Why?”

“You were the only one who had control of the samples. But you pushed for a retest at an independent lab before it got out to the press, which then removed you from our list.”

That’s good news, I think. “Where did the money land on that one?” I ask.

“That was the hardest to find,” Charles cautions. “But we did find it. More on that in a minute.” He flips to the next page. “Travel was greatly disrupted this year.”

“How did I not realize that?” Eliza questions.

“Because the team has a strong travel coordinator who had contingencies upon contingencies. But we found that there were buses canceled and a four-hours-late departure because the plane didn’t get fueled like it was supposed to.”

I remember that one. “That was a tight arrival,” I point out. “We ended up getting to Yellowknife at midnight. Didn’t make for easy going the next morning. At least we still won.”

“It was the semi-final game,” Tom adds, looking at Eliza.

She nods understanding. She’d quit the team by then.

“The head of travel got a ten-thousand-dollar kickback each time the team had a transportation problem, with the money coming from the same off-shore account.”

Tom clears his throat. “And the leaks?”

“Rumors are normal when a team is struggling,” Charles begins. “But because we found the offshore account, we were able to identify deposits that seemed to coincide with the drama going on within the team.”

We all look at Charles expectantly.

“We were watching the entire team—the coaching staff, front office staff, and all the trainers and therapists, and anyone else associated.”

“Including me?” Eliza asks.

“Yes, and your father.”

Tom raises a brow. Charles ignores him.

“Assistant Coach Jimmy Majors was the person behind the leaks,” Charles announces.

“That’s a violation of his contract,” Dad announces. “He’ll be fired immediately.”

“Why would he take money to destroy the team?” Eliza asks.

Charles looks out at the sun setting behind the Notre-Dame Basilica. “We believe he was promised the job as head coach.”

“He wouldn’t be my first choice,” Tom says.

“I don’t believe that’s a concern for him.” Charles begins to pace. “The offshore account was hidden behind over a dozen shell companies from around the world. The payments totaled nearly a half million dollars.”

“Who’s so angry at me that they’d spend that kind of money to torpedo my team?” Tom asks. “It isn’t another owner. We respect each other too much for that.”

Charles nods. “It was not any of the other owners, but we looked for that. With some finagling, we traced the offshore account back to Cochran Limited.”

Tom sets his drink heavily on the table.

“No wonder he was holding out for the Tigers, despite the other two teams for sale,” Eliza says. “He’d invested money. But what value would the team have for him if he gutted it in the process?”

The corners of Charles’ mouth turn up. “One might estimate that the half million he spent would reduce the value of the team by more than five million. The contract he submitted stated he could revalue the team before purchase. That’s very common, so it was overlooked.”

Tom laughs. “If it had worked, it would have been a good investment.”

“True. But he didn’t expect that Elizabeth would be working for the team this year, and she probably brought me in much earlier than you would have—if at all.”

“I would have brought you in sooner if I hadn’t been out of commission,” Tom retorts.

“Donnie Cochran set this plan in motion before he made an offer on the team,” Charles says. “He made initial payments to five members of the Tigers’ staff.”

“They’re all fired,” Tom rants. “I want security to lock them out of the practice space and the offices. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior.”

Eliza holds up her hand, and Charles looks at her. “But how did he get Rhymes, Pelletier, and Cotton on the team?”

“The push for them came from Coach Roy’s email.”

“Is he one of the five?” Eliza asks. “Is he involved too?”

“We don’t think so. We found a copy of the email on the server, but it had been deleted from his sent box. Our theory is that Jimmy Majors snuck into his office, sent it, and then deleted the send notice.”

“Why don’t you think it was Coach Roy?” I ask.

“Because Roy would be fired. Why would anyone sink their career like that?” Charles replies.

Tom still looks shellshocked.

“What are the next steps?” Eliza asks.

“We’ll turn over the espionage evidence to the police, and I expect they will pursue this under federal racketeering laws. People will go to jail. We have proof of who was involved, so we should terminate everyone who received payments. We’ll also notify the league so they’re aware of what happened. The report you’re looking at is ready for their eyes. It doesn’t mention anyone who is not involved—so none of our research is included.”

“This is going to make the papers,” Eliza says. “We should also engage our public relations team and possibly a crisis public relations team.”

“I’m not going to sell the team,” Tom announces suddenly. “I told Elizabeth she could have the team if she married and had kids. I’ll plan on holding on to it until then.”

Eliza looks at him. “What if my sports marketing company is so successful that I don’t want the team? What if I don’t want to be part of any agreement that puts demands on my personal life? I know you love me, but my life is mine. I need you to see that.”

Tom is quiet a moment, looking steadily at Eliza. “If you don’t want it, I’ll sell it to someone else when the time is right. But for now, I want you to go and succeed with your own company. That will bring value to the league. I have no problem championing you and your skills. And if you never decide to marry and have kids, my will will grant you the ability to manage the team however you please once I’m gone.”

Eliza’s shoulders fall. “You know, you could have saved me a lot of heartache if you’d said that at the beginning.”

He shrugs. “I love you, and I know you don’t agree with my methods, but I’m pleased with the progress you’ve made. I’m enjoying you having a life outside of your work, and I think you are as well.”