“There are two reasons Sheriff Cochran agreed to this besides the men’s issues up north. First, Ms. Dixon hinted that if the sheriff did agree to Fritz’s arrangement, it would affect how we acted. We wouldn’t start wondering out loud about his department’s lackadaisical response when they got a call about men with guns stalking a lone female. Nor would we be asking publicly about their failure to warn Tracy’s family that Bill had been released.
“Second, it turns out one of the investigators is the father of the pitcher you showed up Saturday. Apparently, he’s been bragging his son would wind up in the majors. He was heard to mutter that it couldn’t have been so clear-cut, and you should’ve been arrested too.”
“By the way, Fritz spoke with Ms. Dixon and asked if, hypothetically, that portion of the video turned out to be ‘unrecoverable,’ would that be a problem. She said we are at this time not required to provide or preserve any video recordings. If that portion were to turn out to be ‘unrecoverable,’ that’s just the way it is.”
Dad paused and looked over at me.
“Do you care to think about what might well have happened if
“Well, the press would’ve had to also show the part where I said I didn’t know I was taking it,” I started. But I was immediately confronted by my father erupting out of his chair again.
“God damn it!” he shouted, his chest heaving. He pointed a shaking finger at me, and I sank back as he slowly sat back down again. I got very still, thinking
“I realize the girls call you a ‘stupid boy,’ but up to this point, I hadn’t considered that you actually could be so stupid it might kill you. If that conversation had leaked, which it would have, the press would’ve only played what Paul said. Yes, it would have been out of context, but they’d never let the full truth get in the way of a juicy story. The focus would’ve shifted from Tracy being saved to your doing drugs.”
“Now, what else would follow if this got out in an uncontrolled manner? First and foremost, Chubby would have dropped you from the Bond movie like a hot potato. The press would have a field day lumping you together with Lindsay Lohan when she had her drug and alcohol problems. And with Robert Downey Jr. when he was untouchable because of his drug addiction.
“Yes, Chubby may be your friend. But if he chose to support you, it could easily lead to the movie tanking and him losing both his investors and his reputation. Or, he could drop you and keep all that. What choice do you think he’d be compelled to make? You’d likely be dumped from the
“Care to think what that would do to your income stream?” Dad asked.
I’d already spent some of my signing bonuses. They would sue me at the very least.
“Next, we get to football and baseball. Oklahoma might keep you; they might drop you. But even if they kept you, you would be on paper-thin ice with them. It would take only one more stunt like your visit to the topless bar for them to drop you for ‘violating team rules.’”
At my look, he nodded.
“Yes, I know about that particular stunt. Yet another case of terminal dumbness to go with your incredibly long list of the same. You have become a poster child for screwing up by the numbers.
“The point here is it’s not just about you anymore. You have companies whose reputations are affected by what you do. You have employees whose financial stability depends to at least a small extent on you,” Dad reminded me.
Dad gave a big sigh, looking defeated.
“And you have five children, five toddlers, who depend on you.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he glared at me again, and I sat back.
“I have to go check on your mom; she needs me right now. But before I do, I want to leave you with two additional thoughts, and I hope you stew over them.
“First, I’ve had a couple of conversations with Brook’s grandmother Grace. We talk more than you think. After all, we’re heavily invested in some of her businesses now.
“Grace is quite taken with you, but she also has expressed some reservations about your maturity. I know you had some long discussions with her, and I suspect she’s given you some quite excellent advice. But now, I want to know something. Have you actually followed any of the advice she’s given you? Or did you just nod your head, say ‘That’s great,’ and then completely ignore the wisdom she shared with you?” Dad asked, his eyes boring into me.
I just pulled a Dawson and clammed up. It didn’t faze my dad.
“If you continue on this way, I will guarantee you she will never let you near her family—especially her granddaughter—again, let alone take you into her confidence. Her support is far more valuable than you know. You seem to be trying to do everything in your power to lose it,” he said and paused to let that sink in.
