Chapter 11
Mike Miller's office would have made Cal's favorite TV detective, Monk, go into shock.
Crusty half-eaten sandwiches were wedged next to mounds of paperwork on his desk, some that appeared classroom related, others that looked like football plays. Two pens with chewed off ends oozed ink onto his desk. Phys Ed text books were piled in the corner next to used mouth pieces and broken helmets. The white cinder block walls remained bare with the exception of a cheaply framed 1994 District Coach of the Year certificate hanging slightly off kilter. A wafting aroma of sweaty gym socks and tobacco juice hung in the air.
After a year of covering the Statenville Wildcats football program, Cal had never met Miller in his office. Now he knew why. He wondered if a hazmat suit was more appropriate attire for this unannounced visit.
Miller wasn't in his office.
"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind Cal and Kelly.
Cal spun around to see Buddy Walker, the head boys basketball coach and an assistant football coach.
Walker was new by Statenville standards, set to enter his third year at the school. Coaching jobs rarely opened up at Statenville High. It was so far off the beaten path that nobody considered it a stepping-stone for his coaching career-it was a final destination. You didn't go to Statenville High if you wanted to coach in Boise or Salt Lake. You went there because you were either from there or you wanted to live there until you died. Walker certainly wasn't the former, but many of the townspeople weren't convinced he was the latter either. Walker wasn't the smartest coach by Cal's estimation. But he possessed plenty of youthful energy, a valuable trait Walker needed when he was hired to replace his popular predecessor Nick Zentz, who died in a tragic hunting accident.
"Hi, Coach Walker. How are you?"
"Oh, hey there, Cal. We could be doing a lot better today."
"Yeah, I'm still in shock that those three boys are gone. I interviewed Cody last week for our football preview."
Walker looked down and dragged a used mouthpiece across the floor with his foot. His face silently agreed with Cal.
"How's Coach Miller holding up?" Kelly asked.
"He's doing all right under the circumstances. But he's pretty torn up. This team is like a family and right now we're all hurting."
"Is Coach Miller here?" Kelly asked.
"Yeah, you can find him in his own private sanctuary-the football field."
Up until this moment, the report of the three boys' death was just a sensational news story. Now, the human element of what happened struck Cal. He began to feel a little uncomfortable, even embarrassed that he hadn't thought of how Miller might be feeling. But he still had a job to do no matter how awkward it was.
"Thanks, Buddy," Cal said somberly.
Cal and Kelly quietly exited Miller's office and headed for the football field.
Statenville High may play eight-man football and have only 3,500 people living in the city limits, but Wildcat Stadium had a seat for every one of them.
Cal often wondered why. When it came to wins and losses, the whole athletic program was an embarrassment. But that didn't seem to matter to the people of Statenville. They supported their team no matter what. And if you didn't believe that, the fact that Miller had two winning seasons in 20 years - and about to begin his 21st - was proof enough.
Cal figured the death of three team members would be devastating to Miller under any circumstances. It was hard enough to find enough boys to suit up each season. In a tragic 24-hour period, his roster had been reduced to 14 players. But these three boys were supposed to lead Statenville to a district crown and maybe even a state title. That only added to an already difficult professional situation for Miller.
When Cal and Kelly reached the stadium, they found Miller sitting in the bleachers at the 50-yard line, staring blankly at the field.
"Cody had a good shot to start at Washington State next year," Miller said without even looking at the reporters. "Those boys had their whole lives in front of them. I can't believe they threw it all away for drugs."
"It does seem a little odd, doesn't it?" Cal responded.
"So, I guess you want some comments for your story."
"If you don't feel like talking right now, I understand. It's OK. We can come back later."
"Now is as good of a time as any."
"Coach, I guess the biggest mystery to me is why a kid with such a promising future would be doing drugs."
"What promising athlete isn't doing some type of drug today?" Miller's cynicism took Cal aback. He continued. "I know some of these boys do drugs, but nobody in this town seems to care. Not even the parents."
"Did you ever talk to Cody's parents about his drug usage?"
"Yeah, one time I saw Cody's dad after practice and I mentioned that he might be using. But his dad just laughed at me and said, 'If it helps him get ahead, I'm all for it.' It made me sick."
"Does meth really help you as an athlete?" Kelly interjected.
"I've heard it gives you a lot of energy. So for a guy who really wanted to make it out of Statenville as an athlete, it helped him work out longer. And the more you work out, the stronger you get and the more you can do physically. Heck, most college coaches don't care if you're smart as long as you look good gettin' off the bus, so where do you think an athlete who wants to play in college is going to spend his time? It ain't studying after school, that's for sure."
Miller's straight talk stunned Cal into silence. Coaches always had standard answers for his questions, but Miller was off script. It was refreshing - and shocking.
Kelly noticed Cal was entranced by Miller's honesty. She continued her line of questioning.
"So, how long did you know Cody was using?"
"It started last summer, probably just as a way to help him gain an edge in the weight room. But it wasn't too long before he was addicted. He impressed enough college coaches in the fall to get a handful of scholarship offers, but I didn't suspect he'd ever really make it to campus."
"That bad, huh?"
"Yeah, he was going south in a hurry. Physically, you couldn't tell. But mentally? He wasn't nearly as sharp as he was his sophomore year or even last season. I even considered moving him to running back so he wouldn't have to remember so much. But this town would've gone nuts. Even I would've lost my job over a coaching move like that."
Cal smiled. Miller might be grieving, but his sense of humor - and grip on reality - was intact. It was enough to break him out of his catatonic state.
"But isn't this unusual, Coach? I mean, three guys in 24 hours by using meth and all overdosed? I'm not a drug expert, but that seems highly improbable."
"So, you think it was the mountain lion that got them?"
Kelly and Cal shot glances at each other, recalling Mrs. Washburn's crazy rumor.
Kelly played dumb. "Mountain lion? What are you talking about?"
"You guys haven't heard that yet? I thought you were the reporters, not me."
"Where did you hear that?" asked Kelly, feigning surprise.
"Oh, it's just a rumor I heard, but somebody told me that they heard Cody and Devin's bodies looked like they had been mauled by a mountain lion. I don't know any drugs that will do that. I know it's a crazy rumor, but it might be something that the parents of those boys need right now to make sure they don't go crazy with feelings of regret, like they didn't pay enough attention to their sons."
"According to you, they didn't."
"Look, I'm just processing this stuff out loud with you two, but can I trust you not to report anything I've said?"
Cal sighed. He had been capturing the whole conversation on his digital recorder. He hit the stop button.
"OK, Coach. I promise not to attribute any of this information to you. But if this turns out to be something more suspicious, I might call you and ask for your permission to reveal some information as an unnamed source. Deal?"
"Only if there's a killer involved and it'll help catch him. I don't want to speak ill of the dead or the parents of the dead, especially in this town."
Cal stood up.
"Thanks for your time, Coach. And I'm really sorry for your loss. I know your job in the days ahead is going to be tough, but I'm sure you'll get through it."
"Thanks, Cal. Kelly. You two have a nice day."
Neither reporter spoke until they got into Kelly's car.
"A mountain lion?" Cal asked. "Are these people for real? Why would anyone think a mountain lion could kill three teens in three different places in a day's time?"
"I don't know, but there's only one way to find out."
"Yeah, good luck with that. Sheriff Jones won't give us a thing, much less an accurate coroner's report."
Kelly was already hitting high RPMs in second gear when she shifted into third and smiled.
"Did you forget that my cousin is the coroner?"