Three-Point Play Read Online Free PDF Page B

all his life. Anyway, he mentioned you from time to time. I think he really hated you at one point, because Pork Chop’s brother, Doug, humiliated him with that one-punch KO. And that all kinda started with you—even though I know it wasn’t your fault or anything. But after a while, he got over wanting to hurt you. He just wanted to throw a scare into you occasionally. It became kinda like a hobby.”
    Cody crossed his arms. “Collecting stamps— that’s a hobby. Stalking someone doesn’t seem like just a hobby to me. It’s more like an obsession.”
    â€œReally? Then why did you tell the police that you thought the whole truck thing was probably an accident—or a prank gone bad?”
    Cody felt the question pressing in on him. He recalled the police interview—and reinterview. “I’m not sure if I know the answer to that,” he began. “I mean, your brother was killed , after all. Whether he was attacking me or just trying to scare me, he paid the steepest price. I didn’t see what good accusing him of attempted murder would do. And, besides, I wasn’t sure. And I don’t go around throwing serious accusations like that unless I’m 100 percent sure. You know, back in Old Testament times, if you accused someone of a crime punishable by death, you had to be willing to participate in the execution yourself.”
    Weitz raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t know that.”
    Cody sensed he was out of danger. Still, he wanted to escape from the restroom. Gary Weitz seemed like a reasonable guy, but he was Gabe Weitz’s brother, and the momentum could shift suddenly—just as it did in sports.
    â€œUh, Gary,” Cody said, “you mentioned that you had a question?”
    Weitz nodded. “Yeah. Well, if I understand correctly what happened, you had gone for help when Gabe stumbled out of his truck and onto that old highway.” “
    That’s right. I really did all I could to get help to him as soon as I could. I ran as hard as I could to find someone.”
    Weitz’s voice was little more than a whisper. “I believe you. What I’m wondering is, you must have known he was alive if you went for help. So, did you talk to him or anything? Did he say anything to you?”
    Cody shook his head sadly. “No. I don’t know if he was conscious. But I did talk to him. I tried to assure him that I was going for help. And I told him I would pray for him. I told him he should pray too.”
    Weitz looked at Cody. His eyes glistened. “I hope he did.”
    â€œI do too,” Cody said quietly.
    Weitz looked up at the ceiling. “You know, at his funeral, a few of his buddies were there. At the cemetery, before they put my brother in the ground, these guys walked by his casket and poured beer on it. Some ritual, huh?”
    Cody nodded slowly.
    â€œI mean,” Weitz said, his voice quaking slightly, “is that what it comes down to? Is that what a guy’s life stands for? Your best friends march stone-faced by your dead body and pour beer on you?”
    Cody searched every corner of his brain for a response. All he could find was, “I’m sorry.”
    Weitz took two steps backward. “Well, you better go find your dad.”
    Cody walked purposefully toward the door.
    â€œThanks for what you did, Cody,” he heard Weitz call behind him. He turned and nodded.

Chapter 4
    Postseason Blues

    C laxton Hills High School was surrounded by ranch-style homes framed by evergreen trees, rose bushes, and hedges manicured with surgical precision. It was a private school where parents coughed up more than $8,000 a year to protect their kids from the dangers— both real and perceived—of South Denver’s public schools.
    As Cody, with his Eagle teammates, traipsed through the gymnasium, he noted the many banners adorning all four walls. Conference, district, and state titles in almost