“You’re jeopardizing your career.”
“I’ll let Emily talk to the police when I think she’s ready. Not a minute before.”
“When do you think she’ll be ready?” Andrew barely restrained his anger.
“You’ll be the first to know.”
Julia passed the La Jolla Library on her way home. Jason Ridge was nagging at her. One Bowen client dead, one cleared of murder, and one suspected of murder.
Coincidence? She didn’t believe it. She made a U-turn and pulled into the library parking lot. She couldn’t help but remember that only six weeks ago, a young volunteer of the library was found dead right here.
She shivered, not knowing if it was remembering the brutal murder of Becca Harrison, or thinking about how Garrett Bowen creeped her out. Something about that guy was disconcerting. She’d met him several times in court, in particular when he was assigned to Emily’s case. On the surface he was attractive, professional, and intelligent.
But Emily didn’t trust or like him, and that held a lot of weight with Julia. Comparing Bowen to Dillon Kincaid, there was no comparison. She’d prefer working with Dillon any day of the week.
She walked in and found an available computer terminal to search the newspaper archives for Jason Ridge. She found several articles about his death as well as many about previous games he’d played in, going back to his freshman year. She printed every article she found.
The first article about his death on the field had a byline by someone she didn’t recognize, but the second article’s byline she
Why was a crime reporter covering the drug-related death of a high school football star?
She read the article carefully.
Mystery Surrounds Football Star Death
By Grace Simpson
Saturday night’s game between the La Jolla Rockets and the San Diego Sprints was interrupted in the third quarter when star Sprints quarterback, senior Jason Ridge, collapsed on the field. He was pronounced dead at the scene after a vigorous attempt to save his life by the league’s doctor, David Mortimer.
A subsequent autopsy on Monday indicated the cause of death to be heart failure due to steroid use.
All varsity football players in public and private schools who play in public leagues are required to be tested at least once a season for steroid use, and can be randomly tested throughout the year. The school released Ridge’s records showing he’d been tested two months before his death and was clean. In his high school career, he’d been tested a total of six times and all were marked “pass” with no traces of steroids or illegal drugs in his system.
The pressure senior Ridge was under this season was more intense than last year, however, according to his grandmother Evelyn Squires of Carlsbad. “Scouts are at every game watching him. It bothered him, the pressure.”
Ridge’s father, James, denied his son used steroids. “Jason loved football and he was naturally a star athlete. He’d never take drugs or steroids. There’s got to be some mistake.”
There was no mistake, according to the coroner’s office spokeswoman Anita Ferrar. “The report is conclusive. Six to twelve hours before his death, Jason ingested four times the safe limit of an anabolic steroid popular among bodybuilders.”
Dr. Mortimer said he’d never heard of an athlete overdosing on steroids. “Steroids cause death usually from repeated use,” he explained. “I’ve known Jason for four years and he’s the last person I’d expect to take steroids.”
Steroid use has been under scrutiny nationwide and colleges are cracking down on players who use. “One strike, you’re out,” UCSD football coach Brian Kyak said. “We don’t control the testing anymore, it comes from the league. They don’t play favorites.”
Jason’s friends were shocked, but one high school junior who asked to remain anonymous said, “Jason was under a lot of pressure this year, especially after all the rumors about him and his girlfriend.”
Jason’s ex-girlfriend, Michelle O’Dell, refused to discuss their past relationship, saying only, “Jason had issues. He was getting help.”
When asked, his father declined to comment about any issues O’Dell may have been referring to.
The police are looking into how Jason obtained the steroids. The selling of steroids without a medical license is illegal in California.
A memorial service will be held this afternoon at 4 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church in San Diego. A private burial service will follow. The Sprints head coach retired Jason Ridge’s jersey, Number 10, in a somber school assembly Monday.
Grace Simpson, crime reporter. She knew more about the story, otherwise she wouldn’t have been assigned to it. Maybe she thought she could get someone to talk about the “issues” Michelle O’Dell had mentioned. Was Michelle the girl Jason had been accused of raping? Or perhaps she knew what had happened.
Julia wondered if journalist Grace had been trying to get more information about the underground market for steroids.
Only one person knew for sure. Julia hesitated before picking up her cell phone.
“Grace Simpson. Talk to me.”
“Grace, it’s Julia Chandler.”
A long pause. “You’re just about the last person I expected to call me. Do you have a comment about Victor Montgomery’s murder? Or maybe why you were put on administrative leave?”
How did everyone know about her leave? “No. I want to talk off the record about something other than Victor’s murder. I’ll buy you lunch.”
“It’s well past lunchtime. You’re going to have to give me more. The judge’s murder is my number one priority right now and I can’t waste my time.”
“I promise if anything comes of this, you’ll be the first to know. And it could be really big. Please.”
Julia could almost hear Grace weighing the pros and cons. “All right,” Grace finally agreed. “When and where?”
Julia named a restaurant in La Jolla, far from where any of her colleagues might spot her talking to a reporter.
Julia hung up, far from certain she’d made the right decision, but her instincts told her there was something about Jason Ridge’s death that seemed peculiar, perhaps related to the other two murders. She hoped Grace had information to share.
And she hoped it didn’t cost her.
Dillon feared he’d missed Garrett Bowen at the country club, but saw him above an empty plate, drinking a cocktail at a table overlooking the golf course.
“Dr. Bowen.” Dillon sat across from him.
“Dr. Kincaid. This must be important to track me down on a Friday afternoon. May I call you Dillon? ‘Doctor’ seems too formal among colleagues.”
Dillon nodded. “It’s about Wishlist, Doctor.” Keep it formal. He watched Bowen’s expression. Except for a tightening around his mouth, his expression didn’t change. If Dillon hadn’t been watching carefully, he’d have missed it.
“Yes?”
“Have you heard of the group?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
“I created it.”
Though Dillon knew he shouldn’t be surprised, since all the evidence pointed to Dr. Bowen’s involvement in the online community, he was nevertheless shocked at the frank admission. “Why?” he asked.
Bowen cocked his head, looking at Dillon as if he’d asked a ridiculous question. “It’s therapeutic, of course.”
“How so?”
