Touchdown Tony Crowne and the Mystery of the Missing Cheerleader (14 page)

“Ready! Set! Hut!”

With Judd racing to the end zone, Tony pump faked and the free safety reacted by moving over to help the cornerback cover him. The linebackers also bit on the fake and moved deeper into their coverage. Tony brought the ball down, turned and placed the ball into Nick’s hands and yelled, “Go! Go!”

Nick secured the football and shot to the left. He danced around the rushing defensive end, had a brief window of open daylight, scooted through it and ran untouched to the nineteen yard-line where he was knocked out of bounds by the weak-side cornerback.

One minute and four seconds remaining in the game.

“N-n-n-ick M-m-m-iller! For a gain of thirty-six yards!” Smilin’ Bob boomed into the microphone as the pep band broke into the Bobcat fight song while the fans stood up and cheered the successful play.

“Huddle up! Okay, now it’s time for a real pass. Judd line up at tight end on the left side and run a crossing pattern like this. “Tony drew a pattern on his chest and Judd nodded okay. “Nick, line up in the slot on the right side and also run a crossing pattern. I’ll get the ball to whoever is open. Got it? Hike on two! Hike on two! Break!”

“Ready! Set! Hut! Hut!”

Drew Morgan, the Bobcats’ center, had been battling the Lions’ nose tackle all game and had been mostly winning against his bigger opponent. But, with the game on the line and a passing play called, Drew was too quick to get into his pass blocking stance and accidentally stepped on Tony’s foot after he hiked the football. With his body leaning to drop back to pass, Tony fell to the ground and was whistled down by the referee.

“Sorry, Tony. My fault. My fault.” Drew said to Tony as he helped him up off the grass.

Forty-nine seconds to go and the clock is running.

“Don’t worry about it, Drew. Just keep blocking that guy. You’re doing good!” Tony looked to the sideline and Coach Tiny was signaling him to run the same play. “Line up! Line up! Same play! Same play!” Tony bent down under Drew and moved his right foot back slightly, so he wouldn’t get tripped up again.

“Ready! Set! Hut! Hut!”

Dropping back three steps, Tony looked to Judd, but he was covered too closely. He swung around to Nick, but he was also covered tightly. With the pocket collapsing around him, Tony rolled out to his right and waved at Judd and Nick to go to the end zone. Neither one could shake their defender enough for Tony to feel comfortable throwing the ball, so he ran for a four-yard gain before stepping out of bounds.

Twenty-nine seconds left in the game and the clock is stopped.

“Classic problem when you get down this close to the end zone,” pontificated Hunter Dunwoody as he peered down at the field through his binoculars.

“Oh, what problem is that, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-Mr. Expert, who lost a bet and welshed on it?” Asked Smilin’ Bob, laying the sarcasm on thick.

A seasoned sports reporter, Dunwoody couldn’t care less what anyone thought about him, especially on a full stomach, so he shrugged off the remark and smugly responded, “The field shrinks in the red zone and that helps the defense keep everyone in front of them. The receivers don’t have as much room to wiggle around in and the quarterback has to be more accurate. Like I said, a classic problem. Anyone who knows anything about football, knows that. Anyone. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

Smilin’ Bob rolled his eyes, shook his head and mouthed the words, “Help me,” to no one in particular.

Tossing the ball to the referee, Tony ran back onto the field, looked over at Coach Tiny for the next play, received it, bent down in the huddle and said, “Okay, here we go. Pass play. Judd and Nick, line up on the right side. Judd, at the tight end, run to the end zone and then cut to the right. Nick, at the wide out, run to the end zone and cut to the left. Got it? Hike on two! Hike on two! Break!”

“Ready! Set! Hut! Hut!”

The Bobcat offensive line kept the Lion defenders at bay, giving Tony the luxury of waiting for the play to develop. When Nick cut to the left and Judd to the right, their pattern confused the Lion defenders for a split-second and both defenders broke with Nick leaving Judd wide open. As soon as Tony saw Judd open, he heaved the football toward Judd’s left shoulder on a tight spiral. Judd, with no room left in the corner of the end zone, waited for the football with his hands open and held up in front of him. Matt Bishop, the free safety, recognizing the other defender’s mistake, raced toward Judd and leapt into the air, his outstretched hand deflecting the football out of the end zone.

A massive groan emanated from the Bobcats’ bleachers while an equally rousing cheer rose from the Lions’ fans.

In the most serious voice he could muster, Smilin’ Bob announced, “Incomplete pass for the Bobcats. Fourth down and six. Timeout charged to the Bobcats. Fifteen seconds left in regulation play.”

Chapter 23- The Countdown

“No more alligator tears,
Mademoiselle
Brady?” Detective Bouguereau asked as he glanced outside again to check on Ash. She was still standing next to the water slide, staring glassy-eyed at the lake.

“Crocodile.”

“Excusez-moi
?”

“The saying is crocodile tears, not alligator tears. You can cut out the French act, Boogs. Talk like you’re in America, will you?” She took another long swig of her drink.

Bouguereau took a good, long look at her and could not shake the feeling that she resembled someone he arrested years ago. He inched closer to her as he said, “Miss Tisha Brady? Of course, Tisha Brady isn’t your real name, is it? No, no, I do not believe that it is.”

“Boogs, it’s been so long since I used my real name, I honestly can’t remember what it is. I’ve been Emily, Madison, Hannah, Isabella, oh, and since you’re French, you’ll love this one, I was even known as Fifi at one time. Ha, ha!” Tisha stopped laughing, pointed her finger at him and warned, “Stop right there, Boogs! Don’t come any closer to me or Ash will end up in the lake, and you know how cold that lake water is at this time of the year. Her little body would quickly develop hypothermia and shut down. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you Boogie-Woogie?” She smiled and looked at her watch.

Even though he was 62 and felt ancient, he knew he could overpower her. Why is she acting with such confidence? I must find out. “
Mademoiselle
Brady, I have had enough with these games. You are under arrest!”

Tisha rolled her eyes at Bouguereau and called out, “Dear Ash, in one minute I want you to slide down into the lake and swim to the far side. Start counting backwards from sixty, Ash. Ready? Go!”

Ash began her countdown in a loud voice, “Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight—”

Bouguereau stepped out onto the balcony, grabbed her by the shoulders and said, “Miss Richardson? Miss Richardson, look at me—”

“Fifty-seven, fifty-six, fifty-five.” Ash would not look at him. No matter which way he would turn her, she would only look at the lake. “Fifty-four, fifty-three, fifty-two.”

Tisha strolled out onto the balcony, crossed her arms across her chest, shivered and said, “Br-r-r, getting cooler out here. That lake water must be lower than seventy degrees now. That would definitely cause hypothermia.”

“Mademoiselle
Brady, what have you done to this poor girl? I demand to know!”

“Forty-nine, forty-eight, forty-seven.”

“Oh, Boogs, stop with the melodrama. It’s just a simple form of hypnosis. Anyone can do it, even you!”

Hypnosis! Tony was right, Bouguereau thought.

Tisha backed over to the other side of the balcony. Keeping her eyes peeled on Bouguereau, she bent down and picked up a coil of boat rope. “Hmm, this should work nicely to tie you up and keep you out of our way.”

“Thirty-six, thirty-five, thirty-four.”

Searching for any opening into Tisha’s conscience, Bouguereau said, “This is madness. I cannot believe that you would intentionally cause harm to an innocent child. How can you be so ruthless?”

Tisha placed her right hand over her heart, clicked her tongue and said, “Ruthless?
Moi
? You’re the one sending Ash into the lake, not me! All you have to do is obey my commands. My first command is to throw your gun into the lake. Now!”

“Twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven.”

Using both hands to open his tweed overcoat, he said, “As you see, I am unarmed. I do not carry a service revolver, I never have and I never will.” Bouguereau closed his overcoat, rested his walking cane on the floor and gingerly fingered the side of his cane handle. Even though he never carried a police sidearm, he was not without a weapon. His custom-made walking cane concealed a razor-sharp eighteen-inch sword within its hollow shaft. Bouguereau pressed the release mechanism on the side of his cane handle, silently releasing the blade, but kept it sheathed until she answered one last question.

“Mademoiselle
Brady, what is preventing me from picking you up and throwing
you
in the cold lake water?”

“Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen.”

Tisha threw her head back, laughed and replied, “Well, beside the fact that I’m twenty-two, in great shape and you’re—oh, what’s a kind word— dumpy? Pleasantly plump? Sure, you could toss me over this railing, but then what? Are you athletic enough to chase Ash down the slide, swim after her in cold water, catch her and then swim back? Give me a break! Boogs, you are definitely over the hill, like, way-y-y over the hill, you can’t even think straight, old man! In ten seconds, because of your stupidity and stubbornness, Ash is going to throw herself down that slide, splash into that cold lake and attempt to swim to the far side. And guess what? There is nothing, nothing, you can do to stop her. Only I can stop her, me,
moi
! No one else knows how to bring her out of the hypnosis.”

“Eight, seven, six.”

I must play her game until an opportunity presents itself, Bouguereau thought. He sighed, glared at Tisha and said, “Very well, I concede. You are victorious this time. Please stop Miss Richardson from entering the lake. I shall do whatever you command.” He pushed the blade back into his cane until the mechanism locked.

“Three, two, one. Time for a swim! Last one in is a rotten egg!” Ash threw her arms up into the air and bounded up the slide stairs.

Chapter 24- The Third One

Running off the field toward the Bobcats’ sideline, Tony’s mind raced with possibilities for the last play of the game. What haven’t the Lions seen today? They are definitely keying on Judd, no doubt about that. They are double and sometimes triple-teaming him wherever he goes. How can we turn that to our advantage? What hasn’t Judd done today? He’s run the ball, he’s caught the ball, he’s—Tony’s eyes lit up in excitement. That’s it! I gotta tell Coach Tiny!

Tony ran straight to a grim-faced Coach Tiny who was also deep in thought about the next play and shouted, “Coach, I’ve got an idea!” Coach Tiny bent down to hear Tony’s explanation. He thought about it for a second and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Coach, have I been wrong about what Judd can do so far?” Tony replied with a grin.

Coach Tiny shook his head, put his hand on Tony’s shoulder pads and said, “You’ve got me there. Okay, we’ll go with that play.” Turning toward the rest of the offense, Coach Tiny shouted, “Gather ‘round. Here’s the play we’re gonna run to score a touchdown!” He knelt on the grass, put his dry-erase board on his knee and diagrammed the play. He explained the X’s and O’s to his players as fast as he could.

The referee yelled to both sidelines that the timeout was over and to take their positions on the field or risk a delay of game penalty.

As Tony jogged back onto the field, he looked over his shoulder and saw Coach Tiny with both arms draped over Judd’s shoulder pads, staring intently at him and giving him some last-second instructions. Satisfied that he made his point with Judd, Coach Tiny slapped him on the back and sent him onto the field.

In the huddle, Tony knelt on one knee and said, “Everybody clear on their assignments? This is probably our last play of the game. We gotta score a touchdown no matter what! Hike on two! Hike on two! Break!”

Nick Miller ran to the right-side wide receiver position and Judd lined up in the tailback slot just to the right of Tony. Before Tony called his signals, he studied the Lions’ defensive formation. He noticed they were in their regular 3-4 defense and not a prevent defense. Must be worried about a pass or a run from Judd, he thought before crouching to take the snap from Drew Morgan.

“Ready! Set! Hut! Hut!”

Tony reverse pivoted and with his left hand stuck the football into Judd’s midsection. Judd cradled the ball and began to trot laterally, in an effort to fool the Lions’ defenders into thinking he was running a sweep. Most of the them were tricked and came up to the line of scrimmage to stop the run, except for Matt Bishop who covered Nick. He matched him stride-for- stride.

Eleven seconds left in the game.

Running closer to the sideline and out of room, Judd knew Nick wasn’t going to shake Matt enough to catch his pass and he saw his secondary receiver, Jay Evans, sprawled on the field from an accidental trip at the line of scrimmage. Making an instinctive decision, Judd dug his cleats into the grass, stopped and reversed his direction. Hoping beyond hope that he could make something out of nothing.