A football coach hears bad news about one of his star players in this excerpt from my book "Accidental Quarterback"

After taking a pull from his beer, Wendell Turner saw Ed Bob Williams, Milton’s police chief, standing across the poker table.

Instead of his usual smile, Ed Bob Williams looked grim. He removed the toothpick from his mouth.

“Hey Ed Bob, do you want us to deal you in?” said the car dealer.

Ed Bob Williams shook his head. “Not tonight boys. I need to discuss something with Wendell.”

Wendell Turner stepped from the table. He and Ed Bob Williams walked to the far side of the icehouse. The waitress made a motion toward them, but Wendell Turner waved her away.

Ed Bob Williams tossed his gray felt cowboy hat on a nearby table. “Wendell, I got some bad news, my friend. One of your players got into trouble at the lounge tonight.”

“Who was it, Ed Bob?”

“Calvin Lewis”

“Aw damn, what did he do now?”

“His girlfriend shot him. It looks like she went berserk and tried to plug him with a .38 in his left shoulder. Fortunately, she was a lousy shot. She did more damage to a whiskey bottle than Calvin’s shoulder.”

“Is anyone else involved?” said Wendell Turner.

“Well, yeah, we got Gary Adams in custody. He was in possession of about an ounce of marijuana at the time we arrived at the lounge. He’s pretty wasted, Wendell. He said something about a couple of hookers set him and Calvin up, but I don’t buy it. Of course, we got Calvin’s girlfriend in custody. She confessed to shooting Calvin.”

“Look Ed Bob, I need a favor. I need Gary Adams for the game on Saturday. Is there any way you can lose that evidence against him and let the boy go?”

Ed Bob Williams scratched his gut. “I don’t know Wendell; there was a big crowd at the lounge by the time I got there. If we let Gary Adams go, every doper in town is gonna think he can get a free ride.”

“Aw come on Ed Bob, give the boy a break. You know as well as I do, ten years from now, the boy is not going to have anything. Let him enjoy a little football now.”

Ed Bob rubbed his eye. “Well, since I wasn’t there when he was arrested, I guess I could claim we weren’t positive it was his dope. An ounce of dope isn’t worth the effort of the paperwork. All right, Wendell, I’ll let this one slide. But you gotta put that boy on a leash. Next time, he ain’t gonna be so lucky.”