“What do you think he is doing all the way out here?” Brand asked Hawkeye as they got out of the SUV.
“I have no clue,” Hawkeye said. “For all I know by the time I traced the call his cellphone could have been tossed out of his car window as he drove by that overpass over there and landed somewhere nearby.”
“Not a good thought after we raced all this way,” Jett said.
“You know where we’re near?” Loverboy said.
“Where?” Rookie asked.
“The arena,” Loverboy said. “The far side if you were to come from taking the ‘L.’ I came this way one day to practice when Jules borrowed the car to run errands after work. It was back in the summer so I didn’t mind walking, but I got off at a stop too soon and I had farther to walk if I had gone to the next stop which brings you around to the front of the arena.”
“Huh,” Don Juan. “And we all know who works at the arena.”
“Don’t go jumping to conclusions,” Hawkeye cautioned. “We want it to be him, but without solid proof we will be right back to square one.”
“And none of us want that,” Brand said. “So what if, Graves’ phone is out here somewhere? Because he was following Monte Adams and he was spotted.”
“I’ll send a text and see if he responds,” Hawkeye said.
“And I’ll contact Swede and see if he can pick up the phone’s location,” Loverboy said. “It can’t hurt.”
While he made the call, they walked around as if looking for something that had been lost along the street. Unsure where to look or what they were looking for. Did Graves have a smart phone or an older model flip phone?
Ten minutes of futile searching and Swede informed him, “Sorry. The phone is either off or no longer using the same SIM card.”
“Thanks, man,” Loverboy said and hung up. “Let’s keep looking.”
They had made it almost to the end of the street when Jett saw something that looked familiar. A blue and black police flag and he bent down to look closer and realized it was not a piece of paper, but a phone case that had been crushed by the curb between two parked vehicles. “I think I found it!” he yelled.
“Don’t touch it.” Hawkeye warned. He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and picked up the phone and he could tell it was damaged beyond repair as if it had been stomped repeatedly by the heel of a boot. “Anyone got an evidence bag on them?”
“I do,” Don Juan said and he opened up his backpack and pulled out a plastic bag, handing it to Hawkeye.
Hawkeye slipped the phone inside.
“Swede said the phone was either off or the SIM card removed,” Jett repeated what the guru said. “It’s obvious now that the phone was off because it was destroyed.”
“Yep,” Rookie said. “What now?”
“We’re not defeated,” Hawkeye said. “We’re still going to find Graves. He’s around here somewhere. And the best place to look is the arena. I brought the signed contract with me. So I have a legitimate reason to go in there.”
The guys chuckled as they turned back toward the arena.
“I’ll also see about scheduling our practice schedules again,” Hawkeye said. “Gotta keep our team in shape.”
“But we’re down two men,” Don Juan said. “Can we find two replacements?”
“Does Hunter play?” Hawkeye asked.
“Nope,” Don Juan said.
They talked about possibilities as they went to the arena and then went inside walking toward the security office to drop off the contract. Monte Adams met them before they got there.
“What are you guys doing here today?” he asked.
“Bringing back this contract,” Hawkeye said. “It’s too cold out for the guys to wait on me. I hope you don’t mind that they came inside?”
“Whatever,” Monte said. “The arena manager isn’t in. You’ll need to drop it off at the security office with my manager.”
