It's a long chapter for you because I'm stuck on the really long flight. Read and review please.
Before they had left, Stillman had called Matilda's home to verify her parents and husband would be available to talk to the two detectives. He had called Scotty to let him know that he had learned that Matilda's mother, Eva, was at the home along with Matthew, who had just returned home the previous night from a game in Los Angeles. Her father, however, was deployed in Kandahar, but Scotty was planning to ask for his email address in order to ask him any questions he and Lilly may have had after they had interviewed Eva and Matthew. Lilly was driving them to the house now, and Scotty was taking advantage of their time alone.
"Scotty, I'm trying to drive." Lilly glared at him as he ran his hand down her thigh, but there wasn't much heat to her words.
"Come on Lil, let me have a little fun while we can," Scotty laughed. The two very rarely had time alone together. They were almost always working cases at the department, where they certainly couldn't show any signs of affection, and when they weren't working they were too exhausted to do much else but sleep. Both detectives were beginning to understand why most people in law enforcement were divorced or single, but at least they had the advantage of getting to see each other daily at work.
"Really Scotty, we need to focus," Lilly laughed. "Come on; before we get to the house tell me more about what you know about Matilda."
"Okay, Lil, okay," Scotty smiled. "Let's see. She was beautiful, but you saw that from her photos. She came from a normal middle class family. Her grandfather was in the Air Force before he started coaching, so she really didn't grow up rich and fancy. Her mom is a writer and dads in the military. She has a older brother, Eli, but he lives in Chicago and plays for the Gladiators. What else do you want to know?"
"It sounds like she was really close to Henry and the team," Lilly replied as she thought about all the possible places that could lead the case. "Any possibility he was involved, maybe she found out something she wasn't supposed to know?"
"I wish I could say it wasn't a possibility," Scotty sighed, "but I've seen things that have really surprised me these last few years. But Lilly, I really doubt it. That girl was Henry's world. He pushed her just like he pushed his players."
"How did Henry like his little girl shacking up with one of his rising stars?" Lilly asked.
"Not sure," Scotty shrugged his shoulders. "He's a hard man for those sports commentators to interview, but I think if she was happy he was happy. He always wanted the best for her. She had been the team's intern since she was in grade school, and she had just gotten the job with the referee committee before she died. She was going to be one heck of a coach."
"Maybe someone didn't like that," Lilly guessed. "Maybe some sexist jerk didn't like that a female was about to come in and be a head coach."
"Wouldn't surprise me Lil, wouldn't surprise me," Scotty told her as the pulled up the gated community where Matilda had once lived. After showing the guard their badges, they were given brief instructions to find the home. It wasn't hard and pretty soon the two were standing on the doorstep of 1515 Miranda Lane. Lilly went to ring the doorbell, but before she could the door was swung open. Standing in front of them was a middle aged woman with auburn hair, with an expression Lilly couldn't quite place. Anxiety? Anticipation? Hope?
"You two must be Detectives Rush and Valens, please come in," Eva ushered in the two to a small living room just off the foyer. It was a rather modest home for a basketball player making thirty million dollars a year but it was warm and inviting.
"You have a lovely home," Scotty told Eva, who gave him a warm smile back.
"Matilda and I didn't want Catalina to be one of those spoiled rich kids." A voice said behind the two detectives, who turned around to see the six feet tall basketball player walking down the stairs. "No one needs one of those giant mansions."
"Mr. Jefferson, it's nice to meet you," Lilly told him as she stuck her hand out to shake his. Matthew smiled back and shook both detectives' hands.
"Please, just Matt. Do either of you want something to drink?" Matthew asked, but both detectives shook their heads. Matthew directed them to sit on the coach, as he and Eva sat across from the,.
"If it would be okay with you and Eva, we would like to ask you some questions about Matilda," Lilly told them. "We know you were interviewed before but there is new evidence in her case."
"Patrick Hughes you mean," Eva replied and Lilly nodded. Stillman had called both Henry and Matilda's mother about the new evidence.
"Patrick couldn't have done it," Matthew said with conviction. "Matilda was his friend. She never said they had any problems."
"Well, is there anyone Matilda did have problems with?" Scotty asked. "The initial report didn't mention anything."
"No, no one." Matthew replied, but Lilly could tell by Eva's soured expression she disagreed.
"Eva, was there someone who wanted to hurt Matilda?" She asked.
"Not hurt just… she was upset with Luther, that's all," Eva sighed. "He broke her trust."
"Eva, it wasn't a problem," Matthew interjected. "They had patched things up months before she died."
"You're talking about Luther Yale, right?" Scotty guessed. "She must have been mad when he talked about her on national television."
"Luther Yale is a former Blazer player and one of the main basketball commentators on ESPN, "Eva explained to an obviously lost Lilly. "About two months before she died they had a blow out fight here."
"About?" Lilly asked. Eva nodded to her son in law to explain what had happened.
"Luther was like one of Matilda's uncles. They met up about once a month at Matilda's favorite Italian place when Luther would fly in from LA and just talked basketball, but it was always supposed to be off the record. As much as Matilda was part of the team, she wasn't. She didn't have the authority to speak on their behalf, you know what I mean?" Matthew asked and both detectives nodded.
"So she would give him opinions about the NBA but he was never supposed to talk about it on television," Scotty replied.
"Exactly, except one time he didn't do that," Matthew sighed. "Henry makes sure the Phoenixes have strong character and that we represent Philly like we should, but sometimes guys make mistakes. There was this picture floating around, one from Halloween, of Jake Iverson and Phillip Stein. They had both dressed up like mobsters and some guy at the party was dressed up like this referee, Glenn Rodgers."
"I'm guessing by the look on your face you aren't a big fan of Rodgers," Lilly observed and Matthew couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"No one is Detective. It's pretty safe to say he was one of the most hated refs in the NBA, and not just by the Phoenixes. He was one of those tools who just wanted to show everyone he had power. He's a bully," Matthew explained.
"So this picture wasn't too flattering to him," Scotty asked, trying to bring the converstation back into focus.
"Yeah, the picture. Iverson and Stein thought it would be funny to pose with the guy dressed up like Rodgers with their fake guns to his head," Matthew told them. "It wasn't their best move, I'll admit it, but it was a party. They were just letting off steam and didn't think someone was going to put it on the internet."
"So Matilda and Yale talked about this picture at dinner?" Lilly asked slightly confused where this was going, but Scotty was beginning to remember that day on Sports Center.
"Yale, he sort of quoted her about some of the flake the team was getting, right?" Scotty asked Matthew and Matilda.
"He wasn't supposed to repeat it," Eva replied exasperated. "He knew what she was saying was meant for his ears only."
"What did she say?" Lilly asked.
"When Yale asked her what she thought about the picture she told him 'he's shit on our team for long enough. It's about time someone shit on him.'" Matthew replied. "It's not like she didn't mean it, that's not what she was angry about, but she knew it wasn't professional. She knew it wasn't something she was supposed to say about a referee, but had a few drinks that night, and Matilda never drank."
"So she and Yale fought over this?" Scotty asked and both Matthew and Eva nodded "How bad was the fight?"
"I just caught the end of it," Matthew explained. "I had gotten home from a game that day and was sleeping upstairs. Next thing you know I hear Matilda screaming her head off."
"You didn't think it would be that big of a deal? That's your excuse for repeating some drunken anger I told you? Are you kidding me?" Matthew had heard mumbled commotion coming from downstairs when he awoke in his room, but he couldn't quite make out the voice his wife was arguing with. As he opened the bedroom door and began to quietly walk downstairs he could hear the conversation more clearly, and he was quickly able to guess who it was.
"He you said it Matilda, not me," Matthew heard Luther say. "You meant it didn't you?"
"You know I meant it," he heard his wife say, "but you knew I didn't want you to repeat it to the world. When have you ever done that before?"
As he walked down the stairs Matthew could tell that his wife and Luther were somewhere near the kitchen. Unsure of what to do he decided to stand by the wall and tried to decide if he should intervene.
"Hey, it's not like anyone's disagreeing with you," Luther replied calmly. "Most people would love to insult that man right to his face."
"That's not the point Luther, and you know it," Matilda replied with an exasperated sigh. "It wasn't professional. You know people are going to use this against me when I try to get an assistant coaching job. You know it."
"That's going to be in a long, long time Matilda," Luther told her. "No one will even remember this."
"Get the hell out of my house Luther, just get the hell out." Matilda said dryly as a silence passed through the room. "Leave and never come back."
"You need me," Luther replied curtly. "Who else is going to get your name out there?"
"I'm going to get it out there all by myself," Matilda yelled. "I don't need some traitor thinking I need him."
It was then Matthew heard their daughter began to wail from upstairs. He walked into the kitchen to see his wife with a red face and clenched fist, and standing across from her was the six foot basketball player that had once been one of her most trusted friends. Matthew felt like he could safely assume that friendship was over now.
"Hey Matilda, I think the baby needs you," He gently told her, unsure of how to handle the situation. She nodded and walked away to go upstairs, but not before glaring at her once good friend. Once she had left the room Luther grabbed his keys from the counter and stuck out his hand for Matthew to shake.
"It's good to see you man. Keep playing the way you've been playing and you'll make MVP," he smiled, but Matthew stepped back and ignored Luther's extended hand.
"You heard my wife Luther," he told him. "Get out."
"Whatever man," Luther shrugged his shoulders as he began to walk out. "You kids just don't get basketball."
"She was beyond angry at him," Eva told them, "but she knew she had to let it go. He was her family and she knew he hadn't meant to hurt her."
"Still, I think one of our detectives is going to interview Mr. Yale," Scotty told them. "Even if it's just over the phone he may be able to tell use something we could use."
"Of course Detective. I'll have someone send you the number of his private cell so you'll have an easy time getting to him." Eva told them, but her attention was diverted when heard the creaking of the stair steps behind her. Standing sleepy-eyed on them was a gorgeous little girl; the spitting image of her mother.
"Grandma, who are those people?" The little girl asked as she pressed her face against the banister.
"I'll explain to you later," Eva replied sweetly as she got up from her seat. "Come on Kitty Cat, let's put you back in that bed so you can finish your nap."
The detectives watched with Matthew as the pair walked upstairs out of sight. Confident the little girl was out of ear range, they continued their last few questions.
"Now, before we leave, is there anyone else you can think that wanted to hurt your wife?" Lilly asked. "Maybe an angry fan had threatened one of you?"
"Actually, when I think about it, there was this one letter I got after she died," Matthew replied. "We got hate mail a lot, from people who didn't like I was black, she was white and were married. Nothing that bad that we thought we were in danger or something. But there was this one letter that stood out. I only got it a year ago actually and when I read it I was so pissed I threw it in the garbage, but I kept the envelope it came in."
"That might really help us Matthew," Lilly told him and Matthew got up to retrieve the letter. Minutes later he was back with a white envelope in his hands.
"It didn't say much," he told them as he handed Lilly the envelope. "All it said was 'I hope she's burning in hell; that's where she should be. She deserved what happened to her and you will never find out who took her from you. She died like the dog she was'."
"Thank you Matthew for helping us out," Scotty told him as the were lead back to the front door. "We're doing everything we can to find out who did this."
"Just do it for Catalina; do it for my daughter," Matthew told them as his eyes went back the upstairs of the house. "She deserves to know what happened to the mom she never really got to meet."