Choke Hold

Chapter 1-2

Eli was impressed by his friend’s inventiveness and the effort it must have taken to set it up, but he was puzzled about its timing. It wasn’t like they were in some grudge match and Bones was losing. They habitually bet on sporting events, especially basketball and baseball, and by Eli’s reckoning Bones was temporarily ahead. Granted, Eli had just come off a long winning streak. That was during basketball season when the home team had won the championship. Since both Bones and Eli were rabid fans of the local club, all they could do honorably was bet the point spread, and Eli was the statistics man.

But tonight Bones had box-seat tickets to the baseball game, and the odds were all the other way. Born and raised in corn country, Eli was still a devoted fan of his team there, which had stayed put over the years. In his opinion, too many of the pro teams and the players in all the sports had traded venues much too often. How can a local boy find any loyalty in his heart for a team whose owner, coaches, and players have no roots in the city? If Bones weren’t paying, Eli would just as soon catch a game – any game – on TV, keeping one eye on the screen and another on a mystery novel. When they bet on baseball, Bones stuck with their home team, and Eli took whatever club was visiting. Bones’ favorites were winning this season, so he should have no reason to fret.

So? Why the elaborate ruse with Chrissy?

“Sheer entertainment value, my man” was all Bones said when Eli met up with him at the park.

Eli was carrying hotdogs and beer, the least he could do when his friend had somehow scored seats between the dugout and first base. He guessed Bones had some kind of connection, political or otherwise, because a box seat was not something you could just buy. It would be rented for the season, typically year after year to a business or some rich family. But on this subject, Eli was not inclined to ask questions. Not from someone who literally knows where bodies are buried.

They agreed on their small-cap bet on the game, which just as often would involve a favor rather than money. Then after a while, Eli had to ask, “Just what was so damn funny?”

Bones flashed a smile as he admitted, “I had to prove, with you, it is always, always about the money.”

“You’re saying I’m, what? Crass? Greedy? Ambulance chaser?”

“Not at all.” He gulped his beer and laughed. “Just that you’re not near horny enough, which is a matter of concern for a healthy man of your age.”

Eli still didn’t see the humor. “Nice seats,” he huffed. “Like this makes us all homeys and s**t?”

Still laughing, Bones nodded. “I coulda had hotter dates.”

“Was she a hooker?”

That did it. Bones laughed so hard the corporate boys’ club in the next box over shot them curious looks.

“Naw. Actors are cheaper.”

“You watch,” Eli said as the new hotshot pitcher squinted to get the catcher’s signals. “Intentional walk.”

The 3-2 pitch was high and outside, and the batter trotted off to first base.

“You’re a f*****g cynic, Wolff,” Bones said. “And that’s a fact.”

That night, the home team beat the visitors 7-2, giving Eli all the more reason to think he’d fallen into a personal slump.