Chester D Campbell [Greg McKe A Sporting Murder (epub)

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.Working with a Goldsboro police officer, I got an informant to admit that the drug came from an aircrew member.We finally narrowed it down to a particular KC-135.We searched the aircraft thoroughly following a couple of missions that had landed in suspect areas, but found nothing.Although I spent many years in the Air Force, I readily confess I do not like to fly.Even with my competent and trusted wife at the controls, I am not a happy passenger.My motto is feet and wheels should be kept firmly planted on the ground.However, this was a case where duty prevailed.I arranged for a mission to a location the DEA identified as rife with cocaine trafficking and flew along as a passenger.I posed as a Department of Defense civilian on a familiarization flight.The guys would’ve called it a joyride.After a routine refueling operation, we spent a couple of hours on the ground before returning to base.The crew consisted of the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and boom operator.I wasn’t able to keep an eye on everybody while we were killing time, but I did the best I could.One thing I noticed, the navigator never let his briefcase out of his sight.He disappeared while I had coffee with the pilot.When I saw him again, he still wagged that briefcase at his side.It looked a bit heftier than before.On the flight back, I identified myself to the pilot as an OSI agent and sent a message to my office to have a narcotics-sniffing dog handy when we landed.The dog found Izzy Isabell’s briefcase fascinating.He sat alertly beside it on the ramp.His handler said it indicated he had found the scent of drugs.When I told Izzy to open it, he caught me with a sucker punch.I retaliated with a right cross that flattened him.That was back in the days when I was still scrappy.Our relationship went downhill from there.I found three bricks of cocaine in the leather case.That’s three kilograms, or nearly seven pounds, which would have brought a tidy sum, even in the late eighties.Under interrogation, he admitted to bringing in dozens of bricks worth a small fortune.While he was locked up awaiting trial, Izzy talked to a cellmate about putting out a contract on me and another witness in the case.Fortunately, he trusted the wrong person.When I returned the file to my storage box and stuck it back in the closet, I knew Arnold Wechsel’s murder and Terry Tremont’s sports melee were not the only problems I faced.Chapter 13We drove both cars to the office the next morning.Jill soon bailed out for her interview with Louie Aregis.I felt she would be in no danger at Coastal Capital Ventures, but I made sure she had that nasty little snub-nosed.38 in her handbag.When I called Rod Jenson at Channel 4 to see when we could meet with him, surprisingly, he said, “Right now.Come on over.”I called Jill before she reached Coastal Capital Ventures.I told her I would talk to Jenson and we could compare notes when we made it back to the office.The television station occupied a hilltop on the opposite side of town.Rush hour had almost ended, but I-40 was still no picnic.I arrived to find a saucy redhead at a reception desk in the lobby, an area with two large windows that looked down on the studio and its news set.Having visited TV stations before, I always marveled at how cramped the studios looked up close compared with how they appeared on a TV screen.It was a profusely lighted room stuffed with cameras, an anchor desk, a weather nook, and sets where news and sports reporters stood to introduce their stories.“I know Rod’s around here somewhere,” the receptionist said.“Let me see if I can scare him up for you.”She punched a few numbers, spoke into the phone, and looked up with a smile.“He’ll be right out.”Jenson appeared a few minutes later and ushered me into a conference room with a long table surrounded by comfortable chairs.About my height, at least ten years younger, he gave me a smile that rumpled his broad brow, well-tanned despite the season.He had the casual, breezy look of a man who enjoyed living on the edge.“I didn’t realize how long it would take you to get here,” he said as we took our seats.“I have to do an interview shortly.I’m not usually here this time of day.”“I should have warned you I was on the other side of the county.I promise not to take much of your time.”“Tell me what you’re looking for.From what you said on the phone, it sounds like you’re talking about the effort to bring an NBA team to Nashville.”I gave a noncommittal shrug.“It’s related to that, but I can’t tell you anything about the client.”His laugh was a muffled rumble.“You sound like a coach declining to talk about a quarterback change.I’ll accept that.”“What are some of the hurdles a group would face in bringing a professional sports team to town?”“I’d say raising lots of cash would rank number one.In the current situation, they seem to have mastered that with two well-heeled local businessmen and this venture capital guy from Florida.You’d need to line up sponsors, too, corporations willing to shell out cash to help get things set up.The most important hurdle, of course, would be attracting fans and selling tickets.That would require a major publicity campaign.”“Do you think Nashville can support three teams, NFL, NHL and NBA?”“In a word, no.”“Which one would lose out?”“My newspaper colleagues are more inclined to speculate on that.I don’t mind giving you my take on it, though.With annual sellouts and a long waiting list for season tickets, the Titans have a lock on their share.The Preds also have an established fan base, though hardly on the same scale.Basketball would have to build from scratch.Still, it could go either way.”“If a basketball team comes in, would they likely share the same arena with the Predators?”“They’d have to.Nashville isn’t about to build another indoor monster downtown [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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