Chapter 18 - WHAT ETHAN HIDThree days after the fight, Elaine found the missing clue.
Not investigators.
Not lawyers.
Not Cole.
His mother.
She called while Cole was having stitches removed.
"I think your brother was smarter than all of you."
"That's not new."
"Come over."
At Elaine's house, she had laid old family photographs across the dining table.
One showed Cole and Ethan as children in Phoenix.
Cole frowned.
"Phoenix."
Ray's name in the notebook.
ASK RAY ABOUT PHOENIX.
Elaine turned over the photograph.
Ethan had written something on the back.
RED BIRD. FIRST WIN.
Cole remembered.
At twelve years old he had won a regional junior tournament in Phoenix.
Their father bought him a cheap red metal bird from a gift shop.
Cole had forgotten it entirely.
Elaine hadn't.
She brought down an old storage box.
Inside were school trophies, photographs and childhood junk.
At the bottom sat the red bird.
Cole picked it up.
Something rattled.
Maya smiled.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Cole unscrewed the base.
Inside was a small memory card.
Eight years hidden in his mother's attic.
They loaded it onto an isolated laptop.
Files appeared.
Bank transfers.
Audio recordings.
Photographs.
A spreadsheet.
Names.
Hundreds.
Roman Drake.
Promoters.
Managers.
Bookmakers.
Casino intermediaries.
Several fighters.
Cole stared.
Ethan had built the insurance himself.
Maya scrolled.
"This is bigger than Victor's copy."
"Enough?"
"For investigations? Absolutely."
Cole searched Ethan's name.
Then his own.
One entry appeared.
MADDOX, ETHAN — UNSTABLE ASSET.
Another.
MADDOX, COLE — FUTURE LEVERAGE.
Cole stared.
The date was eight years old.
Roman had been watching him since Ethan died.
Maya saw it too.
"He planned to use you."
Cole felt something colder than anger.
His entire career suddenly looked different.
Had certain opportunities appeared because Roman wanted him valuable?
Had certain opponents been chosen?
He called Ray.
Ray came immediately.
Together they reviewed fight records.
One name.
Then another.
Most looked legitimate.
A few didn't.
Cole felt nauseated.
"Was I built too?"
Ray shook his head.
"No."
"You can't know."
"I trained you. I watched every punch."
"That isn't what I'm asking."
Maya answered carefully.
"Roman may have influenced opportunities without fixing your actual wins."
Cole looked at his belt sitting on the table.
For the first time, it felt contaminated.
Elaine saw his face.
She picked up the belt.
"Did Roman punch Darius?"
"No."
"Did Roman get up every morning and run?"
"No."
"Did Roman spend twenty years getting hit in the head?"
Cole almost smiled.
"No."
Elaine placed the belt back into his hands.
"Then stop giving that man things he didn't earn."
May you like
Cole looked at his mother.
Sometimes the simplest truth was the hardest one to see.
Related Stories
