Throughout the first half, the game had been a nail-biter with the lead changing at every possession. Lubbock High would score, then Ferguson High would get the ball, and Ferguson’s quarterback Danny Keel would lead his team into the endzone to tie the game. The lead had seesawed back and forth throughout the first half and every time Ferguson had the ball, the JAG staff would pause what they were doing and watch Danny direct Ferguson toward the endzone. Camp Humphrey, Korea was fifteen hours ahead of Dallas, Texas so the game that everyone was watching on Saturday afternoon, was taking place on Friday night in Texas during the Texas 6A state championship game. The game was being shown on a ninety-inch wall-mounted monitor being cast from LTC Grant Keel’s cell phone to the Apple TV tied into the JAG office A/V system.

During the second half, Ferguson started to pull ahead and by the time the two-minute warning was given in the fourth quarter, Ferguson was comfortably ahead by a score of 48 to 38. The game was not yet over, and anything could still happen but it was looking good for Danny’s team and that is exactly how the game finished, with Ferguson ahead by 10. Danny threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns with one interception off a tipped ball.

The JAG staff was working on Saturday to prepare for an upcoming Inspector General visit and although they were overdue for an IG inspection, LTC Keel was not overly worried about this one. Still, there was always the niggling doubt that someone had overlooked obtaining a signature or getting a time stamp on a document. The JAG office had declared an “all-boots-on-the-ground” Saturday to ensure they were as close to perfect as possible.

This inspection was even more important than most because it would be LTC Keel’s last visit from the IG due to his upcoming retirement from active duty. Grant had originally been scheduled to retire in three months but it was decided that the IG inspection would be the perfect springboard for a change of command, so shortly after the inspection, he would be flying back to CONUS to begin out-processing from active duty. Only his brother knew of his change of plans and Grant was excited to see the look on his wife’s and son’s faces when he arrived home.

Grant’s staff was cheering his son’s performance and clapping him on the back as the students, parents, and fans rushed the field after the final whistle ended the game. It was pandemonium on the field as everyone began hugging each other and jumping and dancing around the field. When the JAG staff saw the slim gorgeous brunette throw her arms around Danny to hug him, the catcalls and whistles in the office were almost deafening. Everyone had seen LTC Keel’s spouse’s photos on his desk and was envious of his sexy, beautiful wife. Cat’s sheer exuberance and joy were written on her face as she hugged her son after his stellar performance. The crowd that had rushed to the field was celebrating by shouting, laughing, and crying; usually simultaneously.

What she did next, however, caused the catcalls and whistles to stop and the entire office to become quiet. Cat jumped into the arms of Randy Cain, the Ferguson head coach, and threw her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist as she deeply and passionately kissed the coach. She was clad in black jeans that looked like they were painted on, a white tank top, and black boots with three-inch heels. She had her ankles locked behind Cain’s back as they kissed on the sidelines.

LTC Keel stared at the screen in disbelief as the staff of the JAG office looked away in embarrassment.

His son Danny was tugging on Cat’s top as Cain released her and she relaxed her legs to stand in front of him, her arms still around her neck.

Grant stopped the stream, closed Safari, and sat at his desk, stunned at what he had just seen. What his entire staff had seen. The blatant disrespect shown to him by his wife and his son’s football coach was unconscionable.

“Colonel, are you okay?” Captain Lynn Dunaway asked. Grant looked at her and shook his head. “It’s not just that she’s cheating ... It’s that she’s so flagrant about it.” He was truly at a loss for words.

Captain Dunaway grabbed Grant’s hand and pulled him out of his chair. “You need to get some air,” she said as she directed him out the back door and into the small parking lot in the rear of the JAG offices.

Grant knew he must have presented a pathetic sight as he stood in the chilly Korean mid-morning sun with tears streaming down his face.

“What. The. Fucking. Fuck.” Captain Dunaway said. “Jesus, Colonel ... what she did ... That’s royally fucked up.”

As Grant stood there trying to come to grips with what he had just witnessed, his phone dinged with an incoming text.

Danny: wish u were there. Awesome game. we won 48-38. I thru 4 275 & 4 tds

Grant looked at his phone debating how he should respond. Captain Dunaway could read his thoughts, however, because she grabbed his wrist before he could return his son’s text.

“Text back like you normally would. Don’t say anything that can come back to haunt you.”

Grant nodded his head in agreement and responded:

Dad: That’s great! Wish I was there 2. Great job!

Danny:

“How long do you think it’s been going on?” Captain Dunaway asked.

“Does it matter if it’s a day, a month, or a year? I’ve been in Korea for nine months now, so it could have been going on the entire time I’ve been over here. We purchased the house a year ago, so I don’t think it was going on any longer than that since I was at home every weekend. But now I’m wondering how many others have there been. Hell, is Danny even my son?”

They talked for another thirty minutes until Grant was calm enough to return to the office and address his staff. It was the most humiliating and embarrassing thing he had ever done and they were embarrassed for him. Shortly after his address to the staff, Grant thanked them for coming in and dismissed them for the day. If they could not pass the IG inspection by now, they never would.

The next week was typical of these types of inspections. Similar to an audit in the private sector, an IG inspection is every bit as invasive as a colonoscopy. Everything you have done and every decision you have made is called into question and has to be responded to politely and clearly. The result was that they passed the IG inspection and it was time to turn over command to LTC Keel’s replacement, Lieutenant Colonel Kiana Cardwell. Grant had known Kiana for several years and knew she was a fine officer and an excellent attorney and the JAG staff would be in good hands.

The only person other than Grant not staying in Korea with Colonel Cardwell was Captain Lynn Dunaway. She would be traveling with him to Fort Cavazos in Texas, where he would out-process as active duty and enter the Army Reserve, and she would report to her new duty station with the JAG office at Three Corps. Grant felt that he owed Captain Dunaway a great debt. In the weeks following the discovery of his wife’s cheating, she provided a shoulder to cry on and moral support as he out-processed; leaving the only full-time employment he had ever known.

Randy Cain was in a sour mood as he walked toward his truck. He had begun his day with a leisurely fuck, with his girlfriend riding him until they both climaxed. ‘Girlfriend’ he snorted to himself. Yeah, right.

After Cat had orgasmed, she rolled off and lay next to Randy as they caught their breath.

“I’m going to miss this,” she sighed.

The comment annoyed Randy. “We don’t have to stop. You can divorce him and marry me you know. I’d marry you in an instant if you said yes.”

Cat stiffened next to Randy. “I’ve told you that’s not happening. I love my husband. When he gets out of the Army, I am going to spend the rest of my life making it up to him for our little fling. When Grant comes home, you and I will see each other in the hallway at school or the cafeteria, smile, and say hello. I’ll keep teaching science, and you’ll keep coaching and we can be friends. But I love my husband and nothing is going to break up my marriage.”

Randy barked out a bitter laugh. “If you love him so much, why am I in your bed? Is it because the sex is so much better with me? If that’s the reason, can you really live with going back to the same old, same old?”

Cat shook her head. “The sex with you is not better than with Grant. It’s different, but not necessarily better. He still makes my toes curl, just like he did that first time in Sydney.”

Randy grimaced at that statement. Cat had met her husband Grant at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Cat had played on the US Women’s Volleyball team and Grant had been on the US Fencing team. Cat was a senior in college while Grant was a 1^st Lieutenant in the Army participating in their World Class Athlete Program that provided an opportunity for service members to participate in sports while on active duty. Cat and Grant had met at the Olympic Village and had developed an immediate attraction. The atmosphere at the Olympic Village was a seething cauldron of sexuality as young, in shape, attractive athletes mingled with each other. Cat and Grant found themselves in bed together within two hours of meeting and had been together ever since. The fact that Cat was from Dallas, Texas, and Grant was raised an hour away in Ferguson, Texas cemented their relationship.

The US Women’s Volleyball team had failed to medal in the Olympics, but Grant had medaled twice; a silver medal for individual sabre and a bronze medal for team sabre. Cat had explained to Randy that her husband preferred the more aggressive fencing style of the sabre since you could score by slashing and cutting and not just by touching, as with the foil and épée.

Randy had just looked at her blankly. When Cat had first told Randy that her husband had been a world-class fencer, Randy had pictured some guy who was really good at using a post-hole digger and was confused as to why she was bragging about him. After finding out what fencing was (oh, like Zorro) and that it was a real sport, Randy found himself annoyed and jealous that not only was Grant married to an absolute smoke show like Cat, but that he was an Olympic medalist as well. While those two had been cavorting at the Olympic Village, Randy had been in middle school trying to get bulked up for high school ball. After playing high school, and then college football for Arkansas, the 6’6” and 265-pound defensive lineman had not been drafted by any team. He was signed to the practice squad of the Detroit Lions as a walk-on but was released after one year. He was then signed as a practice squad walk-on by Buffalo but was released after three weeks. Realizing his NFL career was headed nowhere, he signed on to play with the Ottawa Renegades in the Canadian Football League but was released halfway through their season. Randy then pivoted to coaching and quickly worked his way up the ranks of high school coaches, culminating with Ferguson’s win over Lubbock for the Texas 6A championship. After his win, several colleges had reached out to Randy about joining their coaching staff and he felt that he was in a good place, although most of the job offers were contingent upon bringing Danny Keel with him. If he could only talk Cat into divorcing Soldier Boy and marrying him, life would be perfect.

Randy figured he had three months for a full-court press to talk Cat into leaving her husband and marrying him. After that, her husband would be retired and back home. Cat had indicated that there might be the possibility of eventually restarting their affair, but that is all it would ever be. Danny would be starting college in the fall and wouldn’t be underfoot like he had been before. Catching his coach and his mom in bed together ... wasn’t that a near disaster? Cat and Randy thought Danny was out for the day, and after a particularly athletic bout of sex, Randy had walked naked into Cat’s kitchen to fetch water for them both. Danny had been sitting at the table in the breakfast nook and had watched as Randy, his cock swinging, wet and shiny from being in his mother, sauntered into the kitchen as if he owned it. Danny had started for the coach with fist raised but before Danny could do anything, Randy had performed a leg sweep, causing Danny to land hard on the kitchen floor, nearly blacking out as the back of his head hit hard against the stone flooring.

Hearing the ruckus, Cat had thrown on her robe and rushed into the kitchen in time to see Danny struggling to his feet. She had placed herself between her lover and her son and begged them to stop and to calm down.

Cat assured her son that what she had with Randy was only a fling and would have no bearing on her marriage. She had begged Danny to not say a word to his father since it would destroy him. Danny would be responsible for his parent’s divorce and his father’s devastation and his silence was necessary for his parent’s marriage and his father’s mental health. Danny had angrily agreed to keep quiet and during the intervening months, seemed to have gradually accepted the affair and could, on occasion even joke with his mother and Randy about their relationship, although over the last couple of weeks, Randy had noticed a chill in the air when he was around Danny.

Randy had to admit that he was partially to blame for things going south. On a couple of occasions, after leaving Cat’s bedroom, Randy had made comments implying what a great piece of ass Cat was. Randy was big enough to know that he should apologize for his comments and the smirks, but he had not got around to it yet. Things nearly went off the rails a couple of weeks ago when Danny entered his bedroom, only to find Randy looking at his trophies.

“I didn’t know you practiced Karate,” Randy said.

Danny had just looked at Randy and asked, “What are you doing in my room?”

Randy had pointed at a framed certificate. “I’m a black belt also. I’ve been taking karate since I was eight.” Randy was hoping he could form a connection other than that of a coach and player with Danny. If Danny could see him as a mentor or a stepdad, then maybe he would listen to Randy about changing colleges. Danny had politely asked Randy to leave his room.

As Randy continued trying to chat with Danny about karate and martial arts, Danny interrupted Randy by saying with barely suppressed rage, “Get the fuck out of my room you fucking asshole.”

Randy was about to retort back to Danny but at the last minute pulled back. He didn’t care about Danny’s feelings, but he didn’t want to cut himself off from Cat’s pussy.

“Have you given any more thought toward changing Danny’s mind about college?”

Cat rolled her eyes at Randy bringing this subject up once again. “He’s not going to change his mind. He’s been planning this his whole life and he’s not going to change his mind at this late date. His father went there and that’s where he’s going.”

“No one except a bunch of soldiers and sailors gives a shit about watching Army play Navy. I don’t understand why he wants to go to West Point when he can go to any D1 school in the country. It makes no sense to me. He plays at a top school, then he gets drafted into the NFL, and he’s set for life.” Unsaid by Randy was the thought that it could also vault him into a college coaching job and maybe an NFL coaching job as well. All the better if Danny is his stepson, but his future could be set even if things didn’t pan out with Cat. After all, she was ten years older than Randy and while he did love her, Danny could hold the key to Randy’s future, not his mother.

More to shut Randy up than because of any feeling of desire for him, Cat leaned over and took Randy’s cock into her mouth. He groaned and relaxed back into his pillow and forgot about football for a minute.

As Randy rounded the front of his truck after exiting Cat’s house, he noticed the driver’s front tire was flat. ‘Fuck,’ he thought, ‘this could not have happened on a worse day.’ Randy was already running a bit late due to Cat’s last-minute blowjob and now the thought of changing a flat pissed him off. Today was the scheduled pep rally for the revealing and hanging of the state championship banner. The entire football team and coaching staff would be feted and fawned over and Randy’s role was to deliver a short speech and then introduce each player, relating a fun fact about them. Reporters would be in attendance and Randy looked at the event as another way to increase his coaching profile.

As Randy squatted next to his flat tire, he felt, rather than saw someone behind him, before he felt something strike him in the back. The blow did not pain him at first, but it did knock him to his knees, after which the intense pain began. Randy was able to turn around and look up to his attacker who he saw was wearing a black hoodie, dark, wraparound sunglasses, and a black N95 Covid mask effectively concealing their identity. He saw his assailant bring the aluminum baseball bat back and then time seemed to slow as Randy saw the bat swing forward. Randy was able to read the manufacturer’s name of “Easton” in large letters on the barrel of the bat, and below that the phrase “B5 Pro Big Barrel” as he watched the bat head for his face in slow motion. He saw, rather than felt, the bat hit his jaw, but mercifully, the impact rendered him unconscious so Randy did not feel the destruction of the left side temporomandibular joint as the mandible and temporal bone, known collectively as the jaw hinge, separated as they, along with the entirety of the left side of his jawbone were pulverized into small bits and powder by the force of the swing. Neither did Randy feel the impact as the aluminum bat struck his testicles twice, destroying one and badly damaging the other. Nor did Randy feel the bat strike the patella of each knee as the knee caps were shattered and the underlying bones and tendons badly damaged. This was followed by strikes to the humeroulnar joints of the elbow, the damage of which ensured that for the remainder of his life, supporting his weight during the missionary sexual position would be Randy’s least favorite way to have sex, on those few occasions when he would in fact, be able to have sex.

The unknown attacker then grabbed a bicycle that had been parked in the landscaped area of the cul-de-sac across from the Keel house, hopped on, and pedaled swiftly away from the scene.

As Cat hurriedly backed out of her garage late for the pep rally, she was surprised to see Randy’s pickup truck still parked on the street in front of her house. Her home was located at the end of a cul-de-sac and saw little traffic so she had never worried about Randy parking his truck in front of the house. Her three-car garage housed her Lexus, Danny’s Camaro, and Grant’s Lincoln SUV so the street was the only place for his Dodge Ram with its oversized tires and raised suspension. As she backed into the street, she glanced at his truck and was startled to see Randy lying in the street. Thinking he may have fallen or had a heart attack; Cat threw her car into Park and ran to assist Randy. As she ran up to him, she saw the unnatural position of his arms and legs and as she took in his face with the jaw hanging loose and unattached, she screamed and the world seemed to go hazy for a moment. Coming to her senses, Cat grabbed her phone and called 911. She then had the presence of mind to call the high school and explain that neither she nor Coach Cain would be in that day.

Detectives Mann and Lucas sat next to each other on the sofa in Cat Keel’s living room after declining her offer of coffee.

“Hopefully this won’t take long, Mrs. Keel,” the male half of the pair, Detective Mann said. “What was the purpose of Coach Cain’s visit so early this morning?”

Cat had flushed crimson at the question. “He stayed the night,” she said quietly while looking down at her hands which were clutched together in her lap.

The detectives glanced at each other and then Mann asked the obvious follow-up question: “Are you involved in a sexual relationship with Coach Cain?”

Cat had nodded her head as tears leaked from her eyes.

“How long have you been involved with Coach Cain?”

“Approximately nine months,” Cat answered in a near whisper.

“Does your husband currently reside here?” Detective Lucas, the female half of the duo, asked.

“My husband is stationed at Camp Humphrey in Korea,” Cat sobbed. “He’s due to retire in three months and return home.” At that, Cat had to pause the interview to take a couple of deep breaths.

“Is he aware of your relationship with Coach Cain?”

“Oh no! He must never know about my affair. It would kill him. This whole situation needs to be kept from him,” Cat implored pleadingly.

“Mrs. Keel, we’re going to have to interview your husband. A man was severely beaten after leaving the house which he co-owns with you. There is absolutely no way of keeping this “situation” from him,” Detective Lucas said.

There was a long pause as Cat began sobbing loudly and left to gather herself. When she returned, a box of tissues in hand, the detectives resumed their questioning.

“Mrs. Keel, are you sure your husband is in Korea? Could he have returned to the United States?”

“No, that’s impossible. If Grant was in the US he would be here. My husband loves me too much to stay away from our home.” Cat pulled out her iPhone and tapped the screen. “See? He’s still in Korea.” The Apple Find My Phone clearly showed her husband’s phone as being in Korea.

Mann and Lucas looked at each other thinking the same thing: all that proved was that his phone was in Korea.

“Mrs. Keel, who else lives in the house with you?”

“My son Danny,” Cat replied.

“Could he have attacked Coach Cain?” Detective Mann asked.

“No, that’s not possible. I heard his car leave about thirty minutes before Randy was attacked and I know he was at the school pep rally at the time. My son has a good relationship with Randy. He was Danny’s coach in football.”

Detective Mann was aware of the fact that Randy Cain was Danny’s football coach. Ferguson winning the state title was a huge deal for the city and Danny’s performance was already legendary. Mann had been to the game and had watched Cat kiss Randy on the sidelines. Everyone had assumed she was the coach’s wife or girlfriend. No one knew that she was another man’s wife.

“Was your son aware of your relationship with Coach Cain,” Lucas asked.

“Yes. He wasn’t happy about it at first, but he came to accept it. I explained to him that it would not affect my marriage to his father and he accepted that.”

Mann and Lucas shot each other a look at that statement. ‘How delusional was this woman?’ the look seemed to say.

“Mrs. Keel, I noticed you have a doorbell camera. Can we see the video?”

Cat looked at the detectives in surprise. “I forgot all about that! I have the app on my iPad.” Cat grabbed her device off an end table and tapped the screen a few times before handing it over to Detective Mann. “Just hit play.”

The detectives watched as Randy Cain exited the Keel house and walked around the front of his truck where he apparently noticed a flat tire. Cain’s truck obstructed their view of the events, but from what they could tell, as he was squatting to look at the tire, a tall thin figure rushed towards Cain from across the street. The figure was wearing a black hoodie, wrap-around sunglasses, and a Covid mask. The attacker brought the bat down several times before jumping on a bicycle and pedaling away, with the bat tucked under their arm.

The video was a nothing burger. You could not determine if the attacker was male or female, much less the identity. They would have the video enhanced, but it was already a high-definition recording so probably not much to be gained from that. Mann asked for and received permission from Cat to send the recording to his police email.

“Mrs. Keel,” Detective Mann began, with a hard emphasis on the word “Mrs.”, “Can you think of anyone that might have the motivation to attack Coach Cain in such a violent manner?”

“No,” Cat sobbed. “I can’t think of anyone that would do something so horrible. I don’t understand why anyone would attack Randy. He didn’t deserve that!”

Grant Keel was sitting at the dining table in his brother’s house filling out the paperwork that his divorce attorney had requested when the doorbell rang. Betty Lou, his sister-in-law answered the door and shouted to Grant that he had visitors. He arrived at the door to find two people, a man and a woman holding badges identifying themselves as detectives from the Ferguson Police Department.

“May we come in?” The male half asked.

Grant looked at Betty Lou who shrugged her shoulders so he invited the officers in and directed them towards the living room. The detectives took in the tall, slim woman and were suitably impressed. Betty Lou Keel stood an inch under six feet tall and weighed approximately 150 pounds. Her raven hair was cut into a stylish, asymmetrical bob that was longer on the right side than the left. There was a streak of gray hair on her right side in the front that highlighted the piercing blue of her eyes. Her nose had a bump in the center and was slightly off-center as if it had been broken at least once and there was a barely noticeable two-inch scar that ran from the corner of her left eye downward. She was a visually striking woman.

Grant Keel was striking as well. An inch over six feet tall and 180 pounds, Grant had the slim build of a runner, but in their research, the detectives had learned that he was not a runner but a fencer; a passion that had carried him to the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a sport with which he was still active. Keel’s dark hair was beginning to show gray at the temples and his blue eyes were kind but sad. Detective Lucas could feel herself responding to Grant Keel.

“Do we call you Mister Keel or Lieutenant Colonel Keel?” asked the male, who identified himself as Detective Mann.

“Mister is fine. Or you can call me Grant. Or you can call me Colonel. I was recently promoted to full colonel but I don’t usually stand on formalities.”

“Promoted? It was our understanding that you were retiring,” Detective Mann said.

“From active duty. I’m in the reserves. Monthly meetings and two weeks in the summer and hopefully hang around long enough to get a star,” Grant said.

Detective Lucas nodded. ‘Very nice,’ she thought. Brenda Lucas had been an Army MP leaving with the enlisted rank of E4. The man in front of her was an Olympic medalist, an attorney, a full colonel, and had the goal of attaining the rank of brigadier general. Cat Keel was a goddammed idiot, she thought.

“We’ll stick with Mr. Keel for now. I’m sure you know why we’re here.”

“I have a good idea,” Grant replied. “Someone beat the hell out of the man who was sleeping with my wife and you think that it was me.”

“Was it you?” asked the female half who had identified herself as Detective Lucas.

“No matter how I answer, I’m still going to be considered a person of interest, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut about that question,” Grant replied.

“Can you tell us where you were three mornings ago at 7:30 AM?”

“7:30? I was working out with my brother. He’s combined a couple of the bedrooms into one large room and has outfitted them as a gym, so every morning we work out together from around 7:30 until 8:30 or so. After that, he takes a shower, goes into his home office, and logs in to his job since he works remotely. I go into the guest room, take a shower, and then get started with some of the things I’m currently working on.”

“Any witnesses other than your brother?” Detective Mann asked.

“No, just him. Betty Lou, my sister-in-law leaves the house shortly before we work out to go to her job, so it’s just the two of us.”

“When was the last time you were at your house? The one where your wife and son live and where the attack on Randy Cain took place.”

“About a week ago,” Grant answered. “I stopped by when no one was home to pick up some clothes and some paperwork from my files. I didn’t disturb anything of my wife’s or Coach Cains.”

“You knew they were having an affair?” Detective Lucas asked.

“I did.”

“You seem pretty calm and detached about it.”

“I’ve come to accept her actions and the end of my marriage. It is what it is.”

“Until about two hours ago, she thought you were still in the Army and stationed in Korea. When we advised her that you had left Korea a month ago and were living with your brother, she didn’t believe us. She saw your location was still at Camp Humphrey. She called your office and they told her you had out-processed from Korea several weeks previously. Your wife had a meltdown when she found that out. Hysterics, screaming, the works. We had to call for an ambulance and the EMTs had to sedate her.”

Grant shrugged his shoulders. “I would say that she’s Coach Cain’s problem and he can look after her, but from what I read about his condition, he’s not in any kind of shape to do that. As far as my location? I forgot my phone and left it on the charger on my credenza in my office. The officer that replaced me is having it shipped to me.”