Page 35 of Full Contact

I stood up. “Gentlemen. Our regional correspondent has filed.”

“Read it,” Varga said, muting the television.

I read it in my best announcer voice. “St. Louis spent the second period establishing possession. The weak-side winger remained unmarked through three consecutive shifts. By the fourth, I had learned his name and begun to worry about his future.”

The room enjoyed that. I kept going. Her next paragraph broke down an adjustment—Dallas rotating a defenseman up to kill the stretch pass. She claimed it took St. Louis a period and a half to notice.

Rook set his fork down. “Read that part again.”

I read it again.

“She’s right about the weak side,” Cross said. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Does she take requests?” Varga asked. “I want the report on us. I want to know what she’d write about me.”

“You don’t,” I said.

“I do.”

“She’ll spend one sentence on your goal and three paragraphs on what you should’ve been doing afterward,” I said.

Varga considered it. “I withdraw the request.”

“Who is this woman?” Larsson asked.

“My sister-in-law. Springfield, Missouri. Wrong team, good eye.”

“And she does this every game?”

“Every Steamers game. We get the away coverage as a courtesy.”

Larsson glanced at my phone with some respect and went back to his plate.

I texted Kelsey the compliment with full attribution.

Trier: Cross says you’re right about the weak side. He asked me not to tell you, so I’m telling you in writing.

Kelsey: Tell him he’s the only one of you with defensive instincts. Don’t tell him I said that.

Trier: This is a terrible system.

Kelsey: It’s working fine.

When the team trickled away from the buffet, I headed for the elevator. On the way up, I read her report once more, then forwarded the whole thing to Mark.

Trier: Tonight’s filing. The weak-side section has been peer reviewed.

He was typing before the doors opened on my floor.

Mark: You know, most of the things people forward me at this hour make my evening worse. Yours have been consistently good.

Trier: I have an excellent cat and a vindictive sister-in-law.

Mark: I was giving you the credit, not them.

I stood outside my room with the key card in my hand, reading that last message again.

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