“You’re the best. Thanks.” She hung up and called Ray Jestings. “Did you know Rick Lind was mentally ill?” she asked without preamble.

“Ah, well...”

“Yes or no. Did you know?”

“Yes, I knew.”

“Who else knew?”

“The team physician, Dr. Leonard, and most of the team’s upper management. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Lind hasn’t been seen or heard from since he left the stadium the other night.”

“Who told you that?”

“Mrs. Lind. She hasn’t heard from him since the game.”

“Why didn’t she let us know that?”

“Do I really have to tell you why?”

Jestings let out a tortured sigh. “I don’t know what you want me to say. We knew he had problems. We knew he was managing his problems. The doctor paid close attention to his situation. What more were we supposed to do?”

“Do his teammates know about his condition?”

“They know he has anger issues, and they give him a wide berth, especially when he blows a save.”

Once again Sam found herself marveling at the sports culture. The Feds had kept a lid on the situation and perhaps endangered his teammates, all because the guy threw a fastball like nobody’s business. “How can I reach Dr. Leonard?”

“He’s gone to his winter home in Jamaica. I can reach out to him and have him get in touch if you’d like.”

“I’ll let you know if I need to talk to him.”

“Whatever we can do.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Sam ended the call feeling exasperated by the case. “These people are ridiculous. They allow a man with significant anger issues to fill one of the most stressful roles on the team all the while they keep the fact that he has a significant mental illness a secret from his teammates.”

“They know,” Freddie said. “If they spend any time at all with him, they know something isn’t right. As long as he gets the job done and doesn’t direct his anger at any of them, they don’t care any more than the management does about his ‘issues.’”

“After we view the scene, my next call is to Chris Ortiz. He was Willie’s closest friend on the team. He might be able to shed some light on the relationships between the players.”

“We’re spending an awful lot of time digging into the team and the management. What makes you so sure it wasn’t a deranged fan who attacked him?”

“It very well could be, but as I said to Hill when he asked me the same question, there was just enough chaos in Willie’s life and in the lives of other people attached to the team that I’m running on a hunch.”

“I’m glad your other partner thinks the same way I do.”