Stubby pointed. “I think there’s another cell block through that door. You know cops. Makes sense that they’d separate you—you know, to mess with your heads and stuff. Anyway, I ran over here to tell you that something terrible has happened to the Jackrabbits.”

“I think we’ve established that, fuckstick. They’re in the damn river.”

Stubby shook his head. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. They ain’t.”

“Ain’t what?”

“Ain’t dead.”

“If you’re talking about Cole Logan, we already know he’s alive,” Manny said.

“I’m not talking about Logan.” He held up his BlackBerry. “I’m talking about the text messages that have been spreading like a plague for the past twenty minutes. I came as fast as I could when they started coming in. Seems the Jackrabbits just showed up at some kind of memorial party at some dude’s house. I’ll be damned if the team didn’t walk right in on their own feet. Full pads and all.”

“The whole team?” Manny asked.

“Every swingin’ dick.”

“Stubby, if this is some kind of joke, I’m gonna rip your face off and skull fuck you.”

“I’m telling you, Booker, this news is coming from too many sources to be false. The whole Jackrabbits roster is topside again, alive and well. It’s terrible!”

Booker slammed a fist into the bars. “How fuckin’ hard can it be to get rid of these guys?”

Stubby said, “Seems Cole Logan is the one that found them … or at least, he’s the one that delivered them back to their folks.”

“Logan?” Booker squeezed the bars hard enough to make his bones creak.

“But there’s more. Logan didn’t just bring the guys back. He challenged us to a game. Tomorrow night. At Jackrabbit Stadium. Actually, the whole town sort of issued the challenge. They sure seem worked up over this whole bus incident.”

“What do you mean they challenged us?”

“I mean they challenged you guys. The Badgers. They think they deserve to be the district champs.”

Booker looked at Manny. “They’re pissing in our faces.”

“Hell yeah, they are.”

“Fuckin’ Jackrabbits!” Booker slammed the bars again. “They want a game, we’ll give ’em a damn game.”

“I kinda thought you’d say that.” Stubby’s face turned serious. “But I gotta warn you fellas, I think those Jackrabbits are really out for blood.”

Booker asked what he meant.

“From what I read, they’re a little worse for wear … but they’re also plenty pissed off. I’m talking red-assed with a capital R. Now that I think about it, one of the texts said the players weren’t just red, they were purple. It said their faces were like stone. I’d say they’re looking for some serious payback for what you guys did to them.”