Free Kickoff to Danger by Franklin W. Dixon

the enemy.”
    â€œBut Biff’s teammates—” Joe began.
    â€œMight have seen him as the spoiler, stopping their little game,” Frank finished. “Dan Freeman thought that bit with the shovel would be right up Terry Golden’s alley.”
    From the look on Joe’s face, he was struggling with the idea. “Golden, maybe,” he said slowly. “But I’d hate to think that any of the other guys—”
    He stopped, suddenly grim. “I guess I’ll just have to ask some more questions.”
    â€œJust be careful.” Callie shuddered. “It’s bad enough having Biff in the hospital. Don’t be his roommate.”
    The locker room was surprisingly quiet that afternoon. Usually the guys on the football teamkidded around as they changed into practice clothes. Today, though, there were no jokes. Team-mates hardly spoke.
    It was as though they were afraid, Joe thought.
    Before sending them out to the field, Coach Devlin said he had a few words. “No doubt many of you are thinking about our two absent team-mates today. I know we all hope for Biff to recover.”
    All the guys silently nodded.
    â€œAs for Chet, he’s obviously facing a very difficult time. I hope he can prove his innocence. No one can be certain what went on yesterday evening.”
    The coach took a deep breath. “But I’m certain of this. In the name of team spirit, I tolerated a certain amount of…horseplay.” He looked straight at Joe. “I didn’t listen when people warned me that it might go too far. Consider this your first and only warning. From here on, there will be zero tolerance for any funny business. Try it—and you
will
regret it.”
    Devlin pointed to the door. “ ’Nuff said. Let’s move it!”
    The guys got out of the locker room as if monsters were chasing them.
    Practice that day was as rough as any Joe could remember. He stood wiping sweat off his forehead as Matt Walinovski staggered back from the tackling sleds.
    â€œCoach is really running us ragged today,” Joe said.
    â€œTell me about it!” Walinovski groaned. “I feel like somebody dropped a two-ton weight on me.”
    â€œA lot less heavy than those books you were toting yesterday.”
    Matt looked as if he’d just found himself on the wrong side of a tackle.
    â€œYou were seen, you know.” Joe glanced over at the bigger guys on the team. “I was wondering who else was with you. Engels? Parisi? Logan would have been good for holding the door closed, but he was downstairs waiting for the fresh meat.”
    The other boy didn’t say a word. But Joe noticed the way Walinovski reacted when his two buddies were named.
    That gives us three out of four, he thought. The question is, how many others were in on this?
    He tried talking to a few other guys. Most of them were worried about what people would think of the team, very few wanted to talk about what had happened. Nobody had anything to say when Joe wondered who was where—and when.
    Eddie Taplinger walked over to him. “Don’t look now,” he said. “But there are TV cameras setting up over by the fence.”
    Joe glanced over to see Coach Devlin arguing with a news reporter.
    â€œI don’t think the coach is going to get anywhere,” he said. “They have a right to be there. Freedom of information and all that.”
    â€œThere’s some information that never comes free,” Eddie said. “And that includes the information you’re digging for,” the quarterback continued. “Golden spent last night making the rounds. He said there’d be a lot of people asking questions, and he told us to say nothing—stonewall them.”
    â€œFor the good of the team,” Joe said sarcastically.
    â€œBetter than hurting the team,” Eddie retorted.
    â€œHey, I’m not some outsider poking his nose in. I’m trying to help