Free Play On by Heather C. Myers

eyes snapped up, probably to gage the sisters’ reactions.
    “No,” they both said once again.
    “He never talked about losing money,” Seraphina said.
    “Well, we have his financial books and it seems that he was losing money.”  He stopped, reaching up to rub his high forward with his fingers.  “Or, I guess I should say , the franchise was losing money.”
    “Just because the team was losing money doesn’t mean Papa was going to sell the Gulls,” Katella said.  Her patience was gone, Seraphina could tell, but her voice was controlled.  “He created the team, put money into Sea Side so the team had a place where they could play home games.  I don’t care if he was close to bankruptcy, there is no way my grandfather would have sold the team.”
    “Not even to spend more time with you guys?’ Chris asked, pushing his brow up.  He glanced between the two of them before looking back down at his notebook and flipping through some sheets.  “I talked to Simon Spade, your grandfather’s financial advisor, and he said that Ken was considering selling the team in order to spend more time with the two of you.”
    Both sisters opened their mouths to say something, but nothing came out.
    “I mean,” Chris pressed, “could it be a possibility that he was maybe considering it and just hadn’t told you?”
    “I,” Seraphina began, but then stopped.  “I guess it could be a possibility.”
    “I don’t think so,” Katella said, shaking her head.  “No way.  We live five, ten minutes away from him.  I’m involved in coordinating the team’s charity events and dating the team’s captain, and Seraphina helps him make decisions whether she knows the details or not.  He knew he could call us and we’d be over there at the drop of a hat.  And we always see each other on Sundays, no matter what.  He loved that team.  There was no way he was going to sell it.”
    “So you’re saying Mr. Spade is wrong?” Chris asked.
    Katella opened her mouth, closed it, before finally saying, “In this case, yes, I say that he’s mistaken.  Maybe he interpreted something my grandfather said in the wrong way or misheard something.  But I’m sorry, I don’t believe my grandfather wanted to sell the team.”
    Chris nodded his head, rubbing his lips together as he took a few more notes.  The scratch of the pen against the paper was the only sound in the quiet dining room.
    “One last set of questions, ladies,” he said, giving them a disarming smile.  Seraphina felt her heart flutter at the sight of it, but from the corner of her eyes, she could tell her sister was unmoved.  “Thanks again for your cooperation.  We’re almost done here.”  He flipped through his pages until he reached what Seraphina assumed was a blank page just waiting for him to write down their responses.
    If she was being honest, Seraphina felt herself start to get annoyed with all the questions being asked.  She wasn’t sure if Katella’s attitude was rubbing off on her or if she was just getting sick of it, but not even Chris’s charm and good looks could dissuade her from starting to feel a tad frustrated.
    “Right, did either of you know of a small disagreement between your grandfather and one of his players, a Brandon Thorpe, the goaltender?” Chris asked.
    “I don’t know Brandon personally,” Katella said, and her voice took a tone of unease.  “But I know of him.  Obviously.  Matt just mentions that he doesn’t really go out with the guys after practice or games.  I never heard of a dispute.”
    “What kind of dispute?” Seraphina interrupted.
    “Financial,” Chris said and then chuckled to himself.  “I apologize.  It’s not funny.  But really, what else of disputes are there, you know?  Anyways, the people I’ve interviewed mentioned that Thorpe was supposed to sign a few weeks ago, but decided at the last minute to hold out for a bigger salary, and that seemed to ruffle Ken’s feathers, so to