Free Last Shot by John Feinstein Page A

Carol.
    “Maybe,” said Stevie. “But it sounded to me like Graber was innocent and this was all a lie—did it sound like that to you?”
    “Yes, I guess so.”
    “So we know who—well, mostly—and what and where and when … but not why or how.”
    “And no one will believe us without the why and how,” said Susan Carol.
    Stevie remembered something Dick Jerardi had told him when he had asked him about how to get a good story. If it’s important, Jerardi had said, you have to get someone on the record. Otherwise, it’s too easy for people to shoot you down.
    “We have to do two things,” he said. “We have to find out what exactly is going on here. And we have to get someone to go on the record.”
    “Well,” Susan Carol said, snapping the notebook shut, “it’s a sure bet that Professor Whiting isn’t going to fill us in.”
    “Which leaves one person,” Stevie said.
    “Right. Chip Graber.”
    “Yup. We have to figure out a way to get him to tell the story on the record. And if we get him to say he’s being blackmailed, then—”
    “Hold on, hold on,” she said. “How are we even going totalk to Chip Graber? Even if we knew where MSU was staying, there’ll be security all over the hotel. We’ll never get close to him.”
    She was right, of course. Maybe they could wait until after the games tomorrow and try to talk to him in the locker room. No, that would be impossible; the locker rooms would be overrun with people. Maybe he could somehow hitch a ride on the golf cart with Roger Valdiserri and talk to him then. That wasn’t likely, either. They had to get to him before the games tomorrow and they had to somehow get to him alone.
    “First we have to find out where they’re staying,” he said. “My guess is that won’t be too hard. The hard part will be getting into the hotel and finding him.”
    “No kidding,” she said.
    “What’s the old saying?” he said. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way? We have the will. We’ll figure out the way.”

    Finding out where Minnesota State was staying wasn’t that hard at all. They remembered that there was a media workroom in their hotel basement, and in it, Susan Carol spotted a book labeled
Media Final Four Information
sitting among the team media guides and press releases promoting products and press conferences. One was headlined “Papa John’s Pizza invites you to meet Dick Vitale!” Another was for a book signing for Dale Brown, the ex-LSU coach who was still a big name in New Orleans.
    Stevie picked up the information book and began paging through it. Sure enough, there was a section on hotels. Andin the hotel section there was a listing of the team hotels. “Atlanta Regional Champion—Downtown Marriott,” it said. Minnesota State had advanced to the Final Four by winning the regional in Atlanta.
    “Bingo!” he said, pointing at the listing.
    “Bingo—maybe,” Susan Carol said. “I remember Coach K telling me that when Duke is in the Final Four, they never stay in their assigned hotel because they want to get the team away from all the crazy stuff going on downtown. See, it says there that the Syracuse Regional Champion is staying at the Embassy Suites. Mr. Brill told me Duke is really staying in a Radisson by the airport. MSU may not be at the Marriott.”
    “Or they might be. Coach Graber isn’t as experienced at going to the Final Four as Coach K. Let’s find out.”
    He walked over to a bank of phones labeled COURTESY PHONES—LOCAL CALLS AND CREDIT CARD CALLS ONLY . As instructed on the phone, he dialed 9, and then, looking at the Marriott phone number in the information book, he dialed the hotel. Susan Carol started to ask him what he was doing, but he put a hand up when the phone was answered on the first ring.
    “Hi, I’m trying to reach Professor Thomas Whiting?” he said. Susan Carol looked horrified. “He’s with the Minnesota State basketball team.”
    He smiled when he heard the operator’s