Michael Balkind - Sudden Death

“Oh my God,” she repeated, “don’t worry? You want me not to worry. Ha, that’s a joke.” Her hands were shaking as she gulped down half a glass of wine. “Mom, easy.” “Easy? Don’t give me easy, young man. You come home and drop a bomb on me like this and now you want me to stay calm? Are you crazy?” she asked incredulously.

“Mom, I’m sorry, I didn’t know how else to tell you. But it’s going to be all right.”

“How do you know? You’ve got some lunatic who wants to kill you and you say it’s all right? Well it’s not!” she yelled. Then she started to cry.

Reid leaned over and hugged her. He let her cry and said, “It’s gonna be okay, mom.” “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “Give me a minute to collect myself.” Reid left the room to get her a tissue. When he came back, she had a big, forced smile on her face. She said, “Alright, we’ve managed to get through enough other crap in our lives, we’ll get through this, too. Let’s just deal with it head on. Tell me all about it.” He started at the beginning of the previous day and brought her up to speed. She swallowed hard and said, “Can you call Jay Scott and the others and ask them to come over? I want to meet them all. I’m sure they’re hungry anyway.” “I’ll ask them to come, but I’m sure they’ve eaten already.” “That’s okay. Anyone can make room for dessert. I made plenty.” Reid called Jay, explained the situation, and Jay said they would be right over. Reid gave him directions and hung up. When they arrived, coffee, cake and pie were served. Everyone met

Joan, ate dessert and talked for a little while. After accepting everyone’s compliments on her baking, Joan stood up and said, “May I please have everyone’s attention?” Everyone quieted and looked at Joan. “First, let me apologize for asking you all to come on such short notice. I’m glad you enjoyed dessert, but that’s obviously not why I asked you here. Earlier, when Reid explained the threat to me, I got a little over excited…well, maybe a lot. But now that I have met you all and listened to your plans, I must say I feel a lot better about my son’s safety. I will do my best to stay out of your way, but please understand, I’m his mother, and if he gets hurt, I feel the pain.”

“Mrs. Clark…Joan,” Jay corrected himself, “we regularly deal with sit uations where client’s families are involved. We will do our best to respect your relationship with Reid. Our job is to protect him as well as his family and friends. We have never failed any of our clients and we don’t expect to now.” “Thank you, Jay. Thank you, all,” she said and sat down. Shifting his discussion to his team, Jay said, “Joel and Stu, you’re off for the night, you ride back with us. Keith and Bill, you’re on duty. Judy and Jared will be here at 2 a.m. to relieve you. Joan, try to get some rest and remember, you’re in very good hands. Goodnight, all.”

After they left, Joan showed Bill and Keith the spare bedroom in case they needed to rest. They thanked her but told her they would not be sleeping. “Oh, of course not, how silly of me.” As everyone else retired for the night, Reid said, “I’d like to get out of here around 9 a.m. tomorrow, if nobody minds.” “I don’t think car dealerships even open until 10,” Betsy said. “At least that’s when most clothing stores open,” she added with a laugh. “Fine, make it 9:30; I’d like to be there when they open,” Reid said. “I need to shop for a few things afterward, and then I was hoping that the four of us could play 18 holes. What do you think?” Betsy and Hunter looked at each other and nodded. “We’re in,” Hunter said. “Sounds good to me,” Joan said. “Okay, goodnight,” Reid said as he went up to his room. He washed up and climbed under the covers. His old bed felt good. As he relaxed, his head whirled into action. He tried to fill his mind with good thoughts, but he was too late. Tightening up, he tried to push the threat out of his head… It wasn’t working. Then, instead of fighting it, he allowed thoughts to consume him. If I can’t stop them, I might as well analyze them, he thought. The subconscious brain works in interesting ways; whatever had brought on the disturbing thoughts was obviously right on target. Although he had hoped they were unwarranted, his fears had been confirmed. Someone wanted him either off the PGA tour or dead. The very thought of it sent a chill through his entire body.

Wrapping himself tight in his blanket, he thought, Should I back out of the Classic? Forget that, no way I’m going to let some bastard get the better of me. I’ve never backed away from anyone or anything. But then again, no one has ever threatened to kill me. He started to weigh his choices. I’ve already got more than enough money to be comfortable for the rest of my life. I’ve proven that I’m the best golfer in the world. Maybe I should be satisfied and not take any more chances. Then he chuckled to himself. Who am I kidding? Back off?

At that moment, it became very clear to him that if this threat was going to affect him in any way, it was only going to make him more determined to win. He spent some time thinking of everything that had happened during the past two days. The last image he saw in his mind as he drifted to sleep was the blue note. His body twitched. Within seconds, he was snoring.

Tormented by fear, Reid writhed in bed until his sheet was twisted tightly around his torso and legs. The constraint acted as a catalyst, elevating his level of anxiety. He kicked off the sheet wildly and turned to glance at the clock’s glowing red digits. It was 4 a.m. He bolted upright and swung his feet to the wood plank floor. He sat for a few minutes with his elbows on his knees and his face resting in his hands, willing his anguish to subside. Somewhat calmer, he stood up, walked to the window and stared at the bright full moon. He thought, Could this whole situation just be a big prank, or is some lunatic really out to kill me? If it is a joke, whoever’s behind it better not reveal themselves, because I’ll tear them apart. What if it is real? Am I putting everyone I love in jeopardy by staying here with them, or are we all better off here with the protection of the security teams? If anything happens to them, I’ll never forgive myself… How long can this last? What if they never find the culprit? Will I need security for the rest of my career? For the rest of my life?

Realizing his thoughts were spinning out of control, Reid opened the window, stuck his head out and inhaled the crisp night air deep into his lungs. The cold air had the desired mind-cleansing effect. After taking a few more breaths, Reid stepped back, pulling his head inside the room. He lowered the window, returned to bed and lay there, trying unsuccessfully to go back to sleep. His mind was in overdrive and he could not downshift. As daylight began to break, he finally gave up. He hopped out of bed and recruited Stu for a run. They followed a dirt road around the local reservoir that Reid had run regularly as a kid. The run and the peaceful surroundings calmed him. He was sweaty but relaxed when they returned. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee permeated the house. They walked into the kitchen to see everyone sitting around the table having bagels and coffee. “I thought you were still upstairs sleeping,” his mother said. “No, we went for a run. I’m going to take a shower, then we can go, okay?” “Sure, take your time, no rush,” she said. “Here’s some coffee.” He took a sip. “Mmm thanks, this is good,” he said as he left the room. He came back down about half an hour later. “Everyone ready?” He heard some sleepy yes’s. “Good, let’s go.” The drive to the Jaguar dealership was quick. A salesman welcomed Reid with a big, warm grin. Reid said, “My mother would like a red convertible.” “Which model?” the salesman asked. “I don’t know. What do you have on the lot?” “In red?” The salesman thought for a moment, “We have an XKR and an XK8. Come with me, I’ll show you.” They followed him to the first car. It was beautiful. “Like it, Mom?” “What’s not to like?” Reid pulled the salesman aside and quietly asked how much the car would cost. The salesman whispered, “About eighty grand.” “Mom, why don’t you take it for a test drive?” “Alright.” She got behind the wheel, Reid sat in the passenger seat, and the salesman crammed himself in back. “How do you lower the top?” Reid asked. After a quick explanation, they unlocked the handles, and Joan pushed the button that folded the top back.