Page 16 of Dirty Weekend

“I’ve been all over this county today. I’m tired of being wet. I’m growing mold in places I don’t want to think about it.”

“Lovely visual image,” I said. “Now I’m thinking about it too.”

“Misery loves company. Let’s roll out.”

Archie Hill lived in one of the older neighborhoods in Nottingham. It was a shotgun house on a street of identical vinyl-siding shotgun homes. They all had box hedges in front and miniscule front lawns. Teachers got paid about as much as cops did in the state of Virginia, so it looked like a house that a teacher could afford.

“This guy isn’t originally from here,” I said. “What’s the story?”

Jack smiled and said, “I guess it depends on how much of the story is true. From what I’ve pieced together, Hill and his wife and kid moved here four years ago from Richmond. He was a head coach at one of the big high schools.”

“Sounds like he downgraded,” I said.

“This is direct gossip from Barbara so take it or leave it,” he said.

“Oh, I definitely want to hear it,” I said. “We can sort out the details later.” Gossip was like mother’s milk in a small town, but it was something we were never weaned off of.

“According to Barbara.” Then he paused and said, “And we know she’s almost never wrong. Hill was having an affair with one of the other teachers. I guess his wife found out about it…”

“As they always do,” I said, cutting in.

“And they decided a change of location was necessary,” Jack continued. “Coach Hargrove makes the hire, thinking he’s getting a stacked deck in his coaching staff, but Hill has head coach mentality. He and the wife stick it out for a couple of years, and then during training camp this past summer she packs up the daughter and goes back to her parents in Richmond. And then last week he finds out his contract isn’t being renewed and loses what little self-control he has left.”

“Sounds like a man pushed to the breaking point,” I said. “If Hargrove was directly involved with him not being rehired then we’ve got a motive. But still no means and opportunity if Hargrove didn’t kill himself. And unless Lily comes up with a smoking gun in the next few hours, I’m going to have to rule it suicide. I can’t hold him on ice forever because we want it to be something else.”

“I know,” Jack said. “We’ll see how it plays out. Let’s go get a close-up look at Coach Hill.”

Jack parked his unit behind an old tan F-150. I tossed my hood over my head and we hurried up to the porch. There was a leak in the awning over the door and a steady splat splat splat hit the cement stairs. There were no plants or flowerpots, no toys or any other visible signs that a woman or child lived there.

“Yeah,” Hill said as he opened the front door and leaned against the threshold. His arm hung down at his side and he held a bottle of beer between two fingers. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Sheriff Lawson,” Jack said, showing him his badge. “And this is Dr. Graves. She’s the coroner for King George County. Are you Archie Hill?”

“That’s me,” he said. “I know who you are. What’s this about?”

“We’d like to ask you some questions about Steve Hargrove.”

Hill stared at Jack for a few seconds and then pushed open the door a little wider. “I figured. Heard he offed himself this morning. We’ve not made an official announcement at school, but you hear things. Kids are pretty shook up about it. The principal is holding a special meeting for staff and students tomorrow morning.”

“Steve Hargrove’s death is still an open investigation,” Jack said, taking a look around the small room.

There was one recliner and a big-screen TV on the wall. He was using a television tray as an end table and there were several empty beer bottles sitting around. There was no other furniture in the room.

“Sorry I can’t offer you a seat,” he said. “My wife took everything in the divorce.”

“We won’t take up much of your time,” Jack said.

Hill grabbed the remote and put the TV on mute. “What does open investigation mean?” he asked.

“It means we haven’t ruled cause of death yet,” I said. “We don’t have conclusive evidence from the body, which means we have to conduct it as a homicide.”

“I see,” he said. “So you heard my contract didn’t get renewed and figured that gives me a reason to kill the guy?”

“We heard your contract didn’t get renewed,” Jack said calmly. “And that you were pretty angry with Coach Hargrove so you called him. You even showed up at his house a couple of nights ago. We’ve got it captured on the doorbell camera.”

“So what?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m pissed. I pour four years into this program. Lose my marriage and my daughter. All with the understanding that Steve is going to retire at the end of this year and I would take over as head coach. Steve’s glory days are in the past. We’ve got an incredible team. I mean, freaking Derek Able already has scouts at every game and practice he’s at. I’ve not seen a quarterback like him in my entire career. And yet we’re not winning state championships.”

“Why is that?” Jack asked.

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