Norman’s face was as cold as stone, his voice even colder.
“I see no reason why I can’t attend a meeting with Harper, if that’s what you want,” he said at last.
Jupe beamed the whole time he was climbing into Bob’s red VW and riding to the Shoremont campus.
He had already phoned President Harper to tell him the case was solved. He asked Harper to summon Coach Duggan to his office and to invite John Hemingway Powers as well. Now the Three Investigators were driving to Shoremont, with Barry Norman following them in his own car.
When they arrived at Harper’s office, Duggan and Powers were already there.
The college president greeted and shook hands with each of the Three Investigators, but Jupe barely paid attention to him. He was too busy watching John Hemingway Powers’s reaction as Barry Norman walked in the door behind the three teenagers. Surprise, anger, fear, puzzlement, and belligerence all passed over the man’s face. Then he stared hard at the Investigators.
“Jupiter,” said President Harper, “we’re all very eager to hear what you’ve learned. You three must be very good detectives to have solved this case in just two weeks — and you have my gratitude. Now please tell us what you’ve found.”
“Detectives? I’m missing something,” grumbled Coach Duggan from his chair by the window. “I don’t see detectives. I see our school parrot and ” — he pointed at Pete — “a high school kid.”
Jupe stepped to the center of the room. “In fact, all three of us are detectives and high school students, Coach Duggan,” he explained. “I have only been posing as a Shoremont student.”
“Coach,” said President Harper, “you’ll understand in a minute. Come on, Jupiter. Tell us.”
Jupe was not in a hurry. He thought of John Hemingway Powers as a chestnut: very hard nut, with a shell impossible to peel off — unless you roasted it first. Once Powers was hot enough, worried enough, Jupe hoped he would crack.
“It was a difficult case to solve,” Jupe said. “Some things came easily. For example, this man, Barry Norman, offered Pete money and a Porsche to play basketball for Shoremont College.”
“What?” shouted the coach.
“Don’t interrupt, Duggan,” said President Harper sternly. “You’ll have your chance to explain in a minute.”
Everyone in the room could hear that President Harper was accusing Coach Duggan. Powers let a small smile creep into the corners of his mouth.
“I’m afraid you’ve jumped to a wrong conclusion,” Jupe told the college president. “We’re certain now that Coach Duggan is entirely innocent in this matter.”
“Well, then, who is guilty?” Harper was losing his patience.
“I’ll tell you in just a moment, but first let me ask Mr. Powers just one question,” Jupe said. “Mr. Powers, who is Luke Braun?”
Powers looked at Jupe cautiously.
“Who is Luke Braun?” Powers repeated.
“Yes,” Jupe said. “You know who he is, don’t you?”
Powers thought a moment, trying to find the trap. But he obviously couldn’t see it.
“Well, I think he’s a high school basketball player,” Powers said. “I’ve seen his name on Coach Duggan’s scouting reports. He’s supposed to be darned good.”
Everyone looked at the quiet, sullen coach. “Luke Braun? Never heard of him,” said Coach Duggan.
Powers looked confused. “But I saw your scouting report,” he insisted. “You said he was the next Magic Johnson!”
“No,” interrupted Jupe. “I said that. You see, Mr. Powers, Luke Braun doesn’t exist. I made him up and entered his name in Coach Duggan’s computer, knowing that you would read it. And knowing that you would send Michael Anthony — Barry Norman, here — to see him. We erased the file minutes after you left, Mr. Powers, so we know you were the only person who read the report. I’m afraid our proof is conclusive.”
Powers’s face looked suddenly tired and old.
“Is this true, Mr. Norman?” asked President Harper.
“I’d like to help you out here,” Barry Norman said. “But first I need some assurances that my role in this matter will be kept confidential. I’d like to propose a deal. My cooperation in exchange for your promise to keep my name out of the media coverage of the story.”
“Fine,” President Harper said. “If that’s the price of your information, I’m willing to pay it. Now tell me, are the Three Investigators right?”
Norman looked right at Powers and nodded. “Yes. John Hemingway Powers has been my client. He’s the one behind this bribery scheme.”
“All right, it’s true! So what?” Powers said almost proudly. “I don’t happen to believe there’s anything wrong with giving guys extra incentives to attend this fine school and join its basketball team.”
President Harper’s brow wrinkled as he scowled. “John, what you happen to believe is against every rule of college recruitment ethics.”
“It’s easy for you to sit up here and talk ethics,” Powers said. “You’ve only been here three years. You didn’t graduate from this school. You don’t know the traditions and the history. You didn’t see the good years. You didn’t have to watch the athletic program dissolve into mediocrity, watch as year after year talented players chose the big schools with the big names and the big TV coverage of their games. There had to be some way for me to restore this school to what it was — I knew you weren’t going to do it.”
“How long has this been going on?” asked President Harper.
“Only since you hired Duggan,” answered Powers. “The idea came to me when I heard the rumors about Duggan paying his players in Boston. Did I think it was true? I didn’t care. All I knew was that it sounded like a great idea. One thing I know: Money talks and people listen. I figured if the payoffs were ever exposed, Duggan would take the blame.”
“So that’s why you offered me more money for Duggan’s budget,” President Harper said. “Just to try to incriminate him further?”
“I had to, Chuck. When these kids started tailing Barry and asking my players lot of questions, I smelled trouble.” Then Powers turned his fierce stare on Pete. “Who would have guessed we’d recruit a detective?”
Pete didn’t know what to say.
“Powers, you’re an egotist and an embarrassment to the sport.” Duggan spat out the words.
“Wake up, Duggan,” Powers said, snapping his fingers like a hypnotist. “Champion teams are bought, not coached! Our team is in the play-offs for the first time in a decade. And we can win. All of you should be thanking me for that.”
President Harper looked so defeated that for a moment Jupe was almost sorry they’d solved the case.
“Well, Powers,” Harper said sadly. “It’s over.”
“That’s for sure,” the coach chimed in. “I’m kicking every one of your pets off the team, Powers.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Powers said. “The play-offs are tomorrow night. No one has to know about this.”
“We may be the best team your money can buy, John,” said President Harper, twisting a paper clip between his fingers, “but that’s not how I want our athletic program run. And please don’t tell me that you’re withdrawing your financial support for the gym, because I wouldn’t take any of your money now. This school has no use for you anymore.”
Powers stood up to give everyone in the room one last stare. Then he marched out.
“Thanks, you guys,” President Harper said, giving the Three Investigators a weak smile but a firm hand-shake. “This school is about to go through a tough, embarrassing time. But at least we’ll be able to take some pride in exposing our problems and fixing them ourselves instead of covering them up.”
16
MVP
“Well, it sounds like you had fun while I was skiing,” said Kelly. “But come on, guys. Tell me the truth. There never was a Porsche, was there?”