His expression shifted. “Come to think of it, I did. Doors were locked up tight.”
“The time on the accident report was 7:15 a.m. If Dad was always on time for his Monday morning meeting, why was he still on the interstate at 7:15?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t like Reid to be late.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, Don. Send me the injury list as soon as you get it too.”
“Will do.”
On my desk, I wrote a note to myself.
* * *
Why was Dad late for his meeting with Don?
* * *
A knock came on my door, and Jen pushed the door open and stuck her head in. “I saw the coach leave. Are you good on coffee?”
“I am, thanks, Jen. Come on in.”
As she came closer to my desk, I sat in the tall leather chair on the other side. “Have you gotten the numbers from stadium operations from yesterday’s game?”
“I did. And I sent them to you. Also, there’s an email from Roger Nixon. He’s from the commissioner’s office. I think you’ll want to read that before your ten o’clock executive meeting.”
“Thanks,” I said, “I’ll take a look at it.”
Jen closed my door as I fired up my computer. The list of unopened emails had grown since I looked at it yesterday after the game. At that point, I wasn’t ready to tackle any of them. Scrolling, I found Roger Nixon’s name. The subject line was: Will Lexington be ready?
Tugging on my lower lip with my teeth, I opened the email.
“Holy shit,” I said softly. Tears filled my eyes as I peered upward. “Dad, I wish you could be the one reading this.”
Body of the e-mail:
* * *
Ms. Hubbard,
* * *
I’m reaching out to you as the new owner of the Lexington Coopers.
It is the job of my commission to identify possible Super Bowl host cities. At this time, we are looking to four and five years in the future. Your father provided our commission with a proposal.
In recent years, the NFL has shifted to a different model. We select the city and that city negotiates the terms. Your father’s recent proposal suggested a plan to work with Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council to revitalize the city’s infrastructure in accordance with the strict NFL guidelines.
I would like to make an appointment to tour Crystal Light Stadium and learn more about the plans with the Urban County Council regarding the infrastructure plans for the future.
Please have your assistant contact me with a date and time for our meeting. I’m currently booked through December. I hope we can find a mutually acceptable date in the new year. I look forward to discussing this with you in person.
* * *
Sincerely,
Roger Nixon
NFL Super Bowl Planning Commission
