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in person. He had been a defenceman back in his playing days, with a reputation for hard hitting and the ability to drop the gloves with the best of them. Looking at him across the desk, Smith could imagine him being an imposing figure at the blue line. He noticed the scarring around the right eye and remembered hearing that McAdam’s career had been cut short by an injury in his early thirties, but not before he had won a Stanley Cup with Boston.
    â€œThanks for seeing us. I know this has got to be a tough day,” Marshall opened with his now-familiar refrain.
    â€œI wish we were meeting under different circumstances, gentlemen.” McAdam sighed and leaned forward in his chair. “Before we get started, can I ask if you have any leads?”
    â€œWe’re still in the information gathering stage, but there are a few things that we need to follow up on, and I’m sure there will be more.”
    â€œYou probably can’t discuss it anyway. Ongoing investigation, that sort of thing. It’s gotta be a murder investigation though, right? I just met with Mrs. Ritchie and she saw the body. I mean, Jesus….”
    â€œWe were at the scene when he was pulled from the canal,” Marshall said.
    McAdam shook his head. “It’s just such a … shock, and such a goddamn waste.”
    â€œMaybe if we can ask you some questions about Curtis and his relationship with the team we can get to work, and let you get on with yours,” Smith offered.
    McAdam nodded. “Of course.”
    â€œHow well did you know Curtis?”
    â€œI can’t say I knew him all that well, personally. In my position, you have to look at the player first, and the person second. Personality’s important, don’t get me wrong, but you can be the nicest guy in the world, and that’s not gonna get you noticed in this league.”
    â€œSo when did you become familiar with Curtis, the player?”
    McAdam paused. “I started hearing about him a couple of years back, when he first broke into the OHL. I was down in Florida at the time, but all the teams have their scouts out there. It was well-known that he was someone to watch for — someone special.”
    â€œAnd you were instrumental in bringing him here?”
    The GM gave him a bleak grin. “I can’t really blame you for wanting my head on a platter, as a fan.”
    â€œI guess his death leaves you with a bit of a gap to fill.”
    â€œThat’s the understatement of the year. And that’s what’s so damn ironic,” he continued. “A kid like that, you can see him going to L.A. or the Big Apple and getting himself into trouble, in over his head with a lot of money and the wrong people around him. Maybe he gets into drugs, or even it’s just random crime — that’s the reality of big city life in the States. But here? I would have thought Ottawa was the safest place he could possibly be. And then this happens. I still find it unbelievable.”
    â€œYou mentioned the money,” Smith interjected. “What happens now, with his death? I assume the team doesn’t have to pay out the full contract.”
    â€œNo, there’s a one-time benefit of … I assume we’re talking confidentially here, right? I can’t have any of this getting into the press. Mrs. Ritchie’s got enough on her mind.”
    â€œThe press isn’t going to hear it from us.”
    McAdam leaned forward in his chair. “Curtis named his mother as the beneficiary, so she’s entitled to a half a year’s salary. You may want to talk to Curtis’s agent as well. He was working on some endorsement deals. I don’t know if they had gotten to terms yet.”
    â€œWe’re due to speak to him later this afternoon.”
    â€œAnd the salary payout,” Smith asked. “Does that come from the team, or an insurer?”
    â€œThat’s a good question. In twenty years of