Chinese Handcuffs Read Online Free Page A

nearing six feet in height, identical hair color, even the same intense eyes.
    â€œHey, Jen,” her coach said with a laugh, “save a little of that for Wenatchee, okay? I want you in one piece.”
    â€œI’m okay,” Jennifer said. “Sandy didn’t hurt me. I mean, look at her. . . .”
    â€œIt hurts me,” Coach said. “When your body hits the floor like that, it rattles my skeleton. Indulge an old lady, okay? I have to be ready for Wenatchee, too.”
    Jennifer smiled and slapped the coach on the butt asshe headed for the baseline where the rest of the players lined up for sprints. “Okay, Coach,” she hollered back over her shoulder. “I’ll take it easy. From here to Saturday it’s strictly powder puff.”
    Kathy Sherman turned and walked back toward the bench while Rich Shively, her assistant, ran the girls through their postpractice sprints. Scott Wakefield from the Three Forks Free Press waited patiently to get a few comments about the upcoming Wenatchee game.
    â€œWhat’sa matter, Scotty? Boys’ teams all have the night off?”
    Wakefield laughed, well aware of Coach Sherman’s running contention that girls’ athletics took a backseat to boys’ down at his paper. The Free Press had printed her thoughts on that very subject several times. He had even defended his paper in a local TV debate with her earlier in the year, saying it covered what the people wanted to know. “So does the Enquirer,” Kathy had shot back.
    â€œYou guys are what’s hot,” Wakefield said now. “If this game with Wenatchee lives up to half the hype, you won’t have to worry about female obscurity in athletics for a long time. I’d suggest you don’t lose this one, dearie. You’re tomorrow’s lead on the prep school page.”
    â€œThen I think I’ll tape what we say,” Coach said teasingly. “And if you quote one wrong word, you’ll hear about it on all three TV newscasts tomorrow night. Dearie.”
    â€œJeez,” Wakefield said in mock defense, “I should get a tape recorder myself.”
    â€œAll the big boys have ’em,” Kathy said. “Considering your note-taking history—with me at least—it might be money well spent.”
    â€œSo,” Wakefield started, pulling his trusty notebook from his shirt pocket, “I’d like to come at this from the Lawless-Halfmoon angle.”
    â€œYou and every two-bit yellow journalist in the state,” Kathy said. “This is a team sport, Scotty. You know I don’t use the star system.”
    â€œI ought to know that, for as many times as you’ve told me, Coach. But you have to admit there haven’t been two athletes of this caliber going head-to-head for quite a while. And for all the complaining you do about chicks not getting any ink, you don’t help much when you protect them the way you do.”
    â€œSo what do you want to know?”
    â€œI want to know how you think Jennifer Lawless is going to stack up against Renee Halfmoon.”
    â€œWell,” the coach said thoughtfully, “I can’t tell youabout Renee Halfmoon, but I can tell you about Jennifer Lawless. She’s the most talented athlete I’ve ever coached if you talk about a balance between raw ability and ‘want-to.’ I’ve never met a kid this tough.” She stopped short of saying that sometimes she worried that Jennifer didn’t feel pain or maybe that pain made her go, for fear of what Scotty might do with it in print.
    â€œHow do you mean?”
    â€œWell, you saw her just now. She’ll take a charge from anyone. Any size. I’ll bet she draws more charging fouls than any two players in the league simply because she’s willing to take a full shot,” Kathy said, thinking how sometimes she worried that she couldn’t coach Jennifer to protect herself better—put her