Chapter 7 - Dylan Price
Dylan Price had been Ryan’s assistant coach.
Twenty-six in 2014.
Ambitious.
Loyal to Marcus.
He wanted Ryan win because Ironcrest sale would make him regional director.
Ryan lost.
Promotion disappeared.
Dylan left academy two weeks after crash.
Now owned small gym in Arizona.
He agreed interview.
At first denied.
Then confronted with garage log.
“Yes, I was there.”
“Why?”
“Marcus asked me to help Ryan.”
Ryan was sedated.
Dylan and Mark moved him.
Where?
Locker room to staff office.
Then Marcus said:
“Get him out of sight.”
Why?
Sponsors were gathering.
A visibly drugged finalist would create scandal.
Did Dylan know why sedated?
He assumed Ryan took something.
Mark said Marcus gave him medication.
Then at 11:20, Marcus instructed Dylan take Ryan in sedan to hotel.
Dylan loaded Ryan.
He left.
That matches footage.
So Ryan left arena in sedan with Dylan.
Dylan drove toward hotel.
Ryan vomited.
Dylan pulled over.
Then Ryan became difficult to wake.
Dylan panicked and returned toward arena seeking medical staff, finally left him in alley near service entrance and called anonymous emergency number.
Cowardly.
But it explained Ryan found there.
Dylan was not SUV driver during crash.
Phone location placed him with Ryan elsewhere at 11:48.
So driver was Mark or Marcus.
Mark’s phone location near crash.
Marcus’s phone at arena? Location data tower broad.
Then Dylan revealed:
“Mark had SUV.”
There.
“I saw him leave.”
“Alone?”
Dylan hesitated.
“Marcus was in passenger seat.”
Ryan stared.
Both.
If Marcus passenger, Mark driver.
Then why Mark deny?
Obvious.
Could Dylan be lying to shift guilt?
Need corroboration.
Gas station camera two blocks from crash.
Low quality.
SUV passed at 11:45.
Driver silhouette slender.
Passenger larger.
Mark slender.
Marcus larger.
Fits.
Then crash.
At 11:52 same gas camera shows Mark walking back toward arena alone.
No Marcus.
Where did Marcus go?
Maybe left crash in another vehicle?
Police never identified passenger.
At crash SUV passenger airbag deployed.
Blood trace.
DNA testing modern.
Archived airbag swab existed.
DNA matched Marcus Vale.
There.
Marcus was passenger.
Mark drove.
So Ryan did not cause crash.
Marcus and Mark did.
Why?
Mark followed Ethan’s car to scare him.
Marcus came to control.
Did they intend collision?
Mark claimed no.
He planned pull alongside and force Ethan to stop.
Marcus wanted intimidate him over ledger.
But when vehicle reached intersection, Rachel unexpectedly slowed? Need mechanics.
Traffic reconstruction from original reports: SUV accelerated through red, impacted passenger side.
That does not look accidental side-by-side intimidation.
Mark finally admitted:
“I tried to cut him off.”
He thought Ethan was driving.
He accelerated to block intersection.
He expected Ethan stop.
Rachel entered with green light.
SUV struck.
So intentional dangerous maneuver, not intended bodily harm but reckless intimidation.
Liam lost leg because Mark and Marcus tried scare Ethan.
Then why frame Ryan?
Immediately after crash Marcus panicked.
He realized Ethan’s wife and baby were inside.
He told Mark:
“Ryan was driving.”
Why Ryan?
Because Ryan had already been drugged.
His jacket available.
His medal available.
His old fingerprints in SUV.
Perfect scapegoat.
Did Marcus drug Ryan specifically to frame him before accident?
This matters.
Maybe originally drugged him after loss to prevent confrontation with sponsors. Then opportunistically used him after crash. More layered, less mastermind preplanned. Good.
Marcus gave Ryan lorazepam-laced water to calm him without telling him. Dangerous and illegal.
After crash, Marcus exploited existing circumstance.
Mark placed Ryan medal/jacket in SUV? How after crash if items elsewhere? Marcus had Ryan's medal and jacket from locker when moving him? Could carry. Dylan says Marcus took medal saying he'd return later. Mark then planted after crash.
Then Marcus cut hand on passenger airbag. Denise remembered him arriving home with bandaged wrist at 1 a.m., saying glass broke at arena.
She never questioned.
This becomes strong.
Then why Mark not prosecuted now? Statute/crime depends. For serious felony maybe limitations varied; could be charges if newly discovered and statute tolled? We can avoid legal specifics, say prosecutors review applicability. Civil liability remains.
Ryan looked at Liam.
“So it was them.”
Ethan said:
“Almost.”
“Almost?”
One more mystery.
Who sent Ethan ledger page that triggered intimidation?
Someone inside Ironcrest.
And cracked medal had a tiny inscription on back Ryan had never seen.
“R.P.”
Not Ryan Price.
Could indicate person.
Liam turned medal.
R.P.
Ryan stared.
“Dylan’s last name is Price.”
But first initial D.
Mark Ellis M.E.
Marcus Vale M.V.
Who was R.P.?
Maybe Rebecca Price, Dylan's sister? Avoid more people. Could be initials for "Return Proof". Better no. We need central medal meaning. Perhaps cracked medal was altered after crash by Rachel? Hmm.
We need mystery central is accident and medal. The medal itself belonged Ryan and planted. The crack happened in crash. Good enough. Inscription can open new clue maybe unnecessary. Let's not add weird initials. Instead serial number plus crack proves planted at crash. Chapter ends with Ethan asking why Marcus wanted Ethan scared; because ledger. But who sent ledger remains.
Could be Liam's mother Rachel. She worked accountant? That could add emotional layer but not overcomplicate. Maybe Rachel was source! She had done bookkeeping for tournament sponsor? User wants surprise but easy. Let's seed.
Ethan remembers anonymous page arrived in envelope with a small blue star drawn. Rachel always used blue stars on grocery lists? Could be too contrived.
Maybe anonymous whistleblower was Ryan himself? He had seen deductions and anonymously sent to Ethan before final, then forgot due sedation? Ryan could know. But then Marcus knew and retaliated, more logical. Did Ryan send ledger page? He may have because he discovered juniors being charged. He didn't tell Ethan. That adds moral complexity and connects. Let's make later.
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Ryan says he once copied ledger page and gave to someone—not Ethan. To Dylan? Hmm.
Let's proceed.
