The Empty Chair

The new owner, Evelyn Marsh, had bought the Charlotte Hornets with a promise to modernize everything. Forty-eight hours later the general manager had been fired, the head coach had resigned, two assistant GMs had accused each other of leaking medical files, and three candidates had declined interviews before their agents even returned the team's calls. The Hornets had missed the playoffs again. Attendance ranked thirtieth. Local radio joked that the concession lines moved faster because nobody was inside the building. Daniel slipped past the reporters, lowered his head, and tried to swipe into the room. "Daniel Carter?" one of them called. "Is it true you're running basketball ops today?" He stopped with his hand on the door.