The Loser

Ball number 23 shot into the clear plastic tube. It was the final ball in the State's richest-ever Power Ball Lottery. Walter Maloney, perched on his stool at Clancy's Place, watched the TV monitor in disbelief. It was all he could do to resist standing up and shouting "Yes! Yes! I've won! I've won!" Instead, hands sweating and shaking uncontrollably, he quietly returned the ticket to his wallet. Suddendly, clutching his chest with both hands, he slumped forward onto the bar! Groggy from a life-saving intervention, Maloney awakens hours later in a hospital ICU and recalls the previous night's events. He immediately demands to see his wallet. When he opens it the ticket is missing. He reaches for the call bell. It was about to become a stressful time for everybody who came in contact with the agitated Walter Maloney. Roger Hite has crafted an engossing story about how the loss of a half-billion dollar lottery ticket transforms the life of a middle-aged San Francisco mailman.