Chapter 104

The door of the limo slammed shut as the vehicle accelerated. I was thrown back against the seat, as was Tamara. Surprisingly enough, she didn't scream, as you would assume most women would.

I turned my attention back to the gunman. He still hadn't said anything. He seemed to be squeezing the pistol, like he was afraid to get it knocked out of his hand. In doing so, his arm was trembling. I glanced out the side window to see the limo speeding toward the guard gate.

I tried to quickly assess the situation. With Tamara in the car, I couldn't risk doing anything that would cause the gun to discharge. I did a mental check for any weapons I might have on me. The only thing besides my wallet was the crystal candy dish in my right coat pocket. It was a last resort item but stranger things have worked.

The gunman finally spoke, "Just sit there until we get to the airport."

I felt Tamara's hand squeeze my arm. I looked at her and she glanced down to her left hand. I followed her look and she had her hand spread and was lifting her ring finger, the one with the new wedding ring on it. She tapped the underside of the finger with her thumb. She then pointed at the gunman and repeated the tapping.

If I was reading her signal correct, she was telling me the gunman was Sam Sanger, her ex-husband.

I broke the silence, "What are you planning? You mentioned the airport, are we going somewhere?"

He didn't say anything but just put his left hand back up to his lips, indicating he wanted silence.

"I hate to tell you that no one has any authorization for paying any kind of ransom for me," I goaded. I was trying to get him to speak. I needed to unseat the control he had.

He just shook his head and motioned again for silence.

The car slowed at the gate and I saw the guard wave at the limo as it passed through. I did notice the guard had his hand on his hip. Looking closer, I saw it was actually on his weapon. He seemed to be ready for trouble.

We pulled out on Academy and headed west. I assumed we were heading to I-25. The privacy screen lowered and the driver told the gunman that everything looked good and we should arrive at the airport in less than twenty minutes. The screen then rose up.

The gunman spoke again, "Get on your knees and put your hands in your jacket pockets." Tamara started to get off the seat when I did and he replied gruffly, "Just the asshole!"

As she was settling back, I noticed the gunman looking at her legs. His gun followed his gaze. I don't know if Tamara realized it but she squirmed a bit and spread her legs a little more. The gunman's attention was definitely not on me.

It was then that the limo driver hit the brakes hard. I went flying forward and hit my head on the seat beside the gunman. He too was thrown about. The bad thing was the gun discharged near my ear. The momentum of the vehicle stopped and threw me back. The gunman was trying to right himself as my right hand came clear with the crystal dish. He was bringing the pistol to bear on my chest when I let the dish fly.

It caught him square between the eyes and he fell backwards. I didn't have time to check on Tamara as I dove for the gunman. Apparently the crystal only dazed him as he was again trying to right himself. I grabbed the pistol and twisted it towards him. I was now lying on top of him and the gun again discharged.

"John!" I heard Tamara shout.

My brain was checking all my body parts to see if any took the slug. Underneath me, the gunman's body went slack and it pretty much answered my question as to where the bullet went.

Not knowing what happened to the driver, I wrenched the pistol from the gunman and pushed the privacy screen switch to lower it. What I saw made me feel very good about the Albuquerque Police Department. There in front of the stopped limo was a two-car roadblock.

Somehow they had responded very quickly. When I saw the location of the roadblock, I had to laugh. I had gotten a speeding ticket on that very curve.

I saw the driver had his hands raised and was shaking. The two APD officers had their weapons drawn, but had not fired.

I spoke to the driver, "Roll your window down and put both of your hands out the window with your fingers spread.

I heard some screeching tires behind the limo but didn't want to take my attention away from the driver.

"Tamara? Are you okay?" I asked without looking back.

"My forehead is bleeding."

"Were you shot?"

"No, I hit my head when we stopped."

I saw Sam come around the right side of the car and walk around the front. He had his pistol in a two-handed grip and it was pointed at the limo driver. He glanced at me and I gave him a thumbs-up sign. He released his right hand and signaled the APD officers to advance.

The first officer arrived at the driver side door and opened it. I saw him pull the driver out and make him lay spread eagle on the ground.

The second officer looked at me and I let the pistol dangle on my finger. I heard Sam say something to the officer and he disappeared to my left. A few seconds later, the door to my left opened and the second police officer entered cautiously.

"I'm John Kegler and that is my wife, Tamara. This gentleman was in the limo when we entered at the wedding and held this gun on us." I handed him the gun very carefully. "Could you please call an ambulance, as my wife was hurt when the vehicle stopped?"

I then moved back to where Tamara was leaning back on the seat.

"Oh, John, is it Sam?"

"I don't know. I don't want to disturb anything before the police begin their investigation."

"Is this going to happen to us all the time? It's been non-stop all week."

"I hope this was the last of it. If that is Sam, I think he was the last enemy I had that isn't behind bars. Just out of curiosity, what makes you think it was Sam? Was it his voice?"

"If it's not him, then there are two people wearing the same gaudy turquoise and silver watch band. When he bought it, I told him I thought it was ugly. He said he thought it was great and has never taken it off."

I had to keep myself from laughing, but in reality, I was impressed with her powers of observation.

Sam stuck his head inside and asked if we were okay. I mentioned Tamara's forehead and he ducked out only to return in about thirty seconds. He had a first aid kit that I saw the second police officer hand to him. Sam then fussed over Tamara. I looked at the wound on her forehead and saw it was minor.

While he was attending to Tamara, I started looking for the bullet hole from the first shot. I saw it when Tamara shifted. It probably missed her by less than an inch. The adrenalin must have slowed down for I began to shake a little. Yes, the great hero, John Kegler, was shaking. I nearly lost my wife on my wedding day.

The investigation scene began to get crowded. It looked like the entire APD for the northeast part of Albuquerque was there. I was pleased to see Dan and Tom arrive.

Tamara and I were politely asked to get out of the limo and were then led to an ambulance where a paramedic removed the bandage Sam had applied, checked her wound and then placed a new bandage on her forehead.

Dan asked me to follow him, but before doing so, I made sure Tamara was okay first.

"John, about the time you and Tamara headed to the limo, Sam found the limo driver unconscious in a restroom stall. He ran up as the limo pulled away. He immediately called the police dispatcher. He didn't want it to go through 9-1-1 in case whoever was in the limo was monitoring the police channels.

"The gate guard was called to ensure he didn't get hurt trying to stop the limo. Once he saw which direction the limo was headed, Sam started getting cars positioned for a roadblock. Luckily, the limo took the most direct route to the Interstate.

"Sam took the first vehicle that was available at the reception; it was someone's Honda Civic. He called me as he was pulling away. Do you want to fill me in on what happened inside the limo?"

I gave him the whole story as best I could remember. I had just finished when the investigating detective walked up. He said hi to Dan and then asked if I would accompany him to the limo.

We walked up and he had me look at the gunman. He was still inside the limo but his ski mask had been removed. It was Sam Sanger and I told that to the detective. A rush went over me. How were Lena and Audrey going to take the death of their father, and at my hands no less?

I walked like a zombie back to the ambulance where Tamara was resting.

"It was Sam."

Tamara burst into tears. I didn't know if it was because Sam was dead or that it was because of relief.

I put my hand on her shoulder and she bolted into my arms. She threw her arms around my neck and kept sobbing.

"I have a question to ask you," I said. "How is this going to affect Lena and Audrey?"

She sniffed and pulled away. "Oh, God, I never thought of that. I remember how Lena reacted when he was arrested."

"Baby, I don't think I ever told you that it was Sam who told the guys from Dallas we were all at the ranch."

"You mean the son-of-a-bitch sicced those guys on us there?"

"Yes, Jeff has tapes of the telephone conversations."

"I don't know what it will do to them, but I think I better talk to them alone."

I heard a scream and turned to the limo. Lena was standing there with her hands on her face. Audrey was also there with Susan and Donna. My first thought was who let them through the police tape, but that was quelled when I saw Tom with them.

Tamara and I rushed over to them. Tamara went directly to them and they wrapped themselves up in a group cry. Tom walked up and apologized. He said the path to us had taken then by the open limo door and Lena had looked in. I told him it was okay, that the damage had already been done.

Donna made her way over to me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was hoping to buffer the news a little, though."

"Don't worry. They'll get over it." She put her arms around me and gave me a hug.

"I would like to get in on that," I heard from Susan. I enveloped her in my arms and she began to cry. "Oh John, will this ever end?"

It felt like déjà vu. Donna interrupted as she handed me my cell phone. It was my mother. She was all excited and wondered what had happened. I told her everything was all right and we would still get together at the house the next day.

Donna said she had been fielding calls like that since the limo left the reception. I had forgotten that she had my cell phone. Looking back at the situation, Tamara and I left the reception with absolutely no way to contact anyone. I had finally relied completely on my security team and ended up vulnerable. I guess Dan's suggestion for me to carry a pistol wasn't out of line after all.

I couldn't blame my team for this. I was always trying to do things without them. I continued to think of myself as invincible and it nearly got Tamara killed.

Dan walked up and I apologized for doubting him in the past. He had no clue what I was talking about and I could tell by the questioning look on his face.

"The limo driver has been singing like a canary. He said Sam Sanger had hired him to drive the limo and was going to pay him five thousand dollars. He confessed that Sam planned to kidnap Tamara and ask for five million dollars in ransom money. They were going to leave you at the airport and take Tamara on a private plane to Mexico. They planned on letting Tamara go when they received the money."

I started laughing and Dan looked at me like I was crazy. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

I reached inside my jacket pocket and handed him the envelope that was in there. He took it and opened it. He pulled out the check from Aaron's estate.

"If he had told me what he wanted, I could have saved him a lot of trouble and kept Tamara out of harm's way. Tamara is worth a hell of a lot more to me than money."

Dan looked at the check again and realized how many zeros were on it. His knees got a little weak. "John, I can't even imagine how much money this really is."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. I'll fill you in later on a new venture we'll be undertaking."

I took the check back and went to find my ladies. I had two that might never talk to me again.

On the way, the homicide detective intercepted me. He asked when he could get statements from Tamara and me. I told him to check with Tom and whatever time he said, would be agreeable with me. I looked at my watch and it was almost midnight. Where had the evening gone?

Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water, the news crews made it through the police lines and found me. I told them I had no comment at the time due to the investigation. Connie Smith, the reporter who talked to me after my arrest, waved at me. I motioned her over. She came without her cameraman or any visible recording device.

"Mr. Kegler, are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

"There's blood all over your shirt."

In all the excitement, I hadn't noticed that my shirt was covered with Sam's blood. "I'm not hurt but I can't tell you anything just yet. By the way, I have thought about your offer. I'll do it when I get back from my honeymoon. But there is a condition."

"What is it?"

"I'd like you to collaborate with a journalist named Gordon Scott. He's done a lot of research on me and I think you two could do a better job together. Plus, it will mean I don't have to go over things twice."

"Thank you, Mr. Kegler."

"Call me John. I think we are going to get very familiar before it's over with."

She thanked me and left. I saw Sam and asked him to find me a clean shirt. I didn't need to see Lena or Audrey with their father's blood all over me.

Sam came back in a few minutes with a police t-shirt. Well, at least I would blend in with the surroundings. I glanced around and saw that there were still at least ten emergency vehicles.