Chapter 47

The invasion of privacy issue was getting to me. It's one thing to be a celebrity like Michael and have the paparazzi follow you around, but regular people shouldn't have this happen to them.

Dan arrived about nine with a young man with him. He introduced him as Sam Abbott, an APD off-duty officer. He was going to hang out around the house today. I showed them around and explained who was at the house and who might come over. I would have talked with them out on the patio but I was worried about prying eyes.

I asked Dan how he was coming getting information from Santa Fe. He told me he was getting a list of the witnesses a little later. I asked him to see if he could locate anyone that had used a video recorder. "Maybe someone was shooting in the plaza and focused on the skirmish. Offer a reward if necessary, say $5,000 dollars."

Dan said he needed to leave and get started. Sam would be there until six that evening and then he would send another officer; his name was Roy Tanner. He said Roy would have one of his business cards.

I called to the girls to come and meet Sam. Sam was very professional when Tamara, Lena, and Christina all entered the kitchen. Lena and Christina were in sweats and Tamara was dressed for work. I explained that Sam would be here all day and another officer will replace him for the night shift.

My cell phone rang and I didn't recognize it but it was a local number. I answered it anyway. It was Jim Reeves. "John, how's it going?"

"Okay I guess. What's up with you?" I asked.

"What's the deal with the news stories this morning? Is that you they're talking about?"

"I'm afraid it is. I can't really go into a lot of details right now," I said.

"I got a call from Charles this morning. He is worried that this might bring negative publicity to the club. He asked me to tell you that until this is cleared up, the offer for the Board of Governors seat is on hold. I'm sorry, John."

I held my anger in until after we got off the phone. I couldn't take much more. I called Tom.

I explained to him what Jim said. I asked whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'? He was just as exasperated as I was. He told me he talked with Channel 12's general manager about a press conference. Tom said we should have it around three that afternoon.

I said if he thought it was best then I would do it. Tom said we needed Christina there as well. I asked if he wanted Tamara and Lena there. There was a silent pause and then he said, "It may not be a bad idea to have the press see the entire group that was accosted."

When we got off the phone I went to find everyone. I asked them if they would mind participating in the press conference. Lena asked if they were going to speak and answer questions. I told her that it would probably be only Christina and I that would be speaking. A solemn look came over Christina. I asked her what was wrong.

"I don't know if I can hold up to being questioned," she said.

"Don't worry. Tom will be in charge and won't let you get badgered," I replied. "If you feel you can't do it, you don't have to."

Tamara asked, "What good will this do?"

"Right now, the news broadcasts are shading this as if I attacked those guys. We need to get our side on the record. You three talk about it and let me know what you want to do." I left them in the den and went back to my study to think.

It was about ten minutes later when Christina came in. "John, I'll do it. If you hadn't stood up for me, who knows what would have happened to me. I just don't know if I can do it without losing it."

I opened my arms, she came to me, and I hugged her. It was going to be tough on her. If only Dan can find a videotape?

Sam came in and said there was someone parking out in front of my house. I went to the front window and didn't recognize the guy. I asked Sam to answer the door and find out who it was.

I stayed in the living room and listened. I heard him tell Sam he was a reporter and wanted to ask John Kegler some questions. Sam told him I wasn't available. Sam said he would give me his card and I would call him if I found time. The reporter started to say something when Sam shut the door. I watched the reporter through the curtained window and he stood there for a minute formulating something.

He came toward the window and was trying to peek in. When that didn't satisfy him, he headed towards the driveway and the side of the house.

I directed Sam to the back door as I followed him. Sam arrived at the back wall about the time the reporter did. Sam told the reporter he was trespassing and he needed to leave. The reporter began to get pushy. Sam produced his badge and informed the reporter that he had been warned and if he persisted, the reporter would be arrested.

This seemed to deter the man and he walked back down the driveway. Sam followed him to the street and stood there until he drove away.

Sam walked back to the backyard and came inside. "John, I really thought having me was overkill until now. I just never realized your predicament before."

"That's okay. This is all new to me as well." I replied and went back to my study. I don't know if I was hiding or planning.

As I sat down, I realized I was hungry. I walked to the kitchen as Tamara was pouring herself a cup of coffee. She set it down and put her arms around me. It was a very comforting feeling. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't see this going away anytime soon. I feel like a prisoner in my own home."

"Well, at least you have sexy cellmates," she said causing me to grin.

"Can you believe this morning?" I asked.

"I thought it was going great until Christina rolled me over. Then it was awesome!"

"I know you experimented with Lena the other day, but I was surprised how much you got into it with Christina."

"It was so spontaneous. One minute she is sitting on your face and the next she is on top of me. I was still coming down from my orgasm from riding you and she kicked in the afterburners. It was extremely intense. By the way, the weapon in your pants is trying to attack me. Is this conversation turning you on?"

"Absolutely," I replied. "I usually get excited with you in my arms. Sometimes it's more intense than other times."

"You two need to get a room!" we heard Lena say. "And take me with you!"

That cracked us up and I mentioned I was hungry. Was anyone else interested in a late breakfast? They said they were. Lena left to find Christina and ask her. I went to the living room where Sam was and asked him if he'd like some breakfast. He declined saying he ate before he came over that morning.

Tom called about one o'clock. He told me where to meet him for the press conference. I informed him that all the girls would be coming. Christina was worried about the questions. Tom said he would try to buffer the situation. He also told me Dan had a lead on a witness that had video taped part of the skirmish.

That got my hopes up.

Tom then continued. He told me that the leak pointed to Richards. "Officer Bryant printed out the transmission report from the fax machine used by Richards. The fax machine requires a personal code for long distance charges and there were at least five faxes yesterday after seven. Bryant faxed me a copy of the transmission report. I have one of my staff tracking the numbers down. Channel 9 has been confirmed as one of the numbers."

"If he did that, isn't that against normal police procedures?"

"Yes... especially releasing the names so early in the investigation."

"This is getting more and more weird. What motive would Richards have for doing this?"

My call waiting beeped in and it was Dan. I asked Tom to hold on. I answered Dan's call and he said he tried to call Tom but didn't get through. I told him I was on the phone with him at the time. I asked him to hang up and I would put through a three-way call. I clicked back to Tom and told him what I was doing.

When connected, Dan told us he found two people that had videotaped the incident. Both had been interviewed and one said he told the police he caught the last part on tape. He turned the tape over to the police. The other one didn't know his daughter had caught the whole thing on tape. He didn't find out about it until they were going home. "Get this: she thought the girl's outfits were 'to die for' so she was filming the girls before the guys caught up to Christina. I'm driving to Socorro to get the film."

Tom asked if he could get there and back to downtown by three o'clock. Dan said he would try.

He hung up and Tom and I discussed the plan for the press conference. Should we mention the leak? He said we should downplay that until we had more details.

We were ready to go by two-thirty. Sam chose to follow us. He gave me a walkie-talkie for us to communicate between the vehicles. He said it had a two-mile range. He informed me that Dan and Tom both had units that were tuned to the same frequency and security code. I decided the Expedition was the better choice to take.

We left and went downtown. We arrived at the station's building at two-fifty. Tom was already waiting for us. He saw us drive in and spoke to me through the radio. We parked near him and Sam pulled in beside me.

Tom led us in to one of the studios they had for this type of broadcast. I met the general manager of the station and introduced the girls to him. He turned us over to a producer who walked us through the ordeal. Tom was going to read a prepared statement and then there would be a question and answer period. The producer introduced us to the director.

Tom was asked to step up to the podium and began speaking when the director gave him the classic five-four-three-two-one finger countdown.

"Yesterday at approximately six PM in Santa Fe, NM, my client, John Kegler, and his friends were shopping on the Plaza. John and his friends were walking across the Plaza commons when four men accosted them. Two of the men grabbed Christina Rodriquez by her arms. John requested them to leave her alone. They stated they wanted to "party" with her. The other two men worked their way behind him. When the two men holding Miss Rodriquez tightened their grip on her, John took immediate action to facilitate her release. The two men holding Miss Rodriquez released her and she moved away. Meanwhile, the two other men attacked Mr. Kegler and he fended off the first. The other man pulled a knife and threatened Mr. Kegler. The police arrived at that time and persuaded the knife wielding man to give up. The third man attempted to flee but was caught by other police officers. It is unfortunate that one of the attackers died on the way to hospital."

"Are there any questions?" Tom asked.

"Mr. Kegler, how were you able to disarm and subdue the two men holding Miss Rodriquez so quickly and efficiently?"

"I don't know if it was quick and efficient. All I know is Christina was in danger and the men were stating their desire to party with her, my girlfriend and my girlfriend's daughter. I simply used my knowledge of the human body and its weakest points."

"Mr. Kegler, where did you get this knowledge?"

"I received training in the United States Marine Corps and had various martial arts instruction. However, any sports fan knows that if you take out the knee of a football player, he will go down. Also the reason the clothesline tackle has been outlawed is because it can cause damage to the larynx and subsequent breathing problems."

"Mr. Kegler, did you also play football?"

"No, just baseball. Football was too rough." I said smiling.

"Miss Rodriquez, did you feel you were in danger?"

Christina stepped up to the microphone, "I was in danger. I had two men grab my arms and kept me from following my friends."

"Is it true your female friends were dressed in a manner to ask for that kind of attention?" The reporter that asked that question was female.

Tom stepped up and said, "Regardless of how they were dressed, no one has the right to force themselves on anyone else. You're a woman. You have on a dress right now. You're showing skin below the hem. What if that particular fashion statement invokes a group of gentlemen to grab your arms and detain you for partying, are you also asking for it?"

There was a slight moment of silence.

I stepped up to the microphone. "My name is John Kegler. I'm a private citizen of the United States of America. I defended my friend's honor and possibly her life yesterday. I did it in a manner that caused a death. I'm not proud of that, but Christina and I are the victims here. Yet we have been treated like: one, we asked for it; and two, we should have just stood by quietly and let the men do what they wanted. Someone is probably going to say they couldn't help themselves. That society wasn't good to them growing up. Guess what? Society didn't do a whole lot for me. My parents ensured I had good morals instilled in me. They ensured that I knew the difference between right and wrong and to respect other people and their property.

"I served in the military and was trained to protect my life and my comrades with whatever force was necessary."

Tom tugged at my sleeve and whispered in my ear, "Dan is here with the tape. We need to break for five minutes and view it."

Tom spoke to the crowed, "We need to recess for five minutes. We'll continue at that time."

The producer led us out of that room into the next. Dan handed the tape to the producer who put it in the machine. Tom was handed the remote and fast-forwarded it to the first part we were in. It showed the four men run up behind us and grab Christina. It showed me turn around and confront them. Within seconds it showed Tamara and Lena walking quickly towards the Ore House. As they were leaving the other two men surrounded me. I then pointed and you could here me shout, "Cops!" There was a blur and the kneecapped one was on the ground and I took one step and the other was grabbing at his throat and he fell to the ground. I spun and threw the other across my body. It showed the fourth one with the knife dancing a bit and then you saw the cops come into the picture and the guy dropped the knife and the police rushed him and cuffed him. The one I threw down tried to run away and another cop tackled him. The videotape ran for a few more minutes and showed Christina come to me and then Tamara and Lena joined us. The tape continued but not concerning us.

"Damn that was quick," the producer said.

Tom asked that the portion of the tape be copied. Dan spoke up, "First can we run through it one more time. I want to time it."

We did and Dan said, "From the time of them grabbing Christina to the cops getting there was five minutes. From the time John pointed to the time he was facing the knife guy, thirty seconds."

The producer took the tape and made a quick copy and handed the original tape back to Tom. Tom asked the producer to load the tape so it could be shown at the press conference.

We walked back in to the press conference. Tom stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Please turn your attention to the monitor." The room darkened and the tape began.

The lights came up. "Are there any questions?"

The woman reporter who asked the question about the ladies attire spoke, "First, I apologize to Miss Rodriquez. Second to Mr. Kegler; from the information we received, we were led to believe that Mr. Kegler had provoked and attacked the four men."

I spoke up, "Thank you for your apology. May I ask where you got your information?"

"I can not divulge my sources," she said.

"You can take information supplied by your sources and smear my name across the nation, but when the source is proved incorrect, you stand by them. Madam, you're lower than whale-shit. My good name is tarnished because you believed someone without investigating the truth. You wanted the sordid story so badly, you didn't care what innocents were hurt."