Chapter 73

I came to almost swinging. I realized I was lying on a lounger by the pool and there were cops and lots of people milling about. I glanced up and saw a paramedic holding a smelling salts inhalant. "Whoa, big guy. You're okay. You've been unconscious for about thirty minutes. We're getting ready to take you to the hospital."

"I don't want to go to the hospital." I started to get up but my head was a little woozy.

Michael and Tamara were both sitting to my left.

"John, let them take you to get checked. You took a pretty good blow to the head," Tamara pleaded.

"She's right," Michael added. "Better safe than sorry."

I laid back down and looked at the paramedic. "Okay. I'll go quietly."

Tamara rode in the ambulance with me. Michael followed with the small entourage of friends.

The way I was treated at the hospital emergency room you would have thought I was a VIP. They did the triage on the way for me to get a CAT scan.

I was taken to a room in the ER and a few more doctors poked and prodded me. Finally a doctor came in and said, "You have a slight concussion. We would like to keep you overnight for observation."

I looked at Tamara and she said I should stay.

The doctor continued, "You were lucky. I have seen where blows from a blackjack have cracked the skull."

Michael walked in with a man in a suit. "John, this is Detective Maloney."

"John, I always hate having to go through this part but I have to finish my investigation," Detective Maloney said.

Detective Maloney went through the questions. I answered them as truthfully as I could. Michael had apparently filled him in on McKenzie and the failed land deal. I told him what I remembered about the attack. He was particularly interested in how I bashed the guys face in. I told him it was only one blow from my knee. He seemed satisfied and closed his book.

"We already got a confession out of the guy with the bashed face. He is at another hospital getting taken care of. He said McKenzie's assistant had paid them to attack you. It was supposed to look like a mugging. If Mr. Rooker hadn't been following you, it might have been worse."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

Michael grinned and Detective Maloney continued, "Apparently Mr. Rooker finished what you started. When the first policeman arrived. Two were unconscious and the third was still in the pool. He was afraid to come out. We fished his pistol out of the bottom of the pool. Michael said you had put him there."

He was leaving the room when he stopped and turned around. "Off the record, we know McKenzie has screwed some people in the past. I'm glad to see someone finally got the best of him. And John... you would have made it easier if you would have Santa Fe'd the guys. Good luck sir, it has been a pleasure meeting you." He turned and walked out the door.

I began to run things through my mind. The last thing I remembered was the fight at the pool. Then something hit my head. I looked up at Michael and said, "Thanks for being there."

"What are friends for?" he grinned.

The doctor came back in and said I should get some rest. Tamara asked if she could stay and the doctor said it would be okay for one of them to stay.

"I guess I ruined another party. Michael, why don't you get everyone together and have a couple of relaxing drinks and I'll see you in the morning. I still want to play golf tomorrow."

Michael left and Tamara stroked my forehead and kissed me. "You had me worried."

"Sorry, but I seem to attract trouble. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but otherwise fine. The nurse said they would bring in another bed for me to sleep in tonight."

They did and we slept.

I was awakened several times during the night being checked. My concussion was minor and I had no complications. By six in the morning I was wide awake and asking the nurse to get me released.

The doctor came in and checked me. He said I was fine and I could be released. This is not the normal time but they weren't treating me like a normal patient.

Tamara had awakened sometime during the doctor's exam. She got up and went to the bathroom.

The nurse came in and helped me get out of the bed and dressed. I was asking the nurse to call us a cab and she said the police were there to give us a ride back to the resort.

We walked out of the room and there was a uniformed police officer sitting outside the room. He stood up and said, "I am Officer Purdy. I am to take you wherever you need to go."

"Why the special treatment?" I asked.

"Detective Maloney told us what happened and we are to assist you while you are in town."

He drove us back to the resort and we went to our room. Lena must have heard the key in the door because she met us as we walked in. "John, are you okay?"

"Apparently or they wouldn't have let me leave the hospital."

"With your charm you could be on your death bed and talk them into letting you leave," Lena responded and then hugged and kissed me.

"I need a shower," Tamara said. "Anyone want to join me?"

Clothes started flying off around the room and we were all in the shower in a flash. My ladies definitely checked my body for any bruises. They especially paid attention to places that I wasn't hit but I wasn't going to argue.

The tee times had been set for nine and I just finished getting dressed when Michael called. "Are you up for golf this morning?"

"I'm fine. Not even a headache. I'll meet you in the lobby." I lied about the headache because I didn't want to worry anyone.

Everyone was there when I strolled in and I got the usual questions. It seemed everyone was down-playing the attack, but not my injury.

The foursomes would be Bob, Tom, James, and Ralph teeing off before Phil, Michael, George, Sean, and I. We were just loading into the shuttle when Dan drove up. He had Sam in the car with him.

I told the others to go to the course and I would follow with Dan. I got in the car with Dan and we followed the shuttles as we talked.

"Hi, Sam. Hi, Dan. I guess I did need you."

Dan said, "Don't worry about it. We're here now. Sam is back on you while you are here. Roy will be waiting in Albuquerque. I am sorry I didn't listen to my gut about coming here."

"I doubt even Sam could have stopped what happened. They caught me completely off-guard. I feel like a fool for letting that one get me from behind," I said.

"Do you remember Bobby?"

"Yes I do. He worked the party."

"He will be splitting shifts with Sam and Roy in Albuquerque. And I know this isn't the right time to discuss this, but Tom mentioned you would like to finance a private investigation and security firm."

"Yes, I would like you to become one of Kegler Enterprise's companies. You would run it and I would be a silent partner providing the funding."

"I accept. I will be putting in for retirement when I get back. I have a partial business plan developed. When you have time, we can go over it."

"Give me your hand."

He did and I shook it. "Okay, we are now in business together. I want you to hire only the best; no rent-a-cops or wanna-bees. Bob will set you up with half a million operating expenses. You can choose any of the suites in the building that are unoccupied. We can have them remolded. There is an area in the basement that can be converted to an indoor pistol range."

Dan interjected, "You have given this some thought, haven't you?"

"Absolutely. If Sam and/or Roy want to continue with APD, that's fine. However if they don't, hire them full time. I envision a couple of bullet-poof vehicles for use for security escort. There are enough people coming into Albuquerque and Santa Fe that would hire a quality security firm."

"John, you know that business plan I had? It just got trashed. I can't believe you have thought all this out. I had touched on each issue. I was thinking about the name being, Shield Security."

"Whatever name you chose is fine. Is Jeff in on this?"

"He would like to be. He told me he liked you and this was the first job he felt like he was part of a team."

"I foresee a need for his expertise in setting up security systems. Not just here, but all over the nation. Boy, all this talk has gotten my adrenalin flowing and I feel good."

Dan discussed his retirement and figured he could begin Shield fulltime in August. We arrived at the course and they had all our clubs on the carts. I rode with Phil, Sean with George, and Michael with Sam. Dan left to do some follow-up to the attack.

The play went fine. I wasn't playing well but then I wasn't really trying. Phil gave me a little background on Sean and then Sean took over and finished his verbal resumé.

Sean explained that his company has wanted to get into Scottsdale for a while and this was a perfect opportunity. They were willing to build the resort with a thirty-year lease on the land with an option to purchase if Eagle Investments ever sold the course. In return Eagle Investments would be a twenty percent partner in the resort.

George asked him a few questions and they began a discussion that Phil and I stayed out of. By the time we finished the round, George and Sean wear laughing and joking. I think George liked him and the proposed deal.

Phil said he had to catch a flight out that evening. I told him that I was very glad he stayed with the deal. He said he was too. He left us at the clubhouse and took off. Sean and George explained the deal to the others over a beer at the 19th hole.

"Is the money worth it?" I asked Tom. "Is making money worth all of this grief?"

"You stepped in and saved a few people lots of money on this deal. At the same time, you may have stopped McKenzie from fleecing others. You are the hero."

"Hero with a headache."

"By the way, guess how much the bill for the resort for all our rooms, meals, and meeting rooms came to?" Tom asked.

"Ten thousand?"

"Zilch, nada, nothing. The manager was upset about Lisa and Lena getting harassed. And then when you got attacked, he wants to make it up to us. In reality, he doesn't want us suing."

"That's nice. I'll accept it providing we tip all the help. I'll talk to the manager myself when we check out."

Sam drove us back to the resort and the manager greeted us. I thanked him for all they had done during our stay. Once in the room, I called Sheila concerning getting us back to Albuquerque. I told her Sam was an additional passenger. She was glad I was okay. She would call me back when she got everything arranged.

I asked Tamara what had happened while I was out. She didn't get anything done. Trish did make arrangements with the woman in Phoenix to take over the Arizona stores.

"You should call Marie. She called this morning while you were playing golf."

I picked up my phone and called her. "Hi sweetheart."

"Daddy! Are you okay? Tamara told me what happened."

"I'm okay. I was only at the hospital overnight. We are heading back to Albuquerque today. I have a bunch of stuff to do so I will talk to you later. I love you."