Chapter 81

I woke to the alarm. Five-thirty came too early. I crawled over a body; I assumed it was Lena. The shower felt good. I brushed my teeth and shaved. As I strolled to the dresser, I heard a wolf whistle.

"Good morning, sexy," I heard Audrey say in her sultry voice.

"How are you this morning?"

She had moved to lie facing the end of the bed. "Wonderful! I really enjoyed last night."

"So did I. I am meeting your grandfather and Roy for breakfast in a few minutes. I put Jim Reeve's phone number on the dresser. He is a friend who will help you and Lena at the Mercedes dealership. Call him and let him know what time you will meet him."

"Thanks again."

"You're welcome again." I bent over and gave her a kiss. "I have to go. Tell the other sleepyheads I'll see them tonight. And be sure to tell your mother I love her."

Roy was standing outside the room when I walked out. We strolled to restaurant without saying much, then grabbed a table and ordered coffee. Harry walked in as the waitress brought the three cups.

"Good morning, Harry. Are you ready for a morning of flying?"

"I hope so. I haven't been in a small plane in years."

"Me neither."

We chatted about the property during breakfast. He said the summers were great and the winters were beautiful. He said there were plenty of trails for snowmobiles and cross-country skiing.

After breakfast we drove to the airport. I parked in the charter area. George was already through with the pre-flight check when we arrived. It was a nice plane.

"This plane isn't as small as I thought it was going to be," Harry said.

"We're ready to go," George said and climbed aboard. "John, do you want to fly in the right seat?"

"Sure, Roy, will you close the door after Harry gets in?"

Harry and Roy settled in next to each other facing forward. This plane had six passenger seats.

George called the tower and received clearance to taxi to the runway. Being a small plane we were diverted to the alternate runway. We were alone on the taxiway and were able to roll on through the takeoff with out stopping. We took off to the southwest and had to continue that heading for five miles before turning north.

"Our flight path will take us north past Santa Fe. We will be paralleling I-25 up to Colorado. We'll then fly west of the San Isabel National Forest over the Wet Mountains, circle the property and then land at the airport."

"I'm glad you know where we are going. This is a nice plane. Have you flown it before?"

"A few times. It's owned by a friend that I was in the service with. He uses it for charters. He doesn't rent it out normally but he has let me borrow it a time or two."

"Does he have other planes?"

"He has two corporate jets, a Gulfstream G450 and a Citation. Uh-oh... you've got that look."

"What look is that?"

"The 'I want to buy something' look."

"I don't want to buy, but I might want to charter more often. We'll be flying to Phoenix quite a bit. I'd like to see if chartering will be more cost effective than commercial."

"I see what you mean. If more than say... six of us fly then maybe it would be better to charter."

We continued this conversation. George pointed out when we crossed the Colorado border. It was beautiful country.

"I thought about getting my pilot's license once."

"And... ?"

"Just once. I would rather leave the flying to others."

I looked back to see Harry sawing logs. Roy was engrossed in the book he brought. I settled back and watched the clouds go by.

"We will be approaching Westcliffe in about fifteen minutes," George said.

I leaned back and woke Harry up. I asked him to point out where the property was. He said to fly north-northwest out of Westcliffe.

I told George what Harry had said. George pointed out Westcliffe. A few minutes later Harry hollered out to circle to the west.

Harry leaned forward between George and me. He pointed to the log cabin on the property below. "That's my land there."

George made a lazy circle over the area.

"The adjacent property is just over that rise to the west."

George circled that property as well. I made some mental notes as to where I wanted to set down with the chopper.

"Take us to the airfield," I said.

I watched George and he was very deliberate with his preparations for landing. He circled the airfield once before coming in for the landing. It was smooth.

George taxied up to the hangar area. There was a Bell 407 on the tarmac. We exited the plane and George went inside the hangar. He walked out with someone I assumed to be the pilot of the chopper. George made the introductions to Hank, the chopper pilot, who then led us to the Bell.

I was offered the left seat. George, Harry, and Roy climbed in the passenger section. There were headsets for each of us.

"I flew over the area on the way here to get a feel of the mountains," Hank said as we lifted off.

"I want to look at Harry's land first."

George gave Hank directions. Harry was correct about it being beautiful. The cabin was near the center of the property. Hank was able to set the chopper down about a hundred yards from the cabin.

We got out and walked up to it. I had already told Harry I would buy it and after seeing it I was ready to double the offer. Harry gave us the tour and pointed out the creek and the pond.

We loaded back up and flew west to the adjoining property. Being closer to the treetops in the chopper we were able to see the details of the land better. There was plenty of pastureland to run a few head of horses. I saw maybe fifteen horses in a small fenced pasture just north of the house. I would have to check with the current owner how many head he ran and what he did for them during the winter. The house had been built on the side of a hill.

As we approached the house, I saw a man walk out of the house and look up. Harry said he had called the owner and he was waiting to meet us. I had Hank make several passes before landing near the house. He shut the chopper down and we got out.

Harry greeted the man and then brought him to us.

"Mr. Travis, this is John Kegler," Harry said. "John this is Thaddeus Travis."

I greeted him and introduced him to George, Roy, and Hank.

Mr. Travis led us to the barn. He said he ran twenty head of horses and had stall space for thirty in the barn. He mentioned that he really didn't want to sell but he needed to live in the city. He mentioned that his wife needed to be closer to good medical facilities.

The house had a very large master bedroom and the rest of the downstairs was open. The upstairs had five bedrooms. Mr. Travis said he had three kids and six grandchildren. He said he was going to miss the holidays, as the place was usually full. He led us out back and I was awestruck. The view of the mountains was tremendous. The patio had a large hot tub just off of the master bedroom. There was a balcony that ran along the back of the house with a winding stairway down to the patio.

"George, can you walk with me a minute?"

We walked down to the stream that ran north of the house. I told George I want to buy the place. George said he thought it was a good idea. He wanted to know if I wanted him to negotiate on the price and I told him no.

We walked back to the house discussing the view and the accessibility. George said he saw an area west of the barn that might be level and long enough for a landing strip. I asked him if he could fly a chopper. He said he had a couple of hours but not enough to get his license.

When we arrived back at the patio where Mr. Travis was waiting for us. "Mr. Travis, I think we can do business. George here will handle all the paperwork and close the deal."

"Call me Thaddeus and don't you want to haggle over the price?"

"Not unless you want to. I love the place."

"Will you take the horses?"

"As long as I can find a ranch manager. Do you know someone who might want the job?"

"As a matter of fact, Juan Trujillo works for me and is worried about finding another job."

"Where does he live?"

"He stays in the apartment above the barn."

"Will you talk to him about staying on? I'll talk to him after you do."

"Can I offer you some lunch before you fly back?"

"No, my girlfriend is in the hospital and I want to get back. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"You too. I wish everything in life was this easy."

The others said goodbye and we left. I had Hank fly along the strip of land that George mentioned. It looked perfect for a landing strip. Hank made a circle over Harry's cabin and flew us back to the airport.

After landing, I thanked Hank for the ride. George had already arranged payment. We loaded back up in the King Air and flew back to Albuquerque. I made a few notes in my PDA concerning the land.

No one really knew why I wanted some ranch land. Yes, I wanted to run a few head of horses because I love to ride. Mostly I wanted a place to get away from the city. I would do some research on Westcliffe to see what the political atmosphere was. Westcliffe was only eighty miles from Colorado Springs. It wouldn't be too much to fly in there and drive to the ranch. I could let the ranch manager live in Harry's cabin. I would have to make sure there were no sentimental ties with Tamara first.

We were on our final approach before I realized it. George set the King Air down and taxied to the charter area. I thanked him for his help and deplaned.

It was only four in the afternoon so I asked Harry if he wanted to go to the hospital or the hotel. He said he was tired and wanted to take a nap. I called Lena on her cell phone to find out where everyone was.

"Audrey is out driving her new car. Susan is still at the office. Grammy is here at the hospital with me and Mom."

"Roy and I will be at the hospital in twenty minutes. I am dropping your grandfather off at the hotel."

"I'll tell Grammy about PawPaw. We'll see you when you get here."

I walked in the hospital room twenty-five minutes later. I got my hugs from Sally and Lena. I kissed Tamara. She was sitting up and was starting to get color back in her face.

"The doctor said I'm definitely being released tomorrow. I'm ready to get out of here," Tamara said.

"I'm ready for you to come home as well. Although I haven't spent a night at the house since you checked in here. What time are they going to release you?"

"Probably before noon. What time do you think you will be through I Santa Fe?"

"Tom said the trial is supposed to start at nine in the morning. The prosecution should be through before lunch and the defense will start after lunch. Tom said if the DA puts me on the stand, it would be before he planned on showing the jury the videotape. They don't want to put Christina on the stand but the defense has her on their list."

"I wish you good luck. How was your trip?"

"The place is fabulous. The house on the new property is perfect for our circle. I can see us spending a lot of time there."

"Did you get any pictures?"

"Pictures? I knew I was forgetting something." I have two digital cameras and had forgotten to take one.

"I know what Dad's place looks like and I can imagine the other."

"When you are well, we'll make a trip up there. Did you know George is a pilot?"

"No, I didn't. Did he fly you up there?"

"Yes and I had him arrange to have a helicopter to take us to the property. The view from the air is great."

"You sound very excited. Are you ready for some bad news?"

"No but go ahead."

"Trish came by this morning. She said Stephanie has run away. She went to the shop this morning and stopped by her house at lunch. She said Stephanie left her a note."

"She'll be back."

"Trish doesn't think so. Trish noticed a major change in her since the confrontation with you. She said Stephanie had been running with a new crowd. She said this crowd seemed to be into drugs."

"Did Trish say she wanted to talk to me about it?"

"She didn't say to keep it from you. I think you ought to call her."

"I will," I said and kissed her. I walked out of the room and called Trish.

"John, how are you?" Trish asked when she answered the phone.

"I'm fine. The question is, how are you?"

"I assume Tamara told you about Stephanie."

"She did. Do you need me to do anything?"

"What can you do? I am scared that she will do something foolish."

"I'll call Dan and see if he can locate her. He'll probably want to talk to you to get any details that will help him."

"I appreciate that. I hate always running to you for help."

"I am glad that you do. I know that a wall has been put up between us and I want it to come down."

"Me too. I miss our talks."

I hung up and called Dan.

"John, old buddy. What's up?"

I explained what I knew about Stephanie and gave him Trish's number. He said he would get right on it.

"What am I supposed to do when I find her?"

"She's a minor and needs to be reunited with her mother."

"What if she doesn't want to go back?"

"Then a juvenile home threat might change her mind."

"I'll get started and see what I can find."

I thanked him and hung up. I hoped Dan could find her before she did something she would regret.

Roy had seen me talking on the phone. "What's wrong?"

I briefed him on the situation. He commented that a lot of teens run away at least once. He said that most returned within a week.

Audrey stepped out of the elevator while we were talking. She ran up and threw her arms around my neck.

"Thank you for my new car!"

"Considering I haven't seen it, you're welcome. What did you get?"

"I got the SLK320 Cabriolet that you suggested to Jim. It's beautiful."

"That's good. I'm glad you like my taste."

"No... I'm glad you know my taste. I met Steve today when he met us at the dealership. Jim called him and had him come to finalize the details. He looks familiar."

"He's Susan's brother. He takes care of the cars and insurance for my business."

"I can see the resemblance. Have you decided on my position yet?"

"Missionary comes to mind."

"Gladly... but seriously. I want to do something."

"I'll let you know in a couple of weeks. I need to get my team of advisers together and restructure Kegler Enterprises."

She and I walked back to Tamara's room arm in arm.

I sat down while Audrey went on and on about her new car. I went into deep thought about everything going on. I knew I had enough money to finance all of my ventures but did I have enough personal resources to stay on top of them?

Susan called and brought me out of my deliberations. "Hey handsome, what's for dinner?"

"I haven't thought about it. Where are you?"

"I'm still at the office. I wanted to see if you and the girls wanted to meet me for dinner."

I covered the phone and asked if anyone wanted to meet Susan for dinner. Sally declined but Lena and Audrey accepted.

"Where?" I asked Susan.

She mentioned a restaurant near the mall. I told her we could be there in forty-five minutes.

We visited a few minutes more and left Tamara with her mother. Audrey handed me the keys to her new car and said I could drive. Lena climbed in the back and Roy followed us.

The restaurant was Italian and had great food. I didn't imbibe any alcoholic drinks though.

Susan told us about the progress on the remodeling of the offices. She said she met with the company that would be installing our phones. They would be back in a week to do the installation. She said she had also met with the copier company. She thought that two copiers should work for Kegler, SHB, and Eagle. I asked her about Tom's needs. She said he would be responsible for his own copier.

"Sounds like you have everything under control."

"Do you have your PDA with you?" she asked?

I did and took it out of my pocket. She beamed me a file that detailed her checklist and the current status of each item.

The rest of the dinner revolved around me telling them about the property in Colorado. Lena wanted to get four-wheelers and Audrey wanted snowmobiles. Susan asked about the horses. I guess that is what I loved about my circle. They were each different yet so much alike.

After dinner I rode back to the hospital with Susan. Audrey and Lena went to the mall.

Harry was at the hospital when we arrived. Sally was not there, though. Tamara mentioned she had gone to the cafeteria.

"Why didn't she go to dinner with us?"

"She said she wanted to stay with me and then, when Dad got here, she left. Dad was just telling me about the trip."

"John, I see more everyday why my daughter loves you," Harry said. "I was very impressed with the way today went. From the plane to the helicopter to the way you dealt with Thaddeus."

"Thank you, Harry. I try to treat people the way I want to be treated." I turned my attention back to Tamara. "I am going to the house when I leave here. Is there anything I can bring you for your trip home?"

"I already have an outfit to wear home. Did you have the place cleaned?"

"I made arrangements for the maid service to be there tomorrow morning. I need to buy a new bed for the maid's quarters. The nurses will be staying in there. Can you think of anything else?"