“Yes, Sir,” Acting Sheriff Fine said. “Sir, what should I book ‘this mess’ on?”
“How about public indecency for starters?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll get this garbage hauled out then I’ll get that release for you and the keys to the truck.”
“You’ll need help with this load,” Tommy said, looking down at the mountain of blubber at his feet. “Jacob, give us a hand to haul this hog out ‘a here.”
“Yes Sir, Cap’n,” Jacob said, stepping over and grabbing a leg as Tommy unbuckled the gun belt and let the ends fall to the floor on either side.
It was all they could do to drag the ex-sheriff’s dead weight out of the office and to a cell in the back. But, ten minutes later when the cell door slammed closed the ex-sheriff lay on the concrete floor, still unconscious.
Tommy dropped Jacob off at Tammy II, and then drove on home. He wasn’t surprised to see the sparkling new BMW stretch limousine parked along the street in front of his house. Special Agent Sandy Borne stood beautifully in her new custom fitted chauffeur outfit, her black cap tilted sexily down over her eyes. She was beautiful; he had to give her that, tails and all.
As he got out of his truck in the driveway and turned to face the street, Agent Borne opened the back door of the limo. Special Agent Melissa Jackson, acting as special escort to Miss Ashton, stepped out. She was quickly followed by Terri Ashton, CIA.
They came quickly up the sidewalk to Tommy. They held hands like old friends, which they were. Tommy waved Sandy to them when the other two ladies stopped in front of him. She started up the sidewalk behind them.
“Hi Tommy, long time no see,” Melissa smiled, sexily.
“Hello, Melissa,” Tommy replied, taking her silky smooth hand in both of his, as if it were a cherished item. “This beautiful young lady must be Miss Ashton. Correct?”
“Yes, hello,” Terri smiled nervously, offering her hand to Tommy.
Tommy held her hand as gently as he had held Melissa’s. “If you beautiful young ladies will follow me, I’ll show you into the house. I’m sorry it’s so humble. Our new house won’t be finished for a few more months, yet.”
“This house is beautiful. I can’t wait to see the new one,” Melissa said, as they entered the front door. Sandy came in last and closed the door gently behind them.
“You ladies find a seat anywhere. I’ll get Lisa and the Judge and we will explain the contest rules to Miss Ashton. I’ll be right back,” he said smiling, then turned and left the room.
Lisa and Ryan sat at the table looking at a maternity magazine. She wasn’t showing yet, but it wouldn’t be long now according to her calculations.
“Hi, Angel,” Tommy said, leaning over and kissing her around her earlobe, which he knew she loved.
“Hey, quit! I’m already pregnant! What more do you want, Beast!” she joked offering her lips to him.
“Just you, Angel - forever!” Tommy said seductively. “We have company. Come and say hi to Miss Ashton.”
“So, the fly got into your ointment, huh?” Lisa smiled knowingly.
“Yes, and a pretty fly she is, too,” Ryan teased, knowing Lisa was very jealous of Tommy and other women she didn’t know very well. Which was most other women.
“Yeah, yeah, come into my parlor said the spider to the fly,” Lisa taunted. “I know your kind, Mister! And I love ‘em!” she laughed, standing and easing into Tommy’s arms. He smiled over her shoulder at Ryan. Lisa pulled his head down and kissed him passionately.
“Come on, you’re already pregnant! What more do you want from me, woman?” he taunted, turning and leading her and Ryan toward the living room. “Come on and meet the fly.”
“The pretty fly,” she corrected.
“Where’s Austin and Linda?” he asked.
“At the ranch site, where else? He’s still a Colonel at heart and likes supervising and giving orders. As if the builders don’t know their own business,” she laughed as they entered the living room.
“Miss Ashton, this is my wife, Lisa. She used to be with the U.S. Marshall’s Office. This is District Court Judge Andrew Ryan,” Tommy continued when the two women finished shaking hands. “The contest we are going to play is much like the old game ‘truth or consequences’. Remember it?” Tommy asked, then waited for her to nod. “We each are going to ask you a series of questions. If you do not tell us the absolute truth, well, then you must face the consequences. Understood?”
“Yes, I think so,” she answered, unsure she understood how they would know whether she was telling the truth or not.
“Okay, first question,” Tommy said, taking a seat across from her and placing a tape recorder on the table in front of her and turned it on.
“Why the tape recorder?” she asked uncertainly.
“You can’t expect us to remember your answers word for word, can you?” he smiled.
“No, I guess not,” she reluctantly agreed, still unsure of the contest. “Okay, first question,” Tommy repeated, smiling. “What can you tell us about Niles Cramer and your relationship to him?”
Terri was momentarily stunned into silence by the question. Slowly a ‘deer in the headlights look’ came over her as she realized she had been duped.
“What is this?” she asked incredulously, looking around the room.
“Terri,” Melissa said calmly. “You are being investigated for corruption, threatening a state judge, blackmail and fraud. Do you want your Miranda Rights read to you?”
“No, I know them,” she replied. “I refuse to answer any question that may incriminate me,” she said, staring angrily at Tommy.
“Okay, but take a look around you. This may be your last look at freedom for the next twenty years. Are you sure this is what you want?” Melissa continued seriously.
“What choice do I have?” Terri asked, beginning to cry as she thought about jail.
“We have several consolation prizes. If you’re interested, that is,” Tommy continued. Before Tommy could continue Jacob came bursting through the front door screaming excitedly at the top of his voice. “Tommy! Ain’t she a beaut? I told you you could trust me to pick a good one! She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! Except Tammy Two!” he continued coming through the living room door. He stopped in his tracks and instantly got a deer in the headlights look of his own, when he saw the people, mostly strangers, setting around the room. “Oh, sorry Tommy. Didn’t know you had company,” he said shyly, looking at the floor.
“Come in Jacob. Take a seat,” Tommy said, seeing a strange look come across Terri’s face. It was like idol worship, love at first sight and a mother’s love for her child all at once. “As I was saying Terri, we have several consolation prizes, if you’re interested. If not, you go to jail for a long, long time!”
“You have no proof that I’ve done anything wrong,” Terri sobbed quietly.
“Darling, we have all the evidence and proof we need to convict you of threatening Judge Ryan and attempting to blackmail him over the death of Niles Cramer. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here,” Tommy said quietly, but seriously. “Melissa, show her the evidence, please. I’d hate to see such a beautiful woman go to jail for twenty years.”
Melissa lifted the file from the floor and began to lay out the evidence for Terri to see. She began to cry harder as each page was laid before her. She looked helplessly at Jacob and saw tears glistening in his eyes as well. She fell deeper in love than she had ever been before; that a man she didn’t know could feel her pain and fear as she did was unbelievable. She had given up on ever finding true love, until now.
“What must I do?” Terri sobbed. “I don’t want to go to jail.”
“First of all, stop crying,” Tommy said, then waited for her to regain her composure.
“Now, here’s what you’ll do. You will resign from the Agency. You will cite your reasons as follows. One, you have met the most wonderful, innocent man in your life and you are going to marry him. Two, you have become wealthy
and plan to open your own trucking company, with your new husband. And three, you feel your chances of advancement with the Agency are extremely limited and therefore you feel it is in the best interests of both, the Agency, and yourself, that you resign. Do you agree to these terms, Terri?”
“Whom will I marry? Where did I get the money? How much money will I get? And what position will I hold in this trucking company?”
“You will marry Jacob Ladder,” Tommy said, indicating Jacob.
“I got a brand new Peterbilt!” Jacob said proudly, but innocently.
Terri laughed through her tears, catching the unintended implications of Jacob’s wording. She thought she may fall in love with this handsome, innocent bumpkin. She covered her mouth with her hand and turned red. She could not remove the humor in her eyes, though.
She looked back at Tommy. “Go on,” she smiled.
“I will buy the company ten brand new Peterbilt tractors and matching trailers, pay all the road expenses and taxes for the first five years, or until the company starts turning a decent profit. You will be the president and CEO of Brother’s Trucking Company. Your base of operations will be our ranch over at Lake Tenkiller. Jacob will be exclusive manager. He knows the business inside and out. His word is law, next to mine, Lisa’s and Colonel Lake’s. We can all overrule him. I will open a bank account at the local bank in the name of the company. I will hire an accounting firm to keep the books and I will build for you a comfortable home on our ranch. In addition to the trucking company and marrying Jacob, you will learn to love him and care for him. You will give him children. You will be loyal to him. Any attempt to deceive us or steal from us or run from us and this evidence will be turned over to Sandy and Melissa for your prosecution. You better pray every minute of your waking life that they find you before we do. There is no mercy and no second chance. Do you understand and agree to these terms?” he finished.
Terri sat and thought in silence for several seconds. She glanced at Jacob, then at Melissa and Sandy. Then, Lisa. And lastly back at Tommy. “Where do I sign?” she asked, nodding her head in affirmation, as she made her irreversible decision.
“There is nothing to sign. We are all witnesses to your acceptance of our offer. It’s in your hands alone to live up to your end of the bargain,” Tommy said seriously. “So, it seems you have earned the grand prize after all Terri. Welcome to our family.”
Terri Ashton began to cry. They all gathered around her to lend comfort and support. And to show that all was forgiven. Today was the first day of the rest of her new life.
“Jacob, come meet your future wife,” Lisa said, taking him by the arm and leading him over to Terri.
“Hi, Jacob,” Terri smiled shyly, offering him her small, narrow, long, slim fingered hand.
“I got a new Peterbilt! Wanna go for a ride’!” Jacob asked innocently, staring straight into Terri’s sparkling eyes.
‘Yep’, she thought, ‘I’m gonna love loving this innocent man!’ She said, “Sure, Jacob. If it’s alright with everyone.”
“You’re free to come and go as you please. You’re part of our family. You know your responsibilities. You know the consequences for betrayal,” Lisa said softly, joining Terri’s and Jacob’s hands together. “It’s in your hands now. Do what you believe to be right and live, or die with the consequences.” She smiled, then turned to Sandy and Melissa. “So girls, have you thought about our offer?”
“Yes.” they said together. “And we accept,” Melissa finished and Sandy nodded her head in agreement.
“We decided we were headed pretty much nowhere with the Feds. And we both decided we really want to practice law. That’s what we went to school for,” Sandy said, smiling at Melissa and Lisa with love in her eyes. ‘It’s great to be loved, needed and accepted, for who and what I am’, she thought, as her eyes began to tear up. “I’m so happy, I could cry!” she said, as Melissa and Lisa hugged her to them tightly.
When Lisa found Tommy again he was on the phone finishing up a conversation with Judge Ryan. She sat down on the sofa beside him and waited for him to finish up.
“Yes, she accepted our offer,” Tommy said into the phone.
“I agree. She’s a smart girl,” he added.
“Okay Judge, tell the Governor I’ll see him Friday.
“Bye. Take care.
“I will, bye.” he finished placing the receiver into the cradle and turning to Lisa. He kissed her soundly. “That’s from the judge. This one’s from me,” he smiled, wrapping her into his arms and kissing her proper.
“Whew!” she said when they came up for air. “Do it again,” she begged. He obliged her willingly and with great pleasure.
“Want to ride out to the ranch and see how it progressed in the past week?” he asked, when they came up for air once again.
“I’d rather stay here and do something else with you,” she said lustfully, with her bedroom eyes pleading.
“You’re already pregnant...” he started before she interrupted.
“This will be for pure pleasure,” she promised, squeezing him. “Please . . . Pretty please . . . With sugar on top?” she begged, panting like a happy dog.
“How can I deny a damsel in distress?”
“My hero!” she said fawningly, batting her eyes rapidly and seductively as she took his hand and dragged him from the sofa. He followed more than willingly as she led him to the bedroom and closed the door behind them with a bang.
* * * * *
In the Intensive Care Unit, Linda read the gauges of all the machines that were hooked up to Kalief. She wrote their readings down on the clipboard she held. When she finished she hung it back on the foot of the bed and went out the door.
At the Nurse’s Station, her assistant, Deborah Kerns looked up from the magazine she was reading. “Any change in the new patient, Mister Spelling?” she asked.
“None, whatsoever,” Linda replied. “Personally, I don’t hold out much hope for him. His spine is shattered in three places and he was nearly cut in two. He lost massive amounts of blood before he arrived here, so there’s a good chance of brain damage. If he does awaken, he may not know who he is. Or where he is, for that matter.”
“I wonder what he was doing way down here.” Deborah mused. “Long ways from Washington, D.C.”
Linda looked up suddenly at the mention of Washington, D.C. She remembered the man who had tried to kill Tommy and had kidnapped Lisa was from Washington, D.C. “Are you sure he’s from there?”
“That’s what Doyle Henry said. He ran the plates on the car and they came back clean. From a rental agency in D.C. rented last Wednesday to Mister Aaron Spelling. Isn’t he a movie director, or something?”
“Beats me,” Linda replied, dialing Austin’s cell phone number. She had to report the presence of this man from D.C.
* * * * *
Two hours after entering the bedroom, Tommy and Lisa emerged with smiles of pure heavenly bliss on their faces. Lisa literally glowed with a bright, inner light that radiated so brightly she appeared to be glowing from within; like one would expect an angel to glow with the light of holiness.
Tommy also glowed. But perhaps, not with such holiness as an angel. His was more the aura of a great and magnificent beast.
Sandy and Melissa sat on one sofa, glowing with love and happiness. Jacob and Terri sat on the other as if they had been together for years, even though it had only been a few hours. Jacob starred into the middle distance as if he had seen the Seven Wonders of the World in less than thirty seconds and had studied them thoroughly, trying to make up his mind which was the most magnificent. His eyes slowly led his head around until he was staring in awe at Terri. He seemed to melt with love and wonder as he stared at her, mouth agape.
She smiled with what may be the seed of love and promise of a bright future together.
“Girls, Jacob. We’re going to take a ride out to the ranch to see how things are going. You’re welcome to come along
if you like and see what we’re doing,” Tommy said, looking from one couple to the other.
“Sure, I love ranches and horses and such,” Melissa said as she stood up and pulled Sandy up with her.
“Sandy, come on, Sweetie. Let’s see if we can find something of mine you can wear. I know that uniform has got to be . . . binding,” Lisa laughed, taking her hand and leading her toward the bedroom she had just departed.
Five minutes later they emerged. Sandy was wearing a pair of Lisa’s Levi’s jeans, that were maybe a size too small and a western style blouse that fit her as if tailor made for her. The effect was breathtaking.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Tommy thought. ‘Like a million dollar model!’
“Ready?” Tommy asked, a glow of appreciation for beauty in his manner. ‘I am quickly becoming surrounded by beautiful women!’ he thought. ‘But, hell, aren’t they all beautiful in their own way?’ he concluded.
“If you are,” Lisa said. The other girls nodded. Jacob stared as if shell shocked.
Tommy noticed that Jacob was still lost in Terri’s eyes as if searching for something as fleeting as wonder, perhaps. Or maybe it was just blind, true love and adoration. Whatever she had done to him during their truck ride had made a devoted disciple for life out of him. He was nearly worshiping at her feet.
“Let’s take the limo,” Tommy suggested. “So we can all go together and be comfortable.”
“Alright,” they all agreed. Except Jacob. He was nearly comatose with awe.
Tommy held the door for them, and then followed them across the street to the limo. He held the back door for them as they all climbed in. Then, held the front door for Lisa and followed her in as she slid over on the seat. After buckling his seat belt and insuring all his passengers were also strapped in, he started the engine and drove off slowly; stately as becomes a stretch limousine.
* * * * *
At the ranch site they all stood in amazement at the progress that had been made. The fences were up, as was the barn and stables. The house was framed and roofed. The walls were being boarded up in preparation for the native rock and log facing.
Lisa led the girls down to the house to show them the layout; this gave Tommy a chance to talk to Jacob alone. He wasn’t sure how to approach him, but felt Jacob’s well being was his responsibility. So, instead of beating around the bush, he just asked him point blank. “Jacob, are you alright? You’ve been acting strange. What’s wrong?”