He turned off the turnpike at the Tahlequah exit and cruised easily south on highway 82. He still tapped his finger on the steering wheel as he cruised along planning how he was going to kill Tommy LeSade and anyone else who got in the way.
He was so engrossed in his planning that he failed to see the speeding car approaching the Ear Bob Resort turn-off until it was far too late. It seemed his world was instantly turned upside down and was spinning out of control until everything went black and silent.
* * * * *
Two days later Austin and Jacob pulled into Tahlequah. They called from the highway to tell Tommy, or Lisa, to come and lead them to the property so they could unload the horses.
Forty-five minutes later Tommy, Lisa, Austin, Linda and Jacob stood watching the eleven horses graze on the knee-deep grass. They were a beautiful sight. The stallion seemed to know he was the master. He watched over the mares protectively.
“Won’t be long we’ll have to separate the stallion. He’ll go wild and get real dangerous,” Austin observed, as they watched the animals move one step at a time across the pasture.
“They’ll start building fences first thing Monday morning,” Tommy replied, hugging Lisa. “But, Sunday there’s going to be a wedding. And you’re all invited!”
“Who’s getting married?” Jacob asked innocently.
“Tommy and Lisa, who else?” Linda asked, as she hugged Austin and kissed him on the cheek affectionately.
“Maybe I ought to get married,” Jacob observed thoughtfully.
“Got anyone in mind?” Tommy asked.
“Not yet. But, I just got a new Peterbilt, so getting a wife shouldn’t be that hard.”
They all laughed hysterically at Jacob’s phrasing and how provocative it sounded. He failed to understand what was so funny and just kept looking more and more bewildered, asking what was so funny. His innocence served only to make them laugh all the harder.
The stallion watched them enviously for a minute, and then began to walk toward them, head high, ears erect and forward. He stepped without hesitation up to Tommy and began to nuzzle him gently. He placed his forehead against Tommy’s chest and began to move it up and down gently, as if scratching his head.
Tommy scratched behind his ears with his fingers and then moved down behind his jaw bone and under his chin and throat, then began to rub his neck vigorously.
Tommy was amazed at the strength of the magnificent animal. With that strength, Tommy knew, came the massive potential for uncontrollable danger. But at the same time, as now, the need for great gentleness and affection.
Tommy continued to scratch, rub, and pat the stallion until he had received the gentleness and affection he needed. Then, the horse turned and rejoined the mares. He stopped and looked back, seemingly, at Tommy and nickered softly, as if saying ‘thanks, goodbye for now, see ya later’ all at once. He then turned and lowered his head and began to graze along with the mares.
“Maybe he don’t want to be separated from the mares,” Jacob observed sagely.
“I’d be willing to bet that’s true. But, it has to be done,” Austin said. “Otherwise he’ll bully the mares into submission and they’ll be hard to catch and control. It wouldn’t take long for them to turn wild. So, his paddock should be one of the first things built. It’ll have to be high and strong, too.”
They all stood in silence, lost in their own thoughts as they watched the horses move slowly away into the distance.
“Tommy, you had better sit down somewhere, before you fall down,” Linda said, looking closely at Tommy’s slumping figure, resting heavily on his cane. He was still very weak from the accident and five weeks of lying in the hospital.
“You’re right,” he agreed. “I’ve seen what I came to see. I’m ready to go home if you all are. Austin, you did good. The horses are exactly what I had envisioned,” he added, looking at Austin and offering his hand.
“Well, I did purty durn good, too, didn’t I?” Jacob asked, a little put out that no one had acknowledged his contribution to their enterprise.
“Jacob, you did fine,” Lisa said, hugging him affectionately.
Jacob turned red as a beet and began to stammer and shuffle his feet. He seemed to find the ground in front of him and his feet very interesting but not exactly the way he wanted it, so rearranged it to his liking with the toe of his boot.
Lisa decided that Jacob was not used to women showing him affection so openly, ‘Poor man’, she thought.
“I got me a new Pererbilt,” Jacob said softly to himself, then turned to admire the sparkling new truck and trailer. He smiled affectionately at Tammy II. He was in love again, twice. Tammy II and Lisa, soon to be LeSade, were the only two women in the world he would sacrifice himself for without flinching or blinking.
* * * * *
The Sunday wedding went without a hitch. It was a small private affair held at Tommy’s house. Judge Ryan performed the ceremony. When it was over and everyone had kissed the bride, except Jacob, who was far too shy for that, and shook Tommy’s hand in congratulations, Tommy looked Jacob in the eyes as they shook hands and asked seriously, “Jacob is my wife not good enough for you to kiss?”
“Oh, she’s perfect as rain, Tommy; I just don’t think it’s proper to be kissing on another man’s wife. That’s all,” Jacob replied getting nervous.
“Lisa will be heartbroken if you don’t. You don’t want that, do you?”
“No, never! But if you say it’s alright, I will,” Jacob replied, looking shyly at the floor and his feet. He stammered and stuttered, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Its okay, Jacob. This once. Because it’s her wedding day. Now, make her happy.”
“Well, okay. If you say so.”
“Lisa, Jacob didn’t feel it proper to kiss the bride. He has since had a change of heart,” he smiled, leading Jacob to Lisa.
“I just love respectful men! Come here, Jacob. And let’s make it one to remember!” she laughed, spreading her arms wide to receive Jacob.
Jacob stepped up and shyly pecked Lisa on the cheek, quickly, then stepped just as quickly back, turning red to his ears and looking at the floor.
“That wasn’t a proper kiss, Jacob! Come here,” she said, grabbing him by his shirt front and string tie and pulling him back into her arms, roughly.
When she turned him loose, he knew he had been kissed proper. His face was red, his eyes were glassy and he was frozen, staring blankly into space.
“That was a proper kiss!” Lisa laughed, as she stepped forward and hugged Jacob tightly with affection. Then stepped back beside Tommy and placed her arm around his waist.
“Tommy, when you get a moment, I need to talk to you in private,” Judge Ryan said quietly.
“Sure Judge, let’s step into the den,” Tommy replied, leading Ryan into the computer room/den. “What’s wrong, Judge? And how can I help?” he added, indicating Ryan should have a seat.
“I received an email this morning that has me a little concerned, is all. I thought you should know about it.”
“What did it say?”
“Something about, if we didn’t make the death of Cramer ‘right’ we could count on an in-depth investigation by the Central Intelligent Agency, the FBI and the National Security Agency and several more of the alphabet agencies that our government loves to toss around to strike fear into the hearts and minds of its ‘sheepified’ citizenry.”
“Who sent it?”
“I don’t know for sure. Someone in Quantico, Virginia. CIA I guess.”
“Hang on, I’ll run a check.” Tommy turned to the computer and his fingers flew across the keyboard. “This shouldn’t be too difficult,” he said, typing more information into the program. “Now, we’ll just let it ‘cook’ for a minute. Then, we’ll see who flung chuck!”
The Great Seal of the Central Intelligence Agency appeared on the screen. Tommy placed the flashing curser on the first small ‘i’ in Intel
ligence and clicked the mouse. He typed in ‘enter says i’. A heavy steel door appeared on the screen. It was banded with heavy steel chains and bands with multiple locks, a bank vault wheel that began to turn quickly back and forth. As it did the locks began to drop to the floor until the heavy vault door began to swing slowly open.
When it was fully open, a spy vs. spy cartoon character stepped back away from the door, brushed his hands off and using an index finger began to motion them inside by curling and uncurling the finger from his closed fist. He then turned and began to walk into the vault.
He stopped under an overhead menu, like at a fast food restaurant, and arms crossed, his chin cradled between his thumb and forefinger, he studied the menu carefully. Hundreds of items were offered on the menu.
Tommy chose emails and clicked the mouse. His spy instantly reached up and took down the ‘email’ card. He walked to a wall and inserted it into a slot. On the wall appeared a ‘request form’. Tommy filled in all the spaces he could. In the slot ‘receiver’ he typed in Ryan’s name and email address. Instantly Terri Ashton’s picture appeared on the screen with all her vital information.
“Mean anything to you?” Tommy asked Ryan.
“No,” he replied, staring blankly at the picture. “Pretty girl, though.”
Tommy clicked the mouse and the email she had sent appeared on the screen. Tommy read it quickly. It was basically what Ryan had said it was.
“Maybe a relative, or lover, of Cramer’s,” Ryan suggested.
“Maybe,” Tommy said thoughtfully.
“So, what do we do? She can’t expose us. Just cause trouble and inconvenience is all. I don’t need it. How about you?”
“No, I’m happy living a low-profile life. I don’t need any excitement,” Ryan replied seriously.
“Well, let’s invite her down and see what she wants,” Tommy suggested.
“Sounds good,” Ryan smiled.
“Miss Ashton, you, my dear, are in for one very fast ride,” Tommy laughed, as he typed in a cordial invitation to Tahlequah for the chance to win millions of dollars in a contest for people of Cherokee descent. After intensive research it had been discovered that she was the great, great, great, grand-daughter of Chief John Ross and was therefore eligible to participate in the exclusive contest. Travel arrangements and airline tickets were being forwarded in her name and would be delivered to the Jackson Travel Agency in Quantico, Virginia. She would be picked up by limousine and driven to the airport.
In Tulsa, she would be met and driven by limousine to Tahlequah for the contest. Enclosed, also, would be a cashier’s cheque in the amount of five-thousand dollars for last minute expenses she may have before departure in case she had to secure her home and vehicle and maybe house a pet for a few weeks. Congratulations and best wishes were added in closing.
“That should do it,” Tommy smiled.
“I want to participate. I’m part Cherokee, too!”
Tommy laughed, and then began exiting the program. He had his little spy push the door closed and secure all the chains, bands and locks. When he finished, he turned to Tommy and waved bye-bye while he walked over, grabbed the Great Seal of the CIA and pulled it across the screen until the cursor was flashing on the first small ‘I’ of Intelligence. When it was Tommy clicked the mouse and was out of the program and the screen was blank.
“What all can you do with that program?” Ryan wondered aloud.
“Anything I want to. Anywhere in the world,” he replied, turning to smile at Ryan.
“Anything?”
“Anything!”
Ryan smiled slyly and thought secret thoughts about the future. He had a little scheme in mind.
Tommy joined him in silence for a minute thinking his own thoughts. “We’d better get back, Judge. They’re waiting. After all it is my wedding day,” Tommy laughed, then stood and left the room.
Ryan sat for a minute lost in thought. Then, as if reaching a decision he rose and followed Tommy.
* * * * *
As Ryan entered the living room, less than twenty miles away, Kalief Goldman was being broadsided by a drunken Cherokee. The Indian was killed instantly and Kalief’s chances were only marginally better.
Chapter 12
Tommy sat on his front porch, in the swing, enjoying the warmth of the mid-summer day and awaited the arrival of Miss Terri Ashton. He looked down the empty street and was surprised to see Jacob stomping angrily toward the house. It was obvious he was madder than a wet hen. His head was down, fists clenched at his side and he didn’t just step; he stomped his foot down with every step. He seemed to be mumbling to himself as if in argument. Once in a while he shook his head from side to side angrily and kicked out furiously with one foot or the other. When this happened his anger was renewed in a violent storm that fought its way to the surface and exploded in rage.
Tommy watched him closely as he stomped across the yard and up onto the porch. He never once looked up, as he stomped up the steps and onto the porch, heading for the door.
“Howdy, Jacob,” Tommy said calmly.
“Tommy that goddamn high and mighty, fat son of a bitch of a sheriff done went and put Tammy Two in jail! Said I must’a stoled’er! Wadn’t no way I could afford sech a truck rig!”
“That the only reason?”
“That’s what he said! Said I musta stoled’er!” Jacob raged indignantly.
“Did you explain how you got Tammy Two?”
“I tried. He wouldn’t listen! Not to a word I said. Said I was lucky he wasn’t taking me to jail, too! Said if he found out Tammy Two was stoled, he’d come for me next!”
“Well, let’s go have a talk with Sheriff Anderson,” Tommy said, getting up from the swing and walking down the steps to his new Dodge Ram Turbo Diesel, three-quarter ton pickup.
He listened to Jacob rage and vent his frustration all the way to the sheriff’s office. He didn’t say anything, just listened.
In the sheriff’s office Tommy asked to talk to the sheriff as soon as he was free.
“Have a seat, sir. It will be a minute,” the Deputy said. His name tag read D. Fine.
“Are you related to the Fines over by Peggs?”
“Yes, Sir. Cousin.”
“I went to school with them a few years back. Good people, all.” Tommy sat down to wait.
“Thank you, sir. I’m proud of them.” D. Fine said, and then went back to what he had been doing before Tommy and Jacob had entered the office.
Five minutes later a man stomped out of the Sheriff’s office much like Jacob had arrived home. He was red faced and mumbling about a ‘high and mighty’ fat bastard that didn’t know jack shit about the law or justice.
“You can go in now, Mister LeSade. Good luck, sir. You’ll need it.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. The Sheriff’s a reasonable man.” Tommy stood and walked to the open door.
“And just what the hell’s your problem, mister?” the sheriff asked hatefully, as if his patience had been tried to the end.
Tommy saw a fat, red-faced, bald man in his early forties. He appeared to be around six-feet-four, or so. It was hard to tell for sure from his seated position behind his cluttered desk. He was so far out of shape he resembled a Blue Ribbon hog Tommy had seen at the County Fair once when he was a kid. He now knew what had happened to that hog. He had become sheriff of Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
“You for starters. Then, we’ll go from there.”
“Me? How the hell am I your problem?”
“You seized and impounded my friend’s Peterbilt tractor this morning on the assumption that it may have been stolen. Now, I’ve come to get it back. So, sign a release and give me the keys and we’ll be out of your hair,” Tommy said seriously, standing in front of the sheriff’s desk and looking down into his squinched pig eyes.
“Get the hell outa my office, Mister! Who the hell you think you are comin’ in here makin’ demands and issuing orders. I’m the law in this town,
by gawd! I make the rules and apply them as I see fit!” Anderson screamed as he slowly stood, his voice getting louder the higher he rose.
“You’re fired, Sheriff. Get out of this office! Now!” Tommy said calmly, reaching over and ripping the badge from Anderson’s shirt front so fast the Sheriff didn’t have time to react.
“You can’t fire me! Who the hell are you? I’ll lock your hairy ass up, Mister!” Anderson yelled, spraying saliva across his desk.
“Mister, I’m tired of you yelling at me, so if you don’t get a civil tone in your voice, I’m going to clean this office with your fat, lazy ass and put you in jail!” Tommy said calmly, but seriously, as he stepped around the side of the desk to confront the ex-sheriff.
“You can’t threaten and scare me you son-of-a-...” Anderson started to say, but never got to finish.
Tommy stepped forward like an attacking police dog. The room sounded like a short 4th of July celebration as Tommy landed no less than ten wicked blows to the fat man’s face and body. When he finished and Anderson was like a drunken sailor in his hands he let the fat slob fall heavily to the floor, then calmly reached over and called Judge Ryan.
“Judge, I just fired your sheriff and I’m appointing another.” Tommy said.
“Okay, Tommy. I’ll notify the Mayor. Thanks Tommy, the county will appreciate it.”
“Deputy Fine?” Tommy yelled through the door.
“Yes, Sir, Mister LeSade?”
“You’re the new acting Sheriff,” Tommy said, handing him the Sheriff’s badge. “Lock this mess up until Judge Ryan says different. And, I need a release and the keys to Jacob’s Peterbilt.”
Yes, Sir Mister LeSade.” D. Fine replied.
“One other thing. How do you know who I am?”
“My dad pointed you out one day, in town. He said you were a real hero. He told me everything about you, Sir. I hope you don’t mind us talking about you.”
“Who’s your dad?”
“Charlie, Sir.”
“Tell Charlie I said hi. He’s a good man. Be proud of him. He served his country well. A braver man I’ve never met,” Tommy said slowly, thoughtfully, remembering Charlie Fine and the bravery he showed in several battles that earned him the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster and a Purple Heart.