Chapter 10
Sleeping with Elsa, Sam should have felt settled and safe. He did, sort of, but he couldn't shake the fact that in some people's eyes, he was a wanted man. Instead of tossing and turning and waking Elsa, Sam got up in the wee hours of the morning, made himself some coffee, and turned on the television. He raced through the cable stations, finding nothing engaging. That happened a lot when real life was just too dramatic that it beat anything on the airwaves. He stopped at a local news show. One of the morning personalities sat in an overstuffed chair while her guest sat on a comfortable looking couch. He wouldn't have even bothered to stop except for the fact that he heard his name.
"Mr. Axe isn't even working for the government. He was there in an unofficial capacity, and because of that, my clients are pursuing more charges. The government can't protect him like the other man involved."
"But the District Attorney said that there would be no charges," the anchorwoman countered.
"Do you think it's right that he should wantonly put lives in danger and then walk away unscathed?"
I got news for you, lady. The lump on the back of my head can tell you differently.
"Of course not. But..."
"Neither do we. We will not quit until justice is served. There is a growing social media campaign going on right now. We have a web page, blog, and hundreds of people, if not thousands, have been flooding the internet with their support for Tyler." The woman smiled. "And we have members of the state senate who are also outraged at this travesty. This week, we expect Tyler's Law to be submitted for debate."
"Tyler's Law?"
"Yes. Tyler's Law will make it illegal for anyone to conduct a car chase, whether it's civilian, police, or government agents doing the chasing, and it will prohibit the use of firearms and other weapons to apprehend the suspects."
Sam listened, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. What the hell does she expect us to use, a horse and a lasso? The woman was completely nuts. He should have turned off the station, but part of him couldn't wait to hear what other nonsense spewed out of her mouth.
"Mandatory punishment will be 25 years, and if an innocent person dies, those involved will receive the death penalty." She paused. "It's high time that people like Sam Axe realize that their actions have consequences, and they can't play with people's lives. This isn't some TV show, it's real life, and people are dying because of these self-appointed crime fighters."
"So, you're saying that when law enforcement attempts to stop a criminal, they can't chase them at all? How do you expect them to arrest the perpetrators?"
"There are other ways."
"But you're saying they should let them get away and possibly reoffend until they're caught using these other methods."
"Thats' correct. We're living in the 21st century. There's no need for such uncivilized tactics."
"I see." Even the anchorwoman looked doubtful. "But this legislation won't help the current situation. And, fortunately, in this case Tyler survived and is getting better every day."
"That's true, and that's why there are civil courts. If the law won't help us, there is always the pursuit of financial compensation for the pain and suffering this family has gone through. The Stanfield's are not wealthy. They're regular middle class America, and the medical bills alone will bankrupt them. Someone has to pay for it. It might as well be Sam Axe."
"Well, we're all out of time, Ms. Lawrence. Thank you for coming in so early this morning."
"My pleasure. We need to get the word out that this guy is public enemy number one right now."
The anchorwoman pursed her lips, biting back a comment. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you just tuned in, my guest is Ms. Sandra Lawrence, attorney for the Tyler Stanfield family, discussing the recent shooting of her clients' son, and the city's impotent reaction. You're watching A.M. Miami, and we'll be right back after our sponsors' messages to talk with our Master Gardener Gus on fall plantings."
Sam wanted to throw the remote through the TV and hit that attorney upside the head. She was talking nonsense, making it out like everything that happened was on purpose. Of all the cases he worked with Michael, he couldn't think of more than a handful of times where innocent bystanders were in danger. Usually it was the client who had the problem, and the team always did their very best to make sure the clients were out of harm's way. If those kids had only listened to Mike, but of course, no one wanted to pin any responsibility on innocent children. How can we make this all stop? He released a deep breath, let his head rest on the top of the couch back, and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.
"Headache again, sweetheart?"
Sam startled and turned to face Elsa. "Honey, what are you doing up?" He glanced at his watch. "It's still really early."
"I know. How long have you been awake?"
He shrugged. "It's been awhile, I guess."
Elsa sighed, leaned over the couch and kissed his brow. "Sammy, you have to stop letting this get to you. Those people are ignorant. Maybe if you went on that morning show and set the record straight..."
"No, it won't work, baby. They'd never listen. When people let emotions take over, reason flies out the window. I'd just be making things worse." He stood and moved toward the bedroom. "I think I'll get in a swim before this place wakes up and somebody gets offended because I dared to show my face in public."
"I should go with you." Elsa hurried to his side and entered the bedroom with him.
"No." He gripped her arms. "I don't want you to get in the middle of this."
"Sammy."
"Elsa, please."
She looked into his eyes and saw a sadness in them. He was suffering, but he was afraid to tangle her in his problem. "Honey, don't you understand? You and I, we're a team, like you and your friends. I'm on your side, and I'll be there no matter what. "
"It's just a swim in the pool. I'm not going to the beach. And I promise, I'll keep an eye out."
"I'm sending a security guard with you, if you won't let me come."
He nodded. "Okay."
After he left, Elsa called Michael. It was still very early, but she knew that he would want to get this call.
He answered on the third ring. "Hello?"
"Michael, it's Elsa."
"Elsa. Is Sam okay?"
"Physically, he's fine. But I'm worried about him, Michael. Ever since he came home from the hospital, he's been moping around in the day time, when he's not sleeping, which he's doing far too much of, and he won't go out. It's been a week, and he still insists on having room service provide all our meals. If I can get him to go out, we wait until it's very late to take a stroll around the pool area." She swallowed back a lump. "This morning I found him watching some stupid news program. They were crucifying him and talking about some legislation they want to pass because of what happened to Tyler. It's crazy."
"Where's Sam right now?"
"He went down to the pool to swim some laps."
"Well, that's progress, isn't it?" Michael asked with a hopeful tone in his voice.
"I suppose. But he couldn't wait until the pool officially opened. Michael, this isn't Sam. He's never afraid to go out in public!" Being in the hotel business, crises were a part of Elsa's daily life, and she knew how to handle them. This, however, left her feeling that she was in over her head.
"Tell you what. I'll get dressed, go over there and swim laps with him, and see if we can talk about this. Maybe there's something I can do to help on that end, because frankly, I haven't been able to get too far trying to figure out who's behind this smear campaign."
"It's more like a terror campaign."
"I agree. You know, if this keeps up we can always counter with a pain and suffering lawsuit against the Stanfields."
"Michael, that's terrible! Isn't that family going through enough?" Elsa was horrified that he'd even consider it, but she was also disgusted with herself because the same thought had occurred to her.
"Sorry, but I'm not feeling a whole lotta love for them right now. I've seen the articles in the paper and the discussions on TV. Most of the time, this stuff blows over after a week or two, but these people are milking it and trying to turn it into a Federal case. They should be more worried about taking care of their son."
"I understand that he's being released from the hospital today."
"Yes. He's going home, he's alive and healing, and they should just be thankful for that. Some of us aren't so lucky."
Elsa knew what Michael's statement referenced. "I'm sorry, Michael, that this is bringing up everything with Nate."
"It's okay. I'm always going to be reminded. It's just too raw yet."
"Well, you know you've got our support. We're like family, and don't you forget that!"
"I won't. I'll be over there in a little while, okay?"
"Alright. Thank you very much."
Less than a half hour later, Elsa heard a commotion outside the door, followed by a knock. Elsa approached and asked, "Who is it?"
"Security, ma'am."
Elsa opened the door and found one of her bigger and beefier staff members standing beside Fiona. The contrast between large and small was striking. Fiona glared up at him, but when she turned to Elsa, she smiled.
"Fiona! Come on in!" She ushered her inside and gave the security man a look that said she would speak with him later. He nodded and closed the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Michael thought it would be a good idea if I got you out of here for awhile. Let's go get some breakfast and then do a little shopping."
"Just the two of us?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I can handle myself." She patted her hip pack, and Elsa spotted the outline of a gun.
"Of course you can. But..."
"No buts about it. Michael will keep Sam occupied and talk to him about this depression he's falling into. It'll be fine."
"I hope you're right."
"You know, sometimes I wish men were like us. I know there's nothing that can perk me right up quite like buying a new pair of shoes."
Elsa laughed. "I know what you mean. I could use a few pairs myself."
"It's settled, then. Let's go! I hope you don't mind, Madeline is coming along. She went with Michael to the pool to see Sam." Fiona's smile widened. "She still can't help acting like a mother to him. So we'll get her and be on our way!"