The primary aim of the "Novel Excerpts" blog category is to showcase my creative writing, specifically from the novels I've written. Hopefully, these posts will provide a glimpse into my storytelling style, themes, and narrative skills. It's an opportunity to share my artistic expressions and the worlds I've created through my novels.
The Boaz Scorekeeper, written in 2017, is my second novel. I'll post it a chapter a day over the next few weeks.
Kaden heard a faint knocking at the door and raised his head and opened his eyes to a blinding sun coming in through the half-open blinds on the double windows. He had been dreaming, really fantasizing, of what life might be like for him if he moved back to Hickory Hollow and joined Trevor Nixon and Dalton Martin to practice law. His last subconscious thought about continuing Micaden’s fight against Club Eden evaporated as he saw Lewis standing in the doorway holding a tray and what Kaden hoped was a giant cup of hot and black coffee. His stomach wasn’t ready for Lewis’ standard breakfast of two eggs over-easy, two pieces of nearly burnt but buttered toast, two slices of overcooked bacon, strawberry jelly, and a small glass of orange juice. Lewis smiled, set down the tray, and walked out.
At 4:45 a.m., Kaden had laid his head down on the library’s round table after completing his reading of The Boaz Scorekeeper. Since he returned from The Exchange Bank late yesterday morning, Kaden had been immersed in Micaden’s story, taking a break to eat a bowl of Lewis’ chili that he had brought to Kaden at 6:00 p.m., and taking a midnight walk along a moonlit lane from the house to the entrance of Hickory Hollow and back.
Sipping his hot coffee, Kaden moved over and sat down in Micaden’s more comfortable desk chair and contemplated his book. Kaden believed every word of it, even, surprisingly, accepting what Micaden had done. Murder, from a strictly legal sense, was not something Kaden knew much about, only what he had learned in his Crime and Punishment class from law school nearly fifteen years ago. No doubt, Micaden had committed three murders. If tried in a court of law he would be convicted. Micaden had known this but was called to action by his response to one overarching question, ‘how much evil would you allow to go unpunished?’ Kaden sided with his grandfather. John Ericson, Randall Radford, and Fred Billingsley deserved to die. They had escaped formal justice that was supposed to come from the criminal courts. They also had escaped a semblance of justice they should have received from the civil courts. But for Micaden, the Flaming Five would have gotten off scott-free.
Probably the most disturbing thing about Micaden’s life story, was finding out now, after his death, that he so deeply loved Wendi, and his Christian deconversion experience her death had brought about. Kaden couldn’t help but wish that his grandfather had been more open with him and shared every aspect of his life. Kaden reminisced how Micaden would spend time with him hunting, fishing, woodworking, splitting firewood, playing chess, and talking about life while working in the garden. Kaden now felt his grandfather was simply protecting him from the brutal reality of life, postponing if he could, what Kaden would no doubt learn as he went to college, and on through life.
Kaden pulled his chair closer to Micaden’s desk. It was stacked with manila files and books of fiction all around the edges. In the center was several books, opened, but lying face down. Micaden had always been reading several different novels at the same time. Kaden never understood how his grandfather could keep up with so many characters and disconnected plot lines at one time. Kaden, without thinking, inserted an index card as a bookmark into each open book and laid them aside. Underneath was a copy of The Birmingham News dated Friday, December 19, 2050. Kaden, for years, had thought his grandfather was too old school, continuing to buy an expensive hardcopy newspaper when he could just read it online. The newspaper was opened to page two with an article above the fold highlighted in yellow. The title read, ‘Two Boaz Men Dead Two Days After Release from Federal Prison.’ Kaden’s heart raced as he scanned the article then returned for a deeper reading.
The article stated that Wade Tillman and James Adams were granted parole on Tuesday, December 16th and released later that afternoon. They were both 96 years old having spent the past 32 years at Cumberland Island Federal Penitentiary in Georgia. The two men had been picked up late afternoon at the prison by family members who drove them back to a hotel in Atlanta to spend the night. The next morning, they had driven to their hometown of Boaz, Alabama. Wade spent all day at his grandson Warren’s house, and James stayed with his grandson Justin.
At 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, they were driven to the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church of Christ. The previous Sunday, Warren had preached a heart-wrenching sermon imploring his fellow members to exercise true Christian spirit and forgive the two men who had done horrible things but had paid their punishment in full. After eating a hardy meal, and enjoying a multitude of heartfelt welcome-home handshakes, the men were driven to Creekside Village, an Assisted Living Facility, on the outskirts of town, where they were left alone in their individual rooms around 9:30 p.m.
The two men were found dead in their beds by Village staff at 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning. There was no sign of struggle. At press time, the cause of death was unknown.
Kaden had a million questions but stood up, walked out onto the balcony, and smiled. He had no doubt the deaths were from the hands of the Boaz Scorekeeper.
Final score:
The Boaz Scorekeeper 5
The Flaming Five 0.
THE END
The Pencil Driven Life 