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 Stenographer, written in 2018, is my fourth novel. I'll post a chapter a day over the next few weeks.
Book Blurb
Walt Shepherd, a 35 year veteran of the White House’s stenographic team, is fired by President Andrew Kane for refusing to lie.
Walt returns to his hometown of Boaz, Alabama and renews his relationship with Regina Gillan, his high school sweetheart, who he had ditched right before graduation to marry the daughter of a prominent local businessman. Regina has recently moved back to Boaz after forty years in Chicago working at the Tribune. She is now editor of the Sand Mountain Reporter, a local newspaper.
Walt and Regina’s relationship transforms into a once in life love at the same time they are being immersed in a growing local and national divide between Democrats and traditional Republicans, and extremist Republicans (known as Kanites) who are becoming more dogmatic about the revolution that began during President Kanes campaign.
Walt accepts two part-time jobs. One as a stenography instructor at Snead State Community College in Boaz, and one as an itinerant stenographer with Rains & Associates out of Birmingham.
Walt later learns the owner of Rains & Associates is also one of five men who created the Constitution Foundation and is involved in a sinister plot to destroy President Kane, but is using an unorthodox method to achieve its objective. The Foundation is doing everything it can to prevent President Kane from being reelected in 2020, and is scheming to initiate a civil war that will hopefully restore allegiance to the U.S. Constitution.
While Walt is writing a book, The Coming Civil War, he is, unwittingly, gathering key information for the Constitution Foundation.
Will Walt discover a connection between the Foundation and the deaths of three U.S. Congressmen in time to save his relationship with Regina, prevent President Kane from being reelected as the defacto head of a Christian theocracy, and the eruption of a civil war that could destroy the Nation ?
Chapter 35
Zel and Ginger arrived at Trump Hotel & Tower in Chicago Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. They checked in as Tom and Emily Carter from Atlanta, Georgia. The concierge led them to their room on the 4th floor, where the married couple unpacked their luggage, enjoyed an east view of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, exited their luxury spa suite, and rode the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor. At 4:00 p.m., Thaddeus Colburn was waiting to open the door after Zel’s five-tap knock. Marc Anderson, Michael Gasaway, and George Perrot were already seated around the large dining room table in the grand deluxe suite.
“Perfect timing.” Thaddeus said as he opened the door, hugged Ginger, and shook Zel’s hand.
After ten minutes of chit-chat and family news, the six settled down for serious conversation.
“Each of you have our agenda before you. It’s rather simple. Develop an action plan to combat the current articles of impeachment.” Thaddeus said.
“Actually, there are three separate articles before the House Judiciary Committee. They are attempting to review and determine which one, if any, should be presented to the full House.” Marc said, all knowing he was referring to the House of Representatives.
“I’m betting Steve Cohen’s articles have the best shot of passing the Committee’s approval.” Michael said. Everyone present knew that Cohen’s articles contended that President Kane should be impeached and removed from office because of his failure to condemn the horrible actions by neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Klansmen in Charlottesville, Virginia less than two weeks ago. Cohen particularly condemned the President’s statement that ‘there were very fine people on both sides.’
“How close is the House to voting to impeach?” Ginger asked.”
“Currently, there are 240 Republicans and 194 Democrats in the House. One seat is vacant. Assuming all Democrats voted ‘yes,’ it would take only 24 Republicans for a majority vote. Our present assessment is that there are only ten Republicans who would cross the aisle.” Thaddeus said.
“I personally don’t think Cohen’s articles measure up to the legal requirements. The Constitution is clear. The President must have committed ‘treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.’ Failing to condemn the actions of even the Devil don’t appear to me to meet the requirements.” George said.
“I agree with George. This just means we must get more aggressive with our plans. We all know that sooner or later, the President will do something to clearly fall into one of the legal requirements. When that happens, our entire approach changes radically.” Thaddeus said.
“I know we are running a reverse play here: our true mission is to arrange things so that Kane is elected in the 2020 Presidential election, all while telling our level two players, Walt Shepherd for example, that we are trying to stop Kane. Here’s my concern, in the grand scheme of things, what is so bad about him being impeached? Either way, he is out of the Oval Office.” Ginger asked.
“I think it is simple. Impeachment leaves Republicans, especially the evangelical right, the argument that Kane was treated unfairly, that the articles of impeachment, in other words, the indictment against Kane, and then a vote to impeach by the Senate, was all political. I can hear them now, ‘politics as usual, the old guard won again.’ This, I’m afraid, would embolden the Right and possibly empower them to continue the Revolution they embraced when Kane initially announced his candidacy back in 2015. On the other hand, if Kane loses in the 2020 general election, the Right has the wind sucked out of their sails, but they are not completely dead. Don’t any of us ever forget. What we are after is to create a civil war after Kane is reelected to then give his Tribe an opportunity to create a Christian theocracy. This will allow all true Americans to rise up and defeat the traitors, kind of like the Union did with the Confederate traitors in the first Civil War.” Thaddeus said.
Ginger seemed to understand, but asked, “so we continue to eliminate the House representatives who are likely to cross the aisle and vote for impeachment?”
“Exactly. This is exactly what Kane wants to happen. He obviously wants his Republican brand in every seat in the House. The death of Kip Brewer, to all rational people, would be a gift to Kane. It would cause many to ask themselves, ‘could Kane be behind this murder?’ Marc said.
“These same folks would also ask themselves, ‘why would Kane have U.S. Senator Ralph Evanston from Massachusetts killed?’” George said.
“That order was a mistake. It was premature. We should have eliminated another Representative. We are back on track now. Articles of Impeachment, their failure to pass the House of Representatives, has to be our focus.” Thaddeus said.
“Let’s take a break and return here at 5:30 to discuss our next move.” Michael said.
At 5:30, Thaddeus announced Kyle Turner from Georgia would be their next target. “I’ll let George to relay his plans.”
For the next forty-five minutes George described how the life of Kyle Lawrence Turner would end.
Turner was elected as a Republican to the House of Representatives in 2002. For his first six terms (12 years) he never crossed the aisle. He always voted straight Republican. In 2015, he tested the Democratic waters by voting for increased spending to fund President Obama’s decision to increase troop deployment to Afghanistan. In 2017, Turner voted against President Kane’s legislation to repeal Obama Care. Turner comes from a district including Macon that typically votes Democratic but surprisingly, voted for Kane by over 60 percent.
“We believe, with Turner out of the way, Republican Governor Talbot will appoint a diehard Kane supporter, and in the next election, the people of the Sixth District will vote the appointee to a full term.” George said.
“What’s your plan to eliminate Turner?” Thaddeus said.
“Something like what we used with Brewer. The closeup murders are too risky. We are still dealing with serious fallout from the Massachusetts killing. Death from a distance will eliminate Turner. Initially, I had thought it best to use a new assassin, but Marc believes we should stay with the Ivankov brothers from St. Petersburg. Sergei did the honors with Kip Brewer. Semyon has been tapped to dispose of Kyle Turner. Marc, if you will, describe our plan, my sinuses are pouring, sorry.” George said.
“Semyon will enter the country stowed away in Gustav Neilson’s King Air from Toronto. The Ivankov brothers have been hiding out there since the Brewer assassination. Turner is scheduled to speak in Macon on the morning of July 4th at the city’s annual Independence Day celebration. That afternoon, we believe, from reliable sources, that Turner will participate in his family’s annual reunion at Fulwood Park in his hometown of Tifton, retiring at his home that night and spend the next day on Lake Patrick in the Paradise Public Fishing Area. He has followed this routine for the past several years, and we’ve caught scuttlebutt from his Congressional staffers that is his current plans. We have detailed plans for Semyon to camp on the eastern shore of Lake Patrick from July 3rd up until the assassination on the 5th. Our initial plans include extricating him via the Henry Tift Myers Airport two nautical miles southeast of Tifton, but this isn’t final. We’re working through a couple of major issues. Don’t worry, we’ll be ready before July 3rd.” Marc said.
This didn’t satisfy the group. For the next hour Thaddeus and Michael quizzed George and Marc about the risk involved in using a public airport so soon after the shooting. At 7:20 p.m., Thaddeus moved the group to vote whether his idea to use Walt Shepherd and Regina Gillan to unknowingly transport Semyon Ivankov to Boaz, Alabama, was less risky. The motion passed four to two.
At eight-thirty Thursday night Ginger called Walt as he was leaving his classroom at Snead State Community College.
The Pencil Driven Life 