Novel Excerpts–The Boaz Stenographer, Chapter 47

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 47

My deposition in Albertville took less than two hours from the time I left home until I was back in my car pulling out of attorney Gullahorn’s parking lot.  During my drive home, Vann called and asked if I could meet him and Pastor Warren at the church at 5:30.  He promised the meeting wouldn’t take long and we could still have our planned gettogether.  At first, I wasn’t interested, but when he told me a Russian professor would be there, I agreed to attend.  I drove straight to First Baptist Church of Christ and arrived straight up at 5:30 p.m.

Vann was waiting next to my usual parking spot just west of the old cemetery. “Walt, listen to me.  Go along with what Pastor Warren is going to ask you.  Trust me.  It is in our best interests for writing our book.”

I started to ask a series of question but saw the look in Vann’s eyes.  He had a look of confidence that real teachers exuded.  “Come on. 

Follow my lead for once.”

We walked up three flights of stairs to Pastor Warren’s study on the third floor.  Vann announced our presence and a voice summoned us to another room behind the Pastor’s desk.  It wasn’t a large room but had an over-sized conference table.  A man I had never seen stood at the far end of the room.  Pastor Warren introduced him as Anton Romanoff from Moscow, Russia.  He was a middle-aged man, about my height and weight, although it was distributed better, a stronger frame with broad shoulders and a much slimmer waist.  I could tell because of his snug fitting blue-stripped dress shirt.  His hair was snow-white, and his face was clean-shaven.  Vann and I shook Anton’s hand and we both sat down across from the Russian as directed by Pastor Warren as he sat down at the end of the conference table.

“Mr. Romanoff, Professor, taught at the University of Leningrad for twenty years.  Since 2002, he has taught at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  He specializes in political science.  Professor was and continues to be an adviser to President Kane. 

Our own Justin Adams hired him a few weeks ago.”

“Again, it is nice to meet you Professor.  But, Pastor, why am I here?”  I needed a little context for this meeting no matter what Vann had commanded.

“I was getting to that.”  Pastor said.  “The President has asked me to take on an expanded role in his re-election campaign.  Walt, Vann has told me you have agreed to assist him and me in our efforts.”

Vann jumped in before I could respond.  “Walt, as you surely know, is not a big fan of President Kane, but he is an advocate for openness and honesty.  Walt is the most principled man I know.  And, he is driven, as I am, to write a book about what is going on in American politics.”

“May I speak?”  Anton, the Professor, said.

“Of course.  Please say what’s on your mind.  We value your judgment.”  Pastor Warren said.

“Walt, I’ve read and heard quite a bit about you.  There is probably no one on earth who knows more about the true history of what went on inside the White House for the last thirty-five years.  Even though I have spent nearly that long reading American history, and the last fifteen years engaged in an intense investigation into American politics, I pale beside your knowledge.  Let me be clear, we need you on our team.  It is not imperative that you have a fondness for our President, or, the Republican Party for that matter.  What is vitally important, is that you invest yourself, the true self that caused you to stand by your principles when President Kane asked you to lie.”

“Can you do that?”  Pastor Warren asked?

“He can, and he will.”  Vann, once again, jumped in before I could respond.

“Thanks Vann for your confidence in your best friend, but we need to hear from Walt.”  Warren said.

“Before I answer, I have a question.  What exactly are you, we, if I join in, trying to accomplish?  I’m not speaking of the goal of having Kane re-elected in 2020.  I’m speaking of the multiple steps, processes, that will necessarily be involved?”  I asked.

“Fair question.”  Professor said.  “Influence, manipulation, if you want a word that unfortunately carries negative overtones.  Votes are what win elections.  Okay, let’s set aside the electoral college for the time being.  But, even there, it’s still about real people entering real voting booths and casting real votes.  That’s what this campaign, our role here, is all about.  A strategic form of manipulation.  Using facts embedded in persuasive stories to cause sufficient numbers of American voters to pull the Kane lever.”

“I’m listening but my question still stands, as it concerns me.  What role are you wanting me, me personally, to play?”  I asked once again.

“Research and reporting for one.  Second, being a confident and persuasive spokesperson when called upon.  We will be attempting to not only persuade individual citizens to vote for Kane but will also be involved with a nationwide effort to persuade state legislators to join Kane Tribe, even to the point of voting for a constitutional convention if necessary.”  Professor stated.

“Walt and Vann, the Kane Tribe, me included, believe the ‘politics as usual’ mantra is broken, that America cannot survive.”  Pastor Warren added.

“Do you realize that I believe, that Vann and I believe, that America is headed for another civil war unless conservatives and liberals, and all in between, find some common ground.  Politics has become a contact sport.  Hatred is rampant and dividing the country unlike anything seen since the real Civil War?”  I said.

“This is why we have to do what we are doing, even at the risk of making things worse for a while.”  Professor added.

“Political correctness has about killed America.  We have to kill political correctness.”  Vann added.  I looked at him and he gave me the ‘get on board’ look.

“Okay, I’ll do what I can.  But, I will not lie or do anything that I believe is illegal.  Can we agree on these terms?”  I said.

“We can, and we do.”  The Professor quickly said.  He slid a business card over to me and asked me to write my email address on the back.  I did and pushed it back to him.

“This is enough for today.  I’ll be in touch no later than Monday.  You guys are free to leave.  Vann told me you have a little party planned.”  Pastor said.

“No party, just a gathering of close friends.”  Vann said as we stood, shook the Professor’s hand again, and walked out.

We rode the elevator down to the ground floor.  As we exited the Administrative Building, I said, “I feel about as dirty as I did when I walked out of the Oval Office for the last time.”

“You’ll get over it my friend.  Politics is naturally dirty.” “That’s what I’m afraid of.”  I responded.

“See you in about twenty minutes.”  Vann said.

---

 Help a starving artist.