Novel Excerpts–The Boaz Stenographer, Chapter 56

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 56

It had rained all day Thursday.  I was thankful it had slowed down to a mist as I got out of my truck and walked toward the back door of the Snead College Administration Building.  I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket.  It was Regina.

“Hello sweet love.”

“Walt, where are you?”

“I’m just about to go in to my class.”

“Really quick, but I have to tell you this.  It’s bad news. 

Professor Anton Romanov has been arrested for the murder of Kip Brewer.”

“What?  You have to be kidding.”  I said standing beside the door under the stoop.

“I’m serious.  Delton just called.  You know he hears about arrests faster than anyone.  He’s tied in pretty tight with the Sheriff’s Office.”  Regina said.  I could tell she was surprised from the tone of her voice.

“How is this possible?  He wasn’t even here.  He came to Boaz the week after we got back from Tifton.  Right?”

“Apparently the cops believe he is the man in the photograph I found.  Also, Frankie has identified him as the same man, the man who was at Club Eden and did the target shooting.”  Regina said.  I could hear Mitzi saying something in the background.

“From my viewpoint it just doesn’t fit.  I cannot see the Professor being a sharpshooter.  Of course, I am often wrong.”

“I’ll let you go.  Is it okay if I drop by later tonight?”  Regina said as though she was one of my students and needed to drop by for an instructional meeting.

“Sounds good.  See you after class.”  I said stepping aside as Felicia and Michael pulled open the door and stepped inside the building.

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 Help a starving artist.