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 Case of the Perfectionist Professor, written in 2018, is my sixth novel. I'll post a chapter a day over the next few weeks.
Book Blurb
Late on New Year’s Eve in the small town of Boaz, Alabama, Snead State Community College teacher Adam Parker was found dead slumped over in his car. A preliminary investigation indicated the fifty-year-old biology professor died of a heart attack. Marissa Booth, Adam’s daughter and Vanderbilt School of Divinity professor, didn’t agree.
Four days later, Marissa hired the local private detective firm of Connor Ford to investigate her father’s death. She declared local police officer Jake Stone had likely murdered her father. She pointed Ford to a multi-month Facebook feud between Adam and several local people, including Stone and Boaz City Councilman Lawton Hawks. The controversy allegedly related to Adam’s research that contended that, in layman’s terms, long-term indoctrination caused actual genetic mutations that directly affected future generation’s ability to reason.
Over the next year, Connor Ford discovered multiple and independent sources of motivation to quiet and possibly murder the controversial professor. Ford learned that a civil lawsuit and widespread public outcry had effectively run Adam out of Knoxville, where he was a biology professor for over thirteen years. Ford also learned that Adam had become the number one enemy of Roger Williams, a self-made local businessman, and his son Alex, who is a Republican candidate for governor of Alabama. Adam had discovered Alex and Glock, Inc., the Austrian-based gun manufacturer, was exploring not only the possibility of setting up a large facility in Boaz but also supplying pistols for Alex’s highly touted and controversial ‘arm the teachers’ proposal.
Connor Ford has his hands full enough with these suspects. Add in his need to determine whether Lawton Hawks and Jake Stone are friends or foes of Roger and Alex, which accentuate the pressure no normal small-town private detective can handle.
Will Connor’s discovery there is a link between Dayton, Tennessee, and the 1929 Scopes Monkey trial and a rogue group of CIA operatives bend Connor and his two associates to the breaking point?
Read this mystery/thriller to find out if Adam Parker was murdered and how, and what role the long-standing controversy between science and religion had in destroying the life of a single perfectionist professor.
Chapter 45
Late Friday afternoon I was watching Birmingham’s WBRC News in the conference room when Camilla called my cell phone. I almost didn’t answer because the reporter had just asked Alex Williams about his recently born illegitimate son. I wanted to hear his response to the breaking story, especially since it was only eleven days until the general election. Consistent allegiance to my number one priority was essential to my wellbeing.
“Hey babe. Just two more hours.” We had talked about a little trip to Outback Steakhouse and the Gadsden Mall, but I knew she had to work until at least seven. Everybody wanted beautiful hair for the weekend.
“Sorry, not tonight. Natalie’s at the Emergency Room.” It didn’t come as a total surprise. Ever since Nathan was born she had battled high blood pressure. It was the most common sign of postpartum preeclampsia. Even though Dr. Ireland had told her such condition was rare it certainly wasn’t unheard of. All week, Natalie had also battled stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, and a severe headache.
“Who took her to the ER?” I asked.
“Paige. She spent nearly all day taking care of both mother and baby. I just got off the phone. Paige said when Natalie started having trouble breathing she called 911. It could have been bad. Seems like all the ambulances were preoccupied. Paige managed to get her to the hospital on her own.”
“I’m leaving right now. You come on when you can.” I said, knowing Camilla was concerned about Natalie but also was committed to her job.
It took me a little over five minutes to reach the hospital. When I walked in the ER I saw Paige with Sandra.
I had never had any dealings with Sandra Goble. Without a good reason I had always viewed her as a true feminist. Why else would she keep her maiden name? When she married Jake she was Sandra Mohler, Mayor Zack Mohler’s ex-wife. Before I could walk across the waiting room Sandra walked away and back inside the ER.
“Hey Connor. They’re running a bunch of tests on Natalie. She’s really sick.”
“I didn’t see her this morning, but I know she’s had a rough week. By the way, where’s Nathan?” It had just dawned on me someone had to be taking care of the little fellow.
“Amy. When I found out I couldn’t get an ambulance I called Amy. He’ll be fine as long as she holds him.”
I tried to picture Amy on a walker dealing with Nathan but put the thought aside knowing someway she would find a way. She dearly loved babies.
“Camilla and I can take care of him tonight. I suspect they will keep Natalie.” I said.
“Oh shit. I forgot.” Paige looked like she had left little Nathan in the freezer or a hot bath.
“What is it?”
“I forgot Nathan’s baby bag. I should have carried it with him to Amy’s when I dropped him off.”
“I can go. Tell me what to include.”
“No, don’t worry. I have it ready. It’s sitting in the den. I just forgot it when I was helping get the two in the car.” Paige said.
I left the ER and drove to Hickory Hollow. Nathan’s bag was sitting on the floor in the middle of the den. I saw at least six bottles. A little overkill. I grabbed the bag and right as I entered the kitchen headed to the back door I heard the faint ringing of a cell phone. I started to ignore it but that’s just not my nature. I walked upstairs. The sound had quit by the time I reached the balcony, but I knew it came from Natalie’s bedroom.
Her iPhone was on her nightstand. I activated it and saw she had three missed calls. The phone was not password protected so I did a little exploring. The calls had been from Alex. He hadn’t left a voice message. I checked her texts. All were conversations between Natalie and either Paige or Sandra. I laid the phone back down and looked around the bedroom. On the desk by the windows was a large leather bag. I walked over and looked inside. It held a Toshiba laptop, powered off. I slid it back inside and closed the top flap. I knew I needed to go but I could feel a few documents were inside. I unzipped the underside of the flap. Curiosity is hard to ignore. I pulled out the papers and unfolded the first one. It was little Nathan’s birth certificate. I pushed it back inside and started closing the zipper. It was one of those moments that I rarely had. One that was like seeing an image of an old man in the face of a photographed child. Something didn’t fit. Had I seen the word Parker?
I again pulled out and opened Nathan’s birth certificate. There, right under the word, Father, was typed Adam Parker. What in the hell was going on? Alex Williams was Nathan’s father. I took out my iPhone and snapped a photo of the entire birth certificate and a few closer shots of the Father rectangle.
I walked back downstairs, grabbed Nathan’s bag, dropped it off with Amy at the Playhouse, and was back at the Emergency Room a few minutes before six.
The Pencil Driven Life 