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 Safecracker, written in 2019, is my seventh novel. I'll post a chapter a day over the next few weeks.
Book Blurb
Fred Martin, a 1972 graduate of Boaz High School, returns to his hometown after practicing law and living in Huntsville for over thirty-five years with two goals in mind. First, to distance himself from the loss of Susan, his wife of thirty-seven years who died in 2013 of cancer. And second, to partner with his lifelong friend, Noah Waters, to crack the safes of Elton Rawlins and Doug Barber, two men who got under their skin as high school football players.
Little did Fred and Noah realize the secrets the two old Mosler safes protected. Who murdered three Boaz High School seniors in the fall of 1973? Is a near-half-century-old plan to destroy Fred’s sister and steal the inheritance from a set of 44-year-old illegitimate twins still alive and well? How far would Fred’s mother go to protect her family?
What starts out as an almost innocent prank turns life-threateningly serious the more Fred learns and the more safes he cracks. All the while, he falls in love with Connie Stewart, his one-date high school classmate who may conceal a secret or two herself.
Chapter 30
Once again, after lunch, I chose not to join the family gathering on Martin Mansion’s front porch. I was too close to ballistic with Deidre. Just one more turn of the knife she had been wielding could trigger my attack. I didn’t want that. Instead, I walked home, changed clothes, and pushed back in my recliner. My goal was both rest and to generate the courage to call Connie and see if I could sit with her at church tonight.
I had just dozed off when Noah called my iPhone. “Nancy Frasier still amazes me.”
“Who?” My mind was having problems becoming alert.
“Librarian Nancy, the one with a near photographic memory, especially of every book lining her shelves.”
I figured Noah had a point to make but I wasn’t interested in hearing more about the old, but sweet, woman who had maintained the Boaz Public Library since I was barely out of diapers. It was Mother who had taught me to read years before I began first grade at Boaz Elementary, and it was Mother who carried me to the library to check out one book per week from Drew Nelson’s series on “Bible Characters to Emulate.” “She must be in her nineties. I saw her the other day. She looked fit as a fiddle, but what’s your point?”
“I dropped by the library yesterday to pick up a book Nancy had ordered for me through the interlibrary loan service.”
“Was it a coloring book or The Three Little Pigs?”
“No, asshole, it was A History of Electronic Security Systems by Ben Applegate. It’s a classic.”
“I pity Lorie, she must get pretty bored with your infatuations.”
“Listen, I don’t have all day. Matter of fact, Lorie and I are leaving for Mentone in an hour or so. Just a little getaway.”
“Thanks for calling and letting me know.” I said, really getting frustrated with Noah.
“While at the library, Nancy asked me if I had the contract for Doug Barber’s security system.”
“Why did she ask that?” I asked.
“Seems like she has had an interest in a certain pistol that went missing over half a century ago.” Noah said. To me it shouldn’t take this long to say what he’d called to say. “When I told her that I did maintain Doug’s system at the pharmacy, she asked if I knew what type pistol was used in his murder.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her that I had heard it was probably a 38 caliber, but I didn’t know for sure, since Doug’s autopsy hadn’t been completed.”
“Did she say anything else about the missing pistol?” I asked.
“She seemed a little confused, like she was considering whether the pistol that was used to kill Doug was the same one that was stolen from Randy Miller back in 1973.”
“Was she referring to the former youth pastor?” I’m sure I already knew the answer.
“Nancy’s daughter, I can’t remember her name, had been a member of Miller’s youth group back in the seventies and was also a kid reporter for The Pirate Times, you know, the high school newspaper. Apparently, Gail, that’s her name, had written an article not long after the gun went missing.” Noah’s story was growing weirder by the sentence.
“It seems kind of odd that a youth pastor would have a pistol.” I said, noticing I had just received a text from Connie. “Hurry up, I’ve got better things to attend to. Connie just sent me a text.”
“Oh boy, quick, go get an ice pack. You don’t need to get overheated.”
“Funny. Looks like she’s solved my problem. She wants to know if I’ll go to church with her tonight.”
“Fred, you sound like a girl, a teenage girl at that. I don’t need to know any details about your sex life.”
“Don’t even go there. I need to respond, so, please finish up your little story.”
“One final thing. Nancy asked me about Doug’s home-security system and whether I knew if the rumor was true.”
“What rumor?” I asked.
“Whether there was a pistol taken from his safe during the burglary, you know, the one you conducted.”
“I damn hope you have scrambled this call.” It was unlikely, but it was too risky for Noah to be saying such things.”
“Don’t worry man, I’ve got us covered. Lorie’s calling, so I’ve got to run. I just wanted to call and tell you not to hock that Smith and Wesson you have in your barn loft.” Noah said almost bursting my ear drum with his overloud laugh. “Oh, one other thing.”
“I thought you had to go?”
“I almost forgot. I ran into Tyler’s father the other day. You know, Luke’s friend, the one you’ve been telling me is leading your nephew into a life of sin.”
“That’s not exactly how I would put it, but what about Tyler’s father?” I asked.
“He works for Boeing in Huntsville. We’ve just signed a contract to upgrade the security in his department. He’s a nice fellow, Carson’s his name. Did you know he grew up in Cincinnati?” Noah asked.
“I’ve never met the man.”
“Well, he seemed to know a lot about your grandfather.”
“What? That seems unlikely.”
“From what he said he must have grown up in the same neighborhood. Said he graduated from Seven Hills High School. Hey, isn’t that where your parents went?”
“Yes. The two of you certainly had a long conversation.”
“It was nearly an all-day meeting with him and several of his associates. I think when he learned I was originally from Boaz, it just sparked an interest, especially since he and Tyler are living here.”
“I still find that kind of strange. Can I go now, I don’t want Connie to think I’m ignoring her.” It had been a long time since I had played the game of privately being one-hundred percent interested in knowing a girl, and publicly acting as though I didn’t care one way or the other.
“Catch you later.”
After our call ended I immediately responded to Connie’s text telling her I had already planned on calling her to ask about church tonight, but that Noah had called.
When she responded with, “pick me up at my house at 6:30,” I almost laughed out loud. Connie was certainly not passive and timid. This was a little surprising from what I remembered about her in high school.
I spent the next few hours without interruption laying back in my recliner. But, I didn’t sleep. All my mind wanted to do was rotate its thoughts between the long-missing Smith and Wesson pistol, and how in the heck did Carson Eubanks know my grandfather?
The Pencil Driven Life 