Excerpts

Second Chances

Chapter 1
As the night turned to day, the man, with much hesitation, fastened the black scarf behind his head one last time, picked up the gun, looked in the mirror, and mumbled the same muffled words he had repeated throughout the night. …. Suddenly his attention was drawn to something on the mantel that was gleaming as a stray beam of sunlight touched it. He reached over and picked it up. It was a cross necklace, which he had been given as a child, and it was something he had worn every day of his life until yesterday. A tear formed in his eye and flowed freely down his face as he placed the necklace back on the fireplace mantel. He purposefully turned his back to the cross, and he took a deep breath as if he were attempting to force himself to maintain his resolve. With the gun still in his hand, he then began shuffling his way out the screen door and down four rotting wooden porch steps toward a rusty 1969 Ford pickup. Chapter 2 Wade did not even notice the brush of Jacob’s bloody hand against his leg, but he happened to glance down at Jacob for a moment as he stood nearby, holding Jacob’s briefcase and wiping cold sweat from his face with a paper towel that someone in the crowd had given him. ……. “Post the story. He has to pay. My password,” Jacob started to whisper, but before he could finish, the hallway around him faded into nothingness, and Jacob lay completely still, as still as his deceased client lay beside him. Chapter 15 “Violence is not the path of Allah,” the professor had stated emphatically. “Islam is a religion of peace, and using it for the purpose of violence is a perversion. Submission of oneself to Allah is the only way one may achieve peace. And that submission must be a personal choice. Peace cannot be achieved by forcing others to submit to a perversion of Islam.” As Detective Dean now pulled out of the parking lot of Hartsfield State University, he pondered the professor’s passionate words. He believed this man to be genuine, and yet he did sense that the professor had been holding something back. Chapter 24 “I believe that there are three things that are required of each of us, Jacob, as individual human beings. There are three basic guidelines that lead to ethical human behavior. To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. I think that if we can find a way to balance each of those three principles in our lives, then God will work out the details of every situation that life might possibly bring to us….”

 

Chapter 5

…
Kate’s secret was something Andy had not planned for five years ago.  He had discovered it entirely by accident while searching for Trey’s medical records.  Wanting to find out all he could about her son,  Edward Gerrard Ross III, he had followed the medical paper trail back to a family clinic in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Kate had taken Trey for his first round of immunizations after birth.  That same clinic is where he had happened upon a set of records for “Katherine S. Ross.”   He had been excited by the discovery, although he had not been sure how it would work into his scheme.  Now, with Kate’s election at stake, it gave him another weapon to use against the woman he hated more than anyone in the world. …

Chapter 22

…
After she had finished, she had become very serious again and had asked, “I guess now that you know all of this, you think I am an awful person, right?”

Pastor John now looked Kate in the eye and responded, “It really isn’t my place to make that call, Ms. Ross.  Only God has the right to judge a person.  But you see, the thing is, he would much rather just forgive each of us for whatever wrongs we’ve committed in our lives.”

“I realize that now.  Winter calls it grace,” said Kate.

The pastor nodded in agreement.

“Yes.  Grace is the most precious gift a human being can accept, or give, for that matter.  You see, Ms. Ross, I believe grace is intended to flow in two directions.  First, it flows down in its purest form, vertically, from Heaven and reaches each of us where ever we are.   After we accept it, it should flow horizontally from each of us to anyone else who needs it,” he explained.

Kate understood completely.  She suddenly realized that, for many years, her devoted friend Winter had been living evidence of the kind of grace that Pastor John had just described.  She felt humbled. …

Chapter 24

…
“I do know about your mother, son,” Wade started, but Andy interrupted him.

He screamed, “Don’t ever call me that!  I am not your son.  You can pretend that Trey is if you want, but nobody calls me that unless I tell them to!  Do you understand?”

Andy leaned over the desk and pointed the knife directly into Wade’s face as he spoke. Wade was completely unnerved, but he managed to keep his composure, replying, “I’m sorry.  I meant nothing by it, I assure you.”

Andy seemed momentarily pacified and pulled himself back into a chair.  Wade was afraid to speak for fear of angering him again.  Andy felt empowered by the fear he had invoked in Wade.

He stared at Wade a moment and then, in a scoffing tone, said, “So you think you put it all together, you smart little lawyer man, huh?”

Wade nodded.

“You don’t know the truth,” said Andy emphatically.

“So please enlighten me, if that’s why you’re here,” said Wade, wondering if Andy would rather kill him instead.

“Kate Ross is not who you think she is.  She uses people, like her rich ex-husband and you, to get what she wants.  She only cares about money and power.  She doesn’t give a damn about the lives she destroys!” said Andy, as his face reddened with anger.

He pointed the knife at Wade and continued, “You need to know who she really is!  You need to understand why she has to be punished.”

Andy then pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it onto the desk.

“Go ahead.  Open it!” he ordered.

Wade unfolded the paper and quickly scanned over it.  He read a highlighted notation on the document.  He stared at it in disbelief, then looked at Andy. …

 

Always

Chapter 3

…
Trey remembered a Biblical passage his Sunday school class had discussed regarding the way people should love others. Love always trusts, he was reminded. He felt that it would be noble to be able to take that approach with his brother, but he had to admit that he was not sure how you can do that for someone you barely know. After all, he asked himself, you shouldn’t be completely naïve about the potential evil in someone, right? …

Chapter 13
…
“You have to go to the police! They can protect you. Reece, Please!” Rena begged.

“Nobody can protect me,” Reece strained to say, again swallowing to choke back tears.

“What are you going to do? Do you want to end up dead or in prison for the rest of your life?” she asked desperately.

“People who talk and people who walk end up dead,” he responded, reciting the cold words he had heard many times and had been reminded of via text message just a few days ago. …

Chapter 19

…
Redemption begins with humility, he was reminded. It was something Reece remembered his grandfather having stated very sincerely once during one of their heated arguments regarding the old man’s secrets and how his mistakes had harmed his grandchildren. At the time his grandfather had been attempting to persuade Reece to release his resentment toward Trey and allow the young man into their lives. Reece was not yet ready to stop hating Trey, but he did wish he could have just one more opportunity to hug his grandfather. However, Reece believed that it was too late for that kind of redemption, that he would never see anyone in his family again, and that the only redemption possible at this point was to rescue Lisa from the grip of Peg Leg. …

Chapter 20

…
Trey remembered Sarah’s angry words just days ago about how most of the people of Mason tend to ignore the poverty and crime that abounds on the Brookridge side of town. He painfully realized now that the murder of Jessica Rice would bring the ugly truth to light, that the seemingly quiet, pristine town of Mason had a growing darkness, a cancer that his own brother had helped spread. …

 

Mercy for the Weak

Chapter 1

As the night turned to day, the man, with much hesitation, fastened the black scarf behind his head one last time, picked up the gun, looked in the mirror, and mumbled the same muffled words he had repeated throughout the night. …. Suddenly his attention was drawn to something on the mantel that was gleaming as a stray beam of sunlight touched it. He reached over and picked it up. It was a cross necklace, which he had been given as a child, and it was something he had worn every day of his life until yesterday. A tear formed in his eye and flowed freely down his face as he placed the necklace back on the fireplace mantel. He purposefully turned his back to the cross, and he took a deep breath as if he were attempting to force himself to maintain his resolve. With the gun still in his hand, he then began shuffling his way out the screen door and down four rotting wooden porch steps toward a rusty 1969 Ford pickup.

Chapter 2

Wade did not even notice the brush of Jacob’s bloody hand against his leg, but he happened to glance down at Jacob for a moment as he stood nearby, holding Jacob’s briefcase and wiping cold sweat from his face with a paper towel that someone in the crowd had given him. ……. “Post the story. He has to pay. My password,” Jacob started to whisper, but before he could finish, the hallway around him faded into nothingness, and Jacob lay completely still, as still as his deceased client lay beside him.

Chapter 15

“Violence is not the path of Allah,” the professor had stated emphatically. “Islam is a religion of peace, and using it for the purpose of violence is a perversion. Submission of oneself to Allah is the only way one may achieve peace. And that submission must be a personal choice. Peace cannot be achieved by forcing others to submit to a perversion of Islam.” As Detective Dean now pulled out of the parking lot of Hartsfield State University, he pondered the professor’s passionate words. He believed this man to be genuine, and yet he did sense that the professor had been holding something back.

Chapter 24

“I believe that there are three things that are required of each of us, Jacob, as individual human beings. There are three basic guidelines that lead to ethical human behavior. To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. I think that if we can find a way to balance each of those three principles in our lives, then God will work out the details of every situation that life might possibly bring to us….”

A Time to be Silent

Chapter 1

……As John looked over the menu, Kate’s eyes were drawn back to the river below.  She watched with curiosity as a small, dark helicopter flew in and hovered above a large black and white boat on the river.  Neither the helicopter nor the boat had any markings that she could see.  As she continued to watch, the helicopter slowly descended and landed on the roof of the boat, and two men exited the helicopter and soon disappeared below deck.  The face of one of the men seemed somewhat familiar to her, although she could not be certain from such a distance……As the waiter left, Kate asked John if he had any idea who owned the giant boat.

“Sure.  The only man rich enough in the state of Arkansas to own a rig like that,” he answered.  “Houston Flasch, that billionaire who plans to run for governor.”

…..Eventually one of the men returned to the helicopter and began to unload several large, dark duffle bags.  The man, who was wearing mirrored sunglasses, carried two at a time, disappearing below deck with each trip, until eight bags had been taken below.  The bags all appeared to be quite heavy and uniform in size and shape.  None of the bags appeared to be personal luggage, especially any type of luggage that a billionaire would use.  Kate had heard rumors that this particular man, Houston Flasch, had been involved in several shady real estate deals in other countries over the years, and that a federal investigation into his finances had ended abruptly less than two years ago.  Apparently, Flasch, who had maintained a residence in his home state of Arkansas for his entire life, was now ready to start a new venture in local politics, a choice which seemed odd to Kate, particularly his choice to run for governor.

Chapter 3

“…..My old friend, Annabelle, often reminds me that ‘intelligence is knowing the right answer, but wisdom is knowing when to say it.’  I try to remember that every time I feel the need to set somebody straight about something.”  Kate smiled.

“…..Remember that federal prosecutor who handled that big drug case in Mason?”  Salem asked.

“Sure.  Julie Brockman.  She is Trey’s criminal law professor now,” Kate responded.

“Two years ago, a friend of mine at the state attorney general’s office said she was about to indict Houston Flasch for all kinds of money laundering, extortion, fraud, tax evasion, drug trafficking, you name it.  Next thing he knows, the whole investigation disappears, and she’s teaching law school,” John explained.

Kate was surprised by his friend’s implication.  “Flasch somehow scared Brockman off his trail?” she asked incredulously.

John nodded his head dramatically.  “That’s what this guy says.  He was assigned by our state attorney general to aid her investigative team.  He said he had not seen all of the evidence, but he understood that Brockman had enough to move on it.  Planned to convene a federal grand jury to indict him.  Then poof.  It all went away.”

“Wow.  That is really strange.  And now he wants to be governor,” she responded.  “Does anyone else know about this?”

Chapter 16

Jacob nodded, beginning to understand what Brockman was not saying.  “So, the Feds wanted everyone at the state attorney general’s office to think the case was closed?” he asked.

“Perhaps.  It was more important for Houston Flasch and Sheila Townsend to think it was closed.”  Julie Brockman looked directly into Jacob’s eyes and added, “Do NOT use my name in this.”

“I understand,” Jacob replied.  “So, were you removed from the investigation?” he asked.

Julie looked away, as if she were experiencing a moment of shame.  “I resigned,” she stated curtly, without further explanation.

“You resigned from the prestigious position of federal prosecutor.  And became a criminal law professor in a small state law school.  That doesn’t really make sense, you know,” Jacob retorted incredulously.

“I had my reasons,” she stated softly.

“Was your life threatened?” Jacob asked.

“I cannot answer questions like that,” Julie replied, again looking away.  “But, I will say that threatening people is the Houston Flasch way of doing business.  It’s standard operating procedure.  Sheila Townsend has mastered the art of the threat.”

Chapter 17

Jacob got a little annoyed by her indifferent response.  “Well, professor, it must be something they would be willing to kill over.  Can’t you tell me anything?”

Professor Brockman stared at Jacob incredulously.  “Is someone dead over there?  At the Mason Airport?”  Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurred to her, and she blurted out, “Is that why my son is in the hospital fighting for his life?  Did Flasch order him killed?”

Jacob shook his head no.  “A friend of mine saw something.  Judge Kate Ross.  We think they sent someone after her last night.”

“Oh, no.  Has she told the police?” the professor asked, shaking her head.

“Not yet,” Jacob answered.  “We only have one detective on our little police force.  We tried, but he was busy investigating Greg’s shooting.  By the way, does Flasch know that Greg Doyle is your son?”

Professor Brockman turned her face away from Jacob.  She would not answer at first, stubbornly staring out the window.  Jacob waited patiently for her response.  Finally, it poured out of her like water bursting through a dam.