Imminent Demise: A Novel

Copyright © 2018 Jim Stratton.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-6180-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-6179-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018914061

iUniverse rev. date:   11/27/2018

Contents

Chapter 1   Layout of the Land

Chapter 2   The Next Encounter

Chapter 3   Trouble at the Mill

Chapter 4   Ricky’s Blunder

Chapter 5   Attempt at a Cover-up

Chapter 6   A Senseless Death

Chapter 7   The Date

Chapter 8   The Confession

Chapter 9   Felton’s Folly

Chapter 10   The Trial

Chapter 11   A Blossoming Romance

Chapter 12   Twists and Turns

Chapter 13   A Winter of Holidays

Chapter 14   Secret Plans

Chapter 15   Ricky’s Retrial

Chapter 16   Change in a Black Heart

Chapter 17   In the Garden

Chapter 18   A Proper Waltz

Chapter 19   The Wedding

This work is d

edicated to my wife Rebecca, who has an insatiable appetite for reading novels. I promised her that I would write one for her, and since she has read so many, I anxiously await her critique of my work compared to those she has read.

I would also like to thank my daughter, Dr. Jennifer Do and Rebecca for many hours of proof reading.

H appiness is an elusive state of existence. Some believe it is found within a context of having material wealth, everything they ever dreamed of, and enough money to stave off any worry about attaining what they want.

Others think that it is hidden under some formula that can be uncovered only by psychiatric probing of the inner self and what was passed down through genetic makeup from prior generations.

Many people feel that their faith provides all their needs. Others believe true happiness will not be achieved in this life, that this life is but a training ground for the afterlife.

It is obvious to me that true happiness has nothing to do with material possessions. It is not found in satisfying some inner questioning or even in fulfilling some lifetime goal.

Could it be that the simple parts of life, the uncomplicated things, and those things that spring up as pleasant memories and comforting dreams outline the happiness we all seem to be in search of for most of our lives?

Could it be that our service to others, our love for our families and fellow human beings, and the chores in our day-to-day lives that are kin to commitment and are lasting are the real keys to finding a satisfaction that can make all the difficulties and challenges of this existence easier to bear?

Could it be that happiness can be found in simply serving others and recognizing that special feeling that comes from doing so?

I submit to you that if we all see that the simple, quiet aspects of life provide the most substance, then we can concentrate on bringing about the change in our society that will make happiness more attainable for all people.

Our certain and imminent demise is not always at the end of a long, full life, but the time we do have can be meaningful and worthwhile.

Some of the characters in my story found the path that leads to love, the cornerstone of happiness. Others met their end still searching for some tangible reason to live at all.

This work is not intended to be filled with the acts of super heroes. It is about everyday people who despite extraordinary circumstances, manage to live lives worth living in a world inundated by the overstated and overrated hype of modern media.

Chapter 1

Layout of the Land

C ertainly, there was more to Elliot Timberlake than most people in his home town saw. He was, after all, a handsome young man of twenty-six, fresh out of college and law school, and by all the standards of his day, an eligible bachelor. He stood six feet one and had the build of an athlete, although he had never been involved in organized sports. His hazel eyes, wavy dark brown hair, and sun-darkened complexion seemed to attract all sorts of inquisitions from the local bevy of beautiful and likewise available women.

It was obvious that he could be the great and shining star you see in the movies or anything he wanted to be in this life. He had that kind of stature about him, but he was humble and that came across to everyone he met.

Despite his good looks and appeal to the opposite sex, Elliot had a shyness that kept him from being bold and direct in his dating life. That actually may have added to his allure. It gave him a humility and kindness that was lacking in society.

Elliot had majored in criminal law, but now, two years out of school, he was still working odd jobs in Eldsboro, Ohio. He had been born there, but he had moved away at the age of fourteen, when his father died in a car crash, and his mother moved back to her hometown of Williston, Missouri.

It was only after law school that Elliot came back to his hometown, which had grown to a population of about twenty-five thousand by the time he returned. He had planned to get settled in his home town and take the bar exam, but life kept getting in the way. For now, he was perfectly content to make enough money to maintain his small home place. There was still plenty of time for attaining whatever measure of wealth he decided would make him happy.

Elliot kept to himself after work each day. He busied himself by working a small farm about a mile south of town. Now, that may seem a little odd for a young man with a degree in criminal law, but he had another vision for his life that did not necessarily align with that education. In fact, Elliot went down the road to his study of law to please his mom. She had hounded him about making money to ensure his place in the grand scheme of things. He never really wanted to be part of the rat race. He wanted one day to own a large self-sustaining farm that would provide him with everything from vegetables and fruit to milk and beef from herds of cattle.

He often reasoned that he would probably be forced to complete his bar exam and practice law, if he was to realize his dreams of a much larger farm, but for now, the status quo was plenty.

It was spring, and this part of Ohio was green and lush. It was warm, and plenty of rain had jump-started Elliot’s crop of vegetables. His one-acre garden drew compliments from the entire neighborhood. It would be a pleasant chore in a month or two to be able to harvest some of the fruits of his labor.

The garden still needed attention. There were weeds to eliminate, bugs to exterminate, and larger animals like rabbits, squirrels, and even deer to discourage from eating the plants before they produced. The entire garden had a lace-like chicken wire fence that was about six feet high but was neatly kept like all of Elliot’s property. Taking care of things was something Elliot got an old-time pleasure out of doing each day.

And that is exactly what Elliot was doing late one afternoon after working at the nearby sawmill all day. He was attired in his overalls, no shirt, and a pair of old sneakers that looked as though they had been through a couple of world wars.

Some little noise caught his attention. He could not tell at first where the noise came from. Perhaps it was one of the many white-tailed deer that frequently ambled by to sample some of the fresh acorns in the woods just beyond the back fence. He slowly lifted his head and leaned on his rake to behold a strikingly beautiful young lady approaching the garden from the woods at the far end of the property.

Hello! she called. I am Lily … Lily Owens. I was hiking and saw this exquisite garden and just had to see it closer. I hope you don’t mind.

No, no, no, not at all, Elliot replied. Come on over. There is a gate just to your left at the corner.

He thought about how he was dressed and got a little squeamish, as he realized that he was in the presence of a truly gorgeous young woman with a face like an angel and a walk like a spirit gliding across the ground.

I apologize for my appearance, but I didn’t really expect company. He scrambled to dust off his overalls.

Don’t you worry at all about that. I don’t mind a bit. Lily looked around and saw all the neatly arranged and perfectly tended plants. She smiled and said, It is a great garden. Maybe I could come by at a better time, when you are more prepared for company.

Well, yes, yes. Why don’t you do that? When can you come? I mean, just give me a call sometime, and we can set up a time, stammered Elliot.

Okay, I will do that. What’s your number? she asked.

Elliot told her his cell phone number, she put it into her phone, and Elliot took her number down in his. Lily turned slowly away and disappeared into the woods at about the same place she’d come out a few minutes before, and Elliot raked his way to the end of the row, put his chin on the rake, and stared for several minutes into the woods just wondering. Yes, just wondering. She was really, really pretty. He recalled her long, flowing black hair that fell in long curves over her shoulders and half covered her hauntingly blue eyes which were perfectly set off with eye lashes that curved smoothly, accentuating the luster of her hair. He thought of her lips as she spoke. Her words seemed to be visible as they came toward him.

His mind raced and became confused. Lily became all he could think about until he went on to other chores around the farm. He would work for a few minutes and then stop and think about Lily for a few minutes. When he finally finished his chores, he went inside his neat-as-a-pin cottage.

He could not bring himself to even interview for what would probably be available jobs with law firms in town, so Elliot had taken several odd jobs since he had been back in Eldsboro. Most of them were seasonal and lasted for a few months, and then he was forced to go on to another. Although he found plenty of work this way, he knew he would never save enough money to buy that land he hoped for by continuing on this path. He decided that, for now at least, he would keep his law degree as a back-up instead of his main objective.

He made friends quite easily, but he was not particularly outgoing, and word of mouth kept him aware of the jobs that were available. So, it came to pass that he landed a steady job working at the saw mill. He didn’t particularly like it, but it kept a roof over his head and food on the table.

In the days that followed, Elliot’s work at the saw mill became more and more unbearable. His duties there were mostly manual labor, as one would expect such as unloading the many logging trucks that came through the gates with alarming regularity. He sometimes filled in at the debarking operation, but his daydreams often caused an inattentiveness that made both jobs dangerous not only for him but for those working with and around him.

One afternoon, right after lunch break, Elliot’s thoughts took his mind completely off of his fork truck driving, and he almost ran over the shift supervisor.

He brought the equipment to a stop immediately, hopped off the truck and ran over to Mr. Felton. I’m so sorry, Mr. Felton. Are you Okay?

Dang you, Elliot! roared Dan Felton. "Where is your head these days? I want