Absence of Faith
Page 34
"But I found the jam after I had the symptoms!" Carson said.
"Perhaps, you caught an airborne version. There were several jars that had broken open, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"You may find some things in the house out of place. The CDC quarantined the house and had it fumigated, sterilized and whatever else they do to make sure every living germ in the house is annihilated," Frank explained. "They wanted to condemn the house, but I convinced them otherwise citing its historical importance, the cost of replicating the exact house, and a possible lawsuit that the owners might file. After that they decided to sterilize the entire house."
"Thanks for saving our house!" Carson said. "I owe you one."
Carson got up and went into his bedroom. Frank looked at Linda questionably. Carson returned carrying a thick, dog-eared folder.
"Check this out," he said and opened the folder. "Remember, that guy I was looking for who died of HFS during the eighties? Well, I found him. His name was William Hibbins, and his address was fifty six Cherry Blossom Boulevard."
"That's our address!" Linda said.
"That's right. His wife was Martha Hibbins, and he was probably the first HFS victim," Carson explained.
"Well, now we even have a case history," Frank said.
"Does Stokes know? Where is Stokes?" Carson asked looking around at the clusters of people.
"He's at the Great Auditorium giving the speech of his life. We didn't think you would be clear-headed with all that has happened and with Linda just getting out of the hospital and all, so I'm filling in for you. We did get Rev. Graham to make an appearance and speak about the Hellfire Syndrome. I have to leave in a few minutes and present my speech right after Stokes."
"That is great!" Carson said.
"And there will be plenty of media there. All four networks in New York requested to cover it. It should make the evening news tonight and all the newspapers tomorrow."
The Hotel Guest - Chapter 52
The neon blue "Vacancy" sign splashed its cold, haunting light on the shiny wet street below. A tall figure approached the light and bathed in it momentarily. The nearby parking lot was empty. Cars swished by every few seconds, spraying a cold fine mist towards him. The man felt a small pebble, maybe a grain of sand, strike his cheek and sting it. He touched his face - the long stubble that covered his cheeks made a gritting, scratching sound. He turned and walked towards a glass door framed in corroded aluminum. When he pushed it open, the cool stale air smelled of cleaning fluids and cigarette smoke. A skinny man with an oversized round head and several front teeth missing sat mesmerized in front of a tiny flickering television set. A cigarette burned in his left hand. The fingernail of his index finger was yellowed from the smoke curling its way around the digit.
"Yeah," the man behind the counter said.
"I need a room. How much?" the stranger said.
"Nineteen. Out by noon the next day," the man said in a bored manner.
He had said it many, many times before. Maybe, he should put up a sign so people wouldn't bother him when he was watching TV.
"Here," the stranger dropped two $20 bills on the counter. "If anyone asks, I was never here. One of those is for you.
The hotel clerk snatched up the bills as if a wind would blow them away any second. He looked up at the stranger inquisitively. He noticed that he held his left arm close to his stomach as if an invisible sling was holding it.
"I was never here," the stranger repeated. "You got that?"
The clerk pushed a worn school composition book toward the stranger.
"I got it. But, you have to sign in. Regulations," the clerk said.
The stranger picked up a dirty white pen on the counter and began writing. When he was done, he pushed the dog-eared book back. The clerk looked at the name and smirked.
"Hermes? What kind of name is that? Is it a last name, a first name or what?"
Hermes grabbed the clerk's shirt near his neck and pulled him close to his own face.
"It's neither. It's my name. You would be smart to stop asking questions and get on with whatever you do here," Hermes said.
The clerk smirked and moved back. Then he remembered the two twenties in his pocket.
"You're going to need something for that shoulder?" the clerk suggested eyeing the growing dark red wet spot on his left shoulder
"I'll be fine."
"A dog bite you?"
"Yeah, a bitch got me," he said.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anthony Samuel Policastro has been writing all his life.
The publication of his first novel, Absence of Faith, is the pinnacle of his work having previously published articles in The New York Times, American Photographer and other national, regional, and local publications.
Policastro was the former editor-in-chief of Carolina Style magazine, a regional lifestyle publication similar to Southern Living magazine. He was a former journalist, photographer, and web master.
The author’s background is in technology, business intelligence, and communications.
He has two BA degrees - one in Creative Writing, and another in American Studies from Penn State University, both of which have greatly enhanced his writing career.
Born in New Jersey, he now lives in North Carolina with his wife. He has two sons and a daughter.
Don’t miss Anthony S. Policastro’s mystery/thriller, DARK END OF SPECTRUM available in paperback from Amazon.com.
Download the eBook at Lulu.com, Smashwords.com or buy the Kindle edition on Amazon.com.
DARK END OF THE SPECTRUM will make you think twice before turning on your cell phone or PDA!
DARK END OF THE SPECTRUM is a frighteningly plausible and headline ripping tale of the real threats that loom in cyberspace and beyond with a Michael Crichton realism.
DARK END OF THE SPECTRUM is a thriller that will connect with everyone with a cell phone, PDA or wireless device.
Dan Riker’s life was pretty well planned, predictable and almost boring until a seemingly harmless blackout occurs along the East Coast. The blackout thrusts him into the biggest challenge of his life where he is forced to save millions or to save his family. For the first time in his life he is faced with what seems an impossible goal, a goal that is not planned with a predictable outcome.
The CIA asks him to investigate the blackouts since they believe hackers may have caused them; Dan helps them until they tell him his family may be in danger and he walks out on them.
When the hackers, a group secretly known as ICER, take over the power grid and the cell phone network, Dan is nearly killed in an ambush because he may be the only person with the technical know-how to stop them.
Shortly after that, ICER kidnaps Dan’s wife and 8-year-old daughter, and he is thrust into a high-tech hunt for his family and the hackers using all of his training as a radio frequency engineer and security expert.
He discovers that the hackers used a newly developed wireless technology and a special wireless device installed in cell towers by Homeland Security after 911 that can reprogram any computer from aircraft to PDAs. The hackers also turned the device into a powerful weapon that can kill any living creature in its swath using cell phones as tracking devices.
ICER gives the government an ultimatum - bomb the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan with nuclear weapons to put an end to Osama Bin Laden and his followers or they will start downing commercial airliners – one for each day that the bombing is delayed. What started as a group of concerned citizens has morphed into digital criminals, who take control of the power grid and the cell phone network for their own agenda.
One alternative is to physically destroy every cell phone tower in the United States. The other is to ground all aircraft until they can disable the weapons.
Will Dan Riker save his family or will he fail because life was always easy for him?
What readers are saying about Dark End of the Spectrum!
“Thi
s is certainly a thrilling book for anyone who likes technology, conspiracy, action and disaster; one to read when you've plenty of time to spare because you'll not want to put it down. Your computer had better not be acting up and your cell-phone not be on the blink. And you'd better hope no one hacks into the power grid.
But the novel isn't just about technology gone wild. Dan has a wife and child and a home life too, and the up-down relationship of a marriage strained by work grounds the tale very realistically. The author writes convincing dialog, and Amelia's sudden anger as Dan leaves to help the CIA saddened me because of its plausibility.” – Sheila Deeth