The Witchdoctor
by
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After 4 years at Harvard Stanley Block was an icon both on campus and off. He knew most everyone at the school, faculty included, and all the students knew him; not just because he was a genius but because he was simply the nicest guy most of them would ever meet. Stanley was one who went out of his way to greet as many freshmen as possible each autumn when the new crop showed up on campus, and if any were having difficulty with his or her studies Stanley Block was the one to lend a hand, nurturing them over the rough spots. He was tutor, mentor, councilor and gallant knight to all who knew him and was forever being praised for his selflessness.
But for the computer whiz kid there was much more to it than just being Harvard’s answer to Mr. Rogers. As far as Stanley was concerned living life as he did was nothing short of his duty because he remembered all too well his own freshman year, and how lonely he'd been before meeting Roz. With her help he’d come out from behind the wall he’d built around his acne and weight problems and it was shortly after Rosalind Daily came into his life that he’d made a solemn vow, pledging to do everything he could to ensure others wouldn’t be made to suffer the pain and loneliness he’d endured during his early years.
Loveable, affable Stanley Block had lived up to that promise for over three years now and because of it his generous spirit would remain an integral part of the university’s ambience long after he’d moved on.
When he stepped out onto the landing in front of Dudley House that morning the world was indeed Stanley Block’s oyster. In a few short weeks he’d be graduating with honors, offers of employment had been pouring in for months so he had no concerns about pounding the pavement looking for work, and if he didn’t feel like taking a job right away well hell, he didn’t have to. There was plenty of money in the bank, his bright red Ferrari was parked a few yards away in the shade of a magnificent willow, and he had so many invitations from friends asking him to visit he just might take a few of them up on their offer, although they’d all made one stipulation; DON’T BRING YOUR DAMNED CLOCK!
Shielding his eyes against the brilliant April sunshine Stan gazed out over Harvard Yard, a venue he’d arrived at wearing the clothes of a boy but would soon be leaving dressed as a man. This truly is a beautiful place and it’s great to be alive! was the last thought to ever pass through Stanley Block’s mind; a 0.225 caliber high velocity bullet made sure of that as it shattered his glasses and left a small, neat hole in his right temple.
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About the Book
A 22 year old university student is dead, cut down by a sniper’s bullet on the front steps of his Harvard Yard residence just a few short weeks before graduation. There are no other victims, no threats have been made against the university or its student population, no warnings of any kind, leaving legendary BPD detective Sean Costello and his young partner John Underwood scrambling for answers to their most baffling questions; Who and Why?
But to New York Times internet columnist Roy Harrington the murder is no mystery at all; the victim simply got what he deserved for his release of a devastating computer virus onto the internet two years earlier and Harrington proceeds to tell his readers the person delivering that fatal blow should be proclaimed a national hero. But the detectives aren’t buying it; his timeline is all wrong, his motive far too frivolous for them to take seriously, but then only until a letter is delivered to The Times’ head office telling Harrington he’s a lot smarter than the cops are.
About the Author
Having lived and worked in more than two dozen countries around the world the author has learned, through experiences both bitter and sweet, that it is more compelling to regret what a person has done than what he hasn't; and more provocative to listen than to speak.