Uncivil Procedure
by
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CHAPTER THIRTY Soon after Todd made his way onto the highway his cell phone rang. Todd recognized the voice on the other end of the line. "Sorry about Oslo, Todd," said the voice with a heavy New York accent. "I know that you killed Oslo! I also know that you work for Tucker!" Todd screamed. "You really want to take the next few moments to reflect on life, Todd. Say some prayers." Oslo’s killer spoke very calmly. "Tucker wanted to make sure that Oslo had some company, Todd. You will be with him soon." Suddenly, Todd heard a beeping sound and saw a red light flashing under the passenger side dash. Todd was going about sixty miles per hour and large snow banks lined the expressway. It was 1:30 in the morning and snow was lightly falling on the empty road. Todd slammed down the brake pedal, but the brakes did not work. Beep...Beep...Beep. The beeping gradually got louder and faster. He tried the door, but it was locked and could not be opened. Todd looked up and saw the sunroof. It was the only part of the car that was not electrical. The snow that had covered it fell into the car as Todd pushed it open. There was no time for hesitation. He prayed that the car would just go straight and remain in control long enough for him to pull himself through the tight opening. BEEP..BEEP..BEEP! The beeping intensity had now grown to a feverish pitch and Todd was certain he was now on borrowed time as he made it to the roof of the car. He jumped and landed hard into the heavy snow. Todd watched his car as it continued down the road. A few seconds later he felt the ground shake as the bomb detonated. The car was blown apart in a brilliant fiery explosion that lit up the Detroit skyline. Only the license plate would be found. He did not scream or cry. Instead, he sat in the snow, motionless, unable to comprehend the last sixty minutes of his life. Todd’s brain was yelling at him to get the hell out of the area. Dazed and bruised, he finally listened. He limped less than a quarter mile to the exit ramp. His glasses had been broken in the fall and the right lens left a large cut just over his eyebrow. He had cash, as Oslo had just paid him. Just off the ramp was a motel, "The Palm Tree," and Todd rented a room. The fat, drunken clerk took no notice of Todd as he made his thirty-dollar payment and took the room key. The clerk was to busy watching porn on the color television behind the desk. The Palm Tree was the first motel Todd had spent a night where hourly rates were offered. Obviously not a AAA rated property. Upon entering the dirty, poorly decorated room, he began to wash his scrapes and cuts. It hurt to move or touch any part of his body. As far as he could tell he had no broken bones. The snow, to some extent, had cushioned the blow. His large winter coat had helped, too. He still could not comprehend the sheer lunacy of what was happening. It was as if his life was in fast forward and he desperately wanted to find a remote control to pause, stop and, certainly, rewind it. He wanted to call Emily. He wanted to call his parents. He reached for the phone, but before he could dial he collapsed in exhaustion.
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About the Book
Murdered Journalist + Young Law School Student + Former U.S. Attorney General + Mayor of New York City + $$$ + President of the United States = UNCIVIL PROCEDURE Life was pretty good for second-year law school student, TODD CHASE. The other students at The Keith School of Law were not particularly fond of Todd. The guys hated him for dating the most attractive woman in the school, EMILY NEWHALL, and the women hated him because he did not choose one of them. Further, he had somehow managed to get into a weekly tennis match with Professor KURTIS OSLO. Actually, Oslo had sought out Todd for the game as Todd had played varsity tennis for the University of Michigan as an undergraduate. Not only was he Oslo’s doubles partner, he was also his assistant. The latter really fueled the ire of the other students who already had grown resentful of Todd’s unusual relationships. There was not one student at Keith who would not give their first born for the chance to work with Oslo, the former United States Attorney General. Oslo hired Todd as a 1L (breaking with his usual standard of hiring a third year student) to assist him in his private legal matters. Oslo had taken an instant liking to the amiable and clever student. He was the type of young man Oslo felt he could mold into a future senator, or even principal resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Although Todd believed in public service, his ambitions did not include Capital Hill or, for that matter, the White House. Little did Todd know that Oslo had become involved in a case that would shock the world. After being given the notes of a murdered investigative journalist, Oslo discovers a scandal involving billions of Housing and Urban Development dollars directed to fund New York City's Urban Renewal Initiative (URI). URI was the brainchild of popular New York City Mayor, ELVIS TUCKER, who wanted to rebuild the broken inner city. The project not only had the support of the voters, but also the President of the United State, FREDERICK SHEPHARD. Shephard was in the midst of a fierce election battle. Desperately needing New York's electoral votes to secure re-election, he would not hesitate to assist the Mayor in the success of the URI. Oslo and Todd would follow the murders and paper trails to uncover the Mayor's sinister acts and the President's compliance. However, it would be up to Todd to shake the Nation's political foundation to its very core. Todd would be on the telephone speaking to Oslo when the Mayor's men would take the Professor's life. Todd was next on the Mayor’s list. Todd would then set in motion a series of events to avenge his slain professor and bring down the two most powerful men in the Nation.
About the Author
Matt Engelbert lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, twin daughters and son. Matt graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Business school and cum laude from Wayne State University School of Law. An accomplished vocalist, Matt enjoys recording and performing. Uncivil Procedure is his first novel.