Act Normal Read online

  CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR

  ACT NORMAL

  (5 stars)

  ". . . This is a fascinating science fiction legal thriller in which the government trades children for advanced technologies. The story is told throughout the book in between believable legal strategy amidst the three cases. The CIA and the American government come across as avaricious turncoats as they manipulate people for personal gain. William Manchee goes into incredible depth with the trials and the missing alien and his half-breed children so that the audience is immersed in a legal procedural in a world somewhat similar to ours, but with a radical ET difference. Act Normal will appeal to science fiction and mystery fans obviously especially those who appreciate the joining of the two genres. Harriet Klausner, # 1 Amazon Reviewer and one of the world's most prolific and influential book reviewers, Time Magazine.

  (5 stars)

  "Author Manchee's writing just continues to get better and better. . . . Act Normal is a highly developed original. Hard hitting fast paced dialogue is filled with compelling nuances and serves to propel the narrative forward in plausible manner. The narrative moves smoothly from Stan to Paula as they delve into personal situations, interactions with clients, CIA operatives and Tarizon agents. Writer Manchee has managed another great environment filled with forceful characters, dilemma and gaffes." . . . As always Manchee has a story to share, and he does so in the fast paced, action packed thriller we have come to expect. There are plenty of twists and turns to please and perhaps hoodwink even the most. perceptive reader. Watch those red herrings! don't be caught napping.

  Act Normal is a good choice for the personal pleasure reading library as well as the high school library shelf. Minimal profanity and modest reference to sexual intrigue makes this a good choice for the mature teen as well as adult mystery readers. Molly Martin, Midwest Book Review

  * * *

  THE STAN TURNER MYSTERIES

  by William Manchee

  Undaunted (1997)

  Brash Endeavor (1998)

  Second Chair (2000)

  Cash Call (2002)

  Deadly Distractions (2004)

  Black Monday (2005)

  Cactus Island (2006)

  "...appealing characters and lively dialogue, especially in the courtroom . . . " (Publisher's Weekly)

  "...plenty of action and adventure . . . " (Library Journal)

  "...each plot line, in and of itself, can be riveting . . . " (Foreword Magazine)

  "...a courtroom climax that would make the venerable Perry Mason stand and applaud . . ." (Crescent Blue)

  "...Richly textured with wonderful atmosphere, the novel shows Manchee as a smooth, polished master of the mystery form . . . " (The Book Reader)

  "...Manchee' s stories are suspenseful and most involve lawyers. And he's as proficient as Grisham . . . (Dallas Observer)

  "...fabulous-a real page turner-I didn't want it to end!" (Allison Robson, CBS Affiliate, KLBK TV, Ch 13)

  * * *

  Act Normal

  * * *

  To my delightful daughter-in-law,

  Melissa Manchee.

  We are blessed to have you as part of the family.

  * * *

  Act Normal

  A Stan Turner Mystery

  Book 8

  by

  William Manchee

  Top Publications, Ltd. Dallas, Texas

  * * *

  Act Normal

  8 COPYRIGHT

  William Manchee

  2007

  Cover Design by William Manchee

  Top Publications, Ltd.

  3100 Independence Parkway, Suite 311-349

  Plano, Texas 75075

  ISBN #1-929976-40-2

  Library of Congress #2007922321

  No part of this book may be published or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or information storage and retrieval systems without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This work is a novel and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  Chapter 1

  First Assignment

  August 1992

  The long anticipated first assignment came in August, 1992. I was sitting in my law office thinking back to the day I was recruited by the CIA. "Just act normal," Mo, my CIA contact, had told me. The only problem was there was nothing normal in my life anymore, not since my son Peter had been abducted by aliens from a planet called Tarizon. The abductors were human beings who traveled in huge spaceships the size of a football field. They traveled with their slaves, an amphibious life form that, I was told, could swim as fast as a dolphin and run as fast as a gazelle. These human aliens and their slaves had been living amongst us for decades--- right under our noses and we hadn't realized it.

  None of this was common knowledge, obviously. Only a handful of people knew about the Tarizonian Repopulation Project. Had the press got wind of it the American people would have been outraged. It was strictly off the radar and a great effort was made to keep it that way. When Peter supposedly died everyone believed he had drowned in a flash flood near Possum Kingdom Lake in central Texas, but the truth was he'd been taken hostage to make sure I did what the CIA and the aliens wanted.

  It had been over a year since Peter's disappearance. They hadn't found the body, of course, since there wasn't one. I thought of going public with the whole sinister affair, but I couldn't prove anything, not really. The aliens had destroyed all the evidence and taken most of the witnesses back to Tarizon. The few witnesses who remained were not credible. Nobody had believed them in the past, nor would they believe me now, if I tried to expose them.

  Even my partner, Paula Waters, didn't know that the aliens had taken Peter. She'd seen enough during Cheryl Windsor's murder trial to understand that there were aliens amongst us, but she'd chosen not to know any more. When Peter disappeared she didn't seem to make the connection. She apparently bought the flash flood story that Mo, my CIA contact, had conjured up to explain Peter's disappearance.

  I thought about Jodie, our legal assistant. We hadn't talked about the aliens since the trial. She also knew the aliens existed as she had possessed one of their weapons for a brief period--a memory gun that could steal time from those within its range. I hadn't brought it up to her because I knew the aliens were monitoring my every word. If they found out that Jodie knew anything about their existence or their mission here on Earth, they'd abduct her as well and then there would be three that were gone because of me--Peter, Dr. Gerhardt, and Jodie--because I couldn't leave it alone. I just had to know the truth.

  Since the day Mo revealed to me that Peter had been taken, depression came over me like a swarm of angry bees. It wasn't just the sadness and hopelessness you'd expect over the loss of a child, but fear and dread of the future. If I strayed the least bit from the narrow course set by the CIA and our so-called guests from Tarizon, what would be the consequence? Would another of my children suddenly disappear? Would they take my wife or would I wake up one day in a mental hospital unable to remember my name?

  It was difficult to get up each morning and face such a bleak existence, but I still had Rebekah and our three other children to protect. Of course, I owed something to Paula too, as her law partner. She'd been supportive and patient these last few months, but I needed to start pulling my weight again in the partnership. Somehow I had to get myself together and get back to work.

  I looked down at the living trust I was working on for a software engineer and his wife. He'd been one of the founders of a successful computer manufacturing company and wanted to be sure his growing estate was properly protected. I was having trouble concentrating on the task and was relieved when the telephone rang
. It was a long time client and friend, Ben Stover.

  "Stan. I'm so glad I caught you."

  "Hey. Ben. How's it going?"

  "Not so good, I'm afraid. I need you to come down here right away."

  Ben lived in Waco, about a ninety minute drive from Dallas. He operated a small manufacturing business and had been quite successful. I didn't usually go to my clients' offices, particularly if they were out of town. It was much more economical for them to come to me.

  "We can't talk about it by telephone?" I asked.

  "No. It's too complicated and we've got some tough decisions that must be made immediately."

  "Why don't you and Alice come up here? It'll be expensive for me to come down to your place."

  "We can't be away from the business that long. don't worry about the money. We'll pay for every minute of your time."

  "I'm not worried about getting paid. I was just trying to save you some money."

  "Just come down, Stan. We've got a bad situation here."

  I sighed. "Okay, but I need to know at least a little bit about your problem, so I can be thinking about it while I'm driving down."

  "Oh God. I don't know where to start," Ben said dejectedly.

  "Are you and Alice okay? It's not a medical problem, is it?"

  "Not yet, but you know I have a bad heart. This isn't helping matters."

  "Okay, just tell me a little about it."

  "It's Ralph Herman, our bookkeeper. . . . I just can't believe he'd do something like this. He's been part of the family since he came to work for us nine years ago."

  "Ralph Herman," I repeated. "I don't think I've met him."

  "He married Peggy, Alice's daughter by her first marriage. They're divorced now, but Ralph has always been a good employee."

  "So, what did he do?"

  "He's been embezzling money for a long time and concealing it pretty well."

  "Oh, jeez," I moaned.

  This was a common problem for small business owners. The owner usually knew how to sell his product well enough but not necessarily how to run a business. He'd have to delegate bookkeeping, collections, and office management to others and trust them to be honest. Many times they weren't and this led to problems, usually serious ones.

  "Yes, damn it! I can't believe it."

  "How much?"

  "God, I don't know; a lot. It'll take weeks to try to figure it out. We may never know the full extent of it."

  I sighed. "How did he do it?"

  "I don't know. I haven't been paying that much attention to the books. I can't do everything. I trusted him! Damn it!"

  "Have you gone to the police yet? I asked.

  "No. That's why I'm calling you. I' m not sure if I should."

  "Okay, I'll clear my schedule tomorrow afternoon and drive on down. I can be there by one-thirty, okay?"

  "Yeah. I'll be here--up to my elbows in shit."

  I laughed. "Okay, just hang in there. We'll figure this out."

  As I'd been talking to Ben, a wave of relief came over me. I wasn't sure why, but having a serious case to work on filled me with energy. Maybe it was an adrenalin rush, I didn't know, but my mind seemed clear and focused for the first time in weeks. There was a client in trouble and I was eager to dig into the shit, as Ben put it, and do whatever was needed to make things right.

  Maria, my secretary, walked in and I smiled at her. Her face lit up when she saw me. "Well, you're in a better mood, I see."

  I shrugged. "Yeah, Ben Stover just called. He needs my help. You'll need to clear my calendar tomorrow afternoon. I've got to go see him."

  "Sure, I'll take care of it."

  She made no effort to leave but gazed out the window over North Dallas. Then I remembered she'd come in about something. "So," I said, "did you need something?"

  She blinked and then smiled. "Oh, sorry. Ah. . . yes; Mo is on the phone."

  My skin suddenly turned cold. The energy I'd felt drained out of me and was replaced with a feeling of great dread. Maria gave me a sympathetic look and then left. She didn't know much about Mo. He had come into my life long before she became my secretary, but she seemed to sense my fear of him. It hadn't always been that way. At first it was exciting---exciting to be involved with the CIA even if only on the fringe of their activities. But as time went on, one thing led to another and soon I was deep into their operations. It had almost cost me my life at one point, but all that was nothing in comparison to what faced me now.

  "Mo. What's going on?" I said, trying to act normal as he had instructed me to do.

  "How you holding up?" he asked sounding genuinely concerned.

  Mo, himself, was a decent person. At least, I had thought so over the years. He had helped me many times with difficult cases and had asked little in return. He even saved my life on one occasion when an assassin was on my trail. I never suspected his generosity was calculated for a specific end. I guess I had been incredibly naive. But, I knew it was the CIA and the bureaucrats who were calling the shots, not Mo. He had tried to protect me as best he could, but I had let myself get recruited. It could have been avoided if I'd just said no thanks in the beginning.

  "Better," I said.

  "How about your wife?" he asked.

  Rebekah. That was another story. She'd never be better. She had been more or less a zombie since the funeral. Luckily her mother lived nearby and had been able to stay with her and the children. I dreaded going home at night. There were no smiles, no small talk, just silence. Rebekah hadn't said it, but I knew she blamed me for Peter's death; and well she should. It was my fault. There was no doubt about that.

  "The same," I said.

  "Hmm. Sorry."

  "So, what do you want?" I said bitterly.

  Mo sighed. "We have a situation and we need your help."

  "I'm listening, " I said, pressing the phone hard against my ear. I had been waiting for this call---wondering why the aliens would need someone like me on their payroll.

  "We can't talk about it over the phone. I'm around back at the service entrance to your building in a blue BMW. Come on down."

  "But---"I started to protest, then realized there was no point. "Okay, I'm coming down."

  I looked at my briefcase wondering if I'd need it, then decided I better take it. There may be some paperwork involved in the assignment or I might need to take notes. After stepping out of the elevator I turned right, took the back corridor through the mail room and passed the service elevator. As I exited out onto the loading dock, I saw the blue BMW, walked toward it, and got in.

  Mo took off with a jerk and turned left toward LBJ freeway.

  "Where are we going?" I asked.

  "To meet Kulchz," he replied evenly.

  My skin turned cold again thinking of the alien commander who was in charge of the abduction of thousands of American children. What kind of a man was he? Was he really human? The aliens looked like us. Mo had said they were human, but how could that be?

  "Can I ask questions, or do I have to just do as I'm told?" I asked.

  Mo smiled. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

  A You said the aliens were human. How can that be?"

  "I don't know. I've been told that Earth and Tarizon are sister colonies having been settled about the same time. Apparently we have common ancestors."

  "Common ancestors?"

  "Yes, apparently millions of years ago there was a planet out there somewhere inhabited by humans. As technology advanced and life expectancy increased, the planet got overcrowded and couldn't sustain the population. Because of this, settlers started journeying out into space searching for alternative places to live. One of those groups of settlers found Tarizon and another, Earth."

  I sat back and closed my eyes trying to fathom all of this. It was just too bizarre and impossible to believe. Yet I'd seen their spaceship, the memory gun, the frogmen, and they'd taken my son. How much proof did I need? "What about the frogmen? I asked. "Tell me about them."

  "They call
them Seafolken," Mo said. "They're slaves who man the ships and do all the hard labor."

  "I thought this society was advanced. How come they still have slavery?"

  "I don't know. All I know is the Seafolken are strong, fast, and have psychic powers you wouldn't believe. You don't want to mess with them."

  "If they are so fearsome, how do the humans keep them in line?"

  Mo shrugged. "Hell, I don't know. You can ask Kulchz. Maybe he'll enlighten you."

  We were on I30 now heading east. When we got to the Lake Tawakoni exit, Mo got onto the state highway and headed south.

  "Why are we going to Lake Tawakoni?" I asked.

  "That's where the aliens moved their headquarters after you screwed up their base of operations at Possum Kingdom Lake. They have to land near a lake so the Seafolken can feed."

  I nodded. A few miles down the road, Mo took a right onto a county road that took us deep into a wooded area. He made several more turns and each time the road got narrower and was less maintained. Soon we were on a dirt road deep in the middle of nowhere. Finally, he stopped at a gate. He got out and unlocked it.

  In the distance I could see the lake. Mo got in and drove us through the gate and then stopped to lock it behind us. Nobody would find the aliens out here, I thought. I doubted I could even find my way back to Dallas, if something happened to Mo. We drove another ten minutes and finally stopped by an old, dilapidated oil storage tank. As I got out of the car, I noticed a door had been cut into the side of the tank. Mo led us through it.

  The dank interior was only illuminated by a single blue light above the door. I stopped to let my eyes adjust and asked, "Where are we going?"