The Nightwatcher: Episode One

By Scott Shoemaker

A hot shot reporter looking for the big story…
A candidate for mayor, desperate to look tough on crime…
A veteran cop who considers himself king of the urban jungle…
A downtrodden newsstand owner harassed by gangs…
Each of them has their life changed forever by the vigilante known as The Nightwatcher. For some, he will be a savior, changing their lives for the better. For others, he will be a burden that turns their lives into a nightmare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scott Shoemaker
• Release date: Jan 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301813490

Scott Shoemaker

Scott Shoemaker lives in Minnesota.

Book preview

The Nightwatcher

Episode One

by Scott Shoemaker

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 Scott Shoemaker

Table of Contents

1

2

3

4

5

1

Sitting in the middle of the Pledger District, the Jukebox Joint was a grim reminder of Lake City’s vibrant past. Sinatra, Calloway, and Horne had all played there in the first half of the Twentieth Century when it was the city’s premier music – and social – destination. Gangsters mingled with chorus girls while the bluest of Lake City’s blue bloods perched in the balcony, looking down on everyone below.

But that was decades ago. The quality of entertainment had slowly worked its way down the alphabet from A-list to D-list, and not even a brief revival as a club for clothespinned punks could return the Jukebox Joint to its former glory.

The club eventually settled into its present state, providing an intimate setting with good music for those willing to search for it. One night still brought in the crowds, though. Open Mike Night always held the promise that someone would get on that stage and return the Jukebox to its halcyon days, if only for a song.

A thin blonde woman who looked like she belonged behind the counter of a coffee shop belted out the final notes of her song in front of a dusty red curtain.

Believe me, believe meeeeeeeee!

The audience, packed behind the same tables that Sinatra had sung to, applauded as the young woman curtsied. The clapping began to wane, and she skipped off the stage, replaced by the Emcee, a short man with a pompadour and a bright red suit right out of the 1980’s.

Let’s give it up for Miss Lisa Darnell! he said a little too close to the microphone.

One more wave of applause carried the blonde backstage as the Emcee reset the mike for the next performer.

Amazing, huh? You never know what kind of talent you’re going to find at the Jukebox. He pulled out a 3x5 card and squinted at it in the spotlight. Let’s keep it going now! Our next singer is from right here in Lake City. By day he works in an office and wishes for a life of song, but tonight he’s living the dream! Let’s give a big Jukebox Joint welcome to Billy Rollings!

The audience clapped politely as the Emcee traded center stage with Billy Rollings. Wearing a suit two sizes too big, Billy was a mess of a man who could make slicked back hair seem unkempt.

The two men shook hands as they passed, and when Billy turned to the audience, an inescapable truth dawned on him.

Everyone. Was. Watching. Him.

Every muscle in Billy’s body locked. Reaching the microphone, only inches away, seemed as likely as playing for the Lake City Muskies.

But this was what he had come here for, to be a star. If he wanted to achieve his dream, he had to push through this.

Billy nodded to the piano player in the wings. The opening notes of his song drifted out into the club as Billy swallowed hard and squinted at the spotlight’s glare.

"Somewhere over the horizon,

Way out there,

There's a place that I’ve dreamed of,

Once as a little baby,

Somewhere over the horizon,

The sun still shines,

And the wishes that you dare to whisper,

Come to life…"

For the first few lines, the audience was rooting for Billy. They grinned and hoped he would be as good as or better than the last singer. But then his pitch went wobbly. And the notes began to crack. Billy poured his heart into the performance, but by the time he sang, And the wishes that you dare to whisper, titters of laughter popped throughout the crowd.

"Some day I'll make a wish and count to three,

And wake up where the rainbow ends,

Where worries fly away like tweeting birds,

Uttering nary a word,

That's where I want to be."

The time for sympathy was over. The audience wanted Billy off the stage. Now. He was wasting their time and embarrassing himself. Billy could hear the booing as clearly as he could feel the sweat waterfalling down his forehead. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for one person, one single