In the Light of Day

By Bobby A. Troutt

Slightly Bent
Hubert Emmitt was a tall young boy for his age. He stood a lanky six feet and four inches tall. His nickname was Slightly Bent. He loved baseball; it was his life, world and dream. He was the best and the scouts had their eyes on him. He was headed to the top until something happened and changed everything. Sometimes in life dreams don’t always come true.

Sugar Creek
It was spring break. Beverly and Connie were headed to a concert in Hickory Flatts for the weekend. But, their well-planned trip changes when they have to take a detour. When they pick up a hitchhiker, they end up having a bizarre, twisted weekend at Sugar Creek.

Hit and Run
It was a summer day in 1956 in Hollow Rock, Mississippi. Jerome Noles, a twelve-year-old boy was walking home from fishing. He was hit and killed by a driver who never stopped to help him. Would the driver get away with it because of who he was? Would a homeless man who witnessed the hit and run bring down the driver, a kingpin in the county?

The Undertaker
December 9, 1962 in Walnut Creek, Arkansas, a woman’s body is found at the Traveler’s Rest Motel. She is the fourth victim of a rage of murders in Walnut Creek. A serial killer is on the loose. Can Detective Hudson and Detective Durham find and stop the killer before he claims another victim?

The Counselor
Andy and Elaine Wilkerson had been in Sandy Oaks, South Carolina for the past two years. Elaine was from Ten Mile, Georgia. They moved to Sandy Oaks to take care of her mother who was battling breast cancer. But, little did she know by moving back her life would change dramatically.

The Black Book
The year was 1951 in the small town of Long Creek, Kentucky. A serial killer was on the rampage. There had been two murders already and another body had been found. As the story unravels, the detectives begin to close in on the killer. Will a black book that was found hold the key to the bizarre murders and lead to a twisted ending?

In the Bite of Winter
When Police Chief Johnny Sloan arrives home, he finds his wife has been murdered. As the investigation goes on, Chief Sloan believes her boyfriend, Tommy Lee Lambert, killed her. With rumors spreading quickly around town and the political involvement, the case isn’t as it seems.

Sunset Motel
It was 1973 in Willow Brook, Mississippi at the Sunset Motel when Diane Riddle went in to rent a room. The clerk, Jimmy, noticed nervous she was because she kept looking out the window like someone was following her. When morning came, he called her room because she had requested a wakeup call. She didn’t answer so he went to her room to make sure she was okay. But, she was gone. The room had been ransacked.

Jones Street
Betty Jean lived in Spring Creek with her husband, Donald; they lived on Jones Street. Little did she know, after the death of her husband, her life would change forever. Jones Street holds a secret that will haunt her and drive her almost over the edge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bobby A. Troutt
• Release date: Aug 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370151493

Bobby A. Troutt

I am southern writer who enjoys writing about the southern living I grew up in. I am divorced and work at a nearby college. I live about fifty miles north of Nashville, Tennessee in the town of Gallatin. I enjoy sharing my stories with the readers, which I hope find the stories appealing. I write mysteries, crime thrillers, and suspense. My books touch on various subjects dealing with today’s society of the yester years. I write short story collections with the hope of sharing a variety of my stories for the reader’s enjoyment. I want to be an effective writer with positive stories that bring the reader down to a good old country story with a lot to say.

Book preview

In the Light of Day

Bobby A. Troutt

Copyright 2016 by Bobby A. Troutt

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Slightly Bent

Sugar Creek

Hit and Run

The Undertaker

The Counselor

The Black Book

In the Bite of Winter

Sunset Motel

Jones Street

*****

In the Light of Day

Slightly Bent

In the hollows and hills of Hickman County in Middle Tennessee was the small, quiet community of Walnut Creek nestled between the Cumberland Plateau and the Cumberland River. Walnut Creek was home to a young boy named Hubert Emmitt; he lived on Broken Fence Road. Hubert was tall for his age at a slinky six feet four inches. His hair was dark and wavy; it flowed like a flag on a windy day. When he walked, he tilted from side to side in harmony with his steps. Hubert’s hands dangled down to the pockets of the overalls he always wore. He was a gentle giant and had a humble childlike manner. About the only thing that excited him was his love of playing baseball. Everyone around Walnut Creek called him Slightly Bent. His classmates at school were first to tease him because he was born with a hump on his back. It was right between his shoulders which caused him to lean forward. In other words, slightly bent. But, he was a goodhearted soul and never paid any attention to what others said. Hubert was a happy-go-lucky boy with the dream of playing professional baseball when he grew up.

His neighbors on Broken Fence Road were poor. They were farmers who raised milk cows, vegetable gardens, tobacco and corn. They sold eggs and fresh vegetables to nearby markets. In the winter, they killed hogs and sold country smoked ham, fresh tenderloin, shoulder meat, homemade sausage and sliced bacon; people came from neighboring counties to buy the quality meats. Walnut Creek was no more than a stop and a turn in the road but it was Hubert’s home.

Hubert lived in a three-room shack. It was constructed of grayish boards, a tin roof and windows with no screens. Cardboard covered walls, a pot-bellied stove and a single bed decorated the inside. In the winter, Hubert would cover up with old coats at night to protect him from the snow that fell through the holes in the roof. He had to draw his water from a well. In the summer, he put jugs of milk and other items in the spring to keep them cool. He and his sister, Rebecca, lived with their grandmother after they lost their parents in a freak accident. They didn’t have much but they had each other.

Hubert loved the outdoors, even in the winter. Hubert along with his sister and some friends would take an old car hood and use it as a sled to slide down the snow covered hills. They would also make snowmen, throw snowballs and ice skate on the pond. Once, when they were skating on the pond, Rebecca, everyone called her Becky, skated on some thin ice and fell into the pond. Hubert and the others ran to the bank of the pond. He found a tree limb nearby and held it out to her a she struggled to stay afloat.

Hold on Becky, hold on! he shouted as he pulled her out of the pond.

Just as he was pulling her out, Big Jim came by with a wagon load of wood. He had been cutting timber when he heard the commotion at the pond. Quickly, he jumped from the wagon and ran over to help them. He wrapped his dry coat around Becky, placed her in his wagon and left hurriedly to get her some help. It was so cold that day the icy wind froze the moisture in their nostrils as they breathed. If Big Jim hadn’t taken Becky down to a neighbor’s house in his wagon she probably wouldn’t have survived.

Not all winters were that bad. Most of the time Hubert rode his mule, Mr. Gibbs, everywhere he went and always hung a grass sack off to one side to collect the squirrels and rabbits he hunted; he loved to hunt squirrels and rabbits. However, the majority of his time was spent with his best friend and running partner, an old grayish black and blue-ticked hound name Smoke. When he finished hunting for the day, he would go home and enjoy fried rabbit, gravy and biscuits or squirrel and dumplings, whichever his grandmother would fix, with a cold glass of fresh cow’s milk and churned butter.

Although he stayed to himself most of the time, Hubert also enjoyed spending time with friends. He spent time collecting baseball cards and newspaper clippings of his favorite sport in the world, baseball; he loved the sport! He constantly dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. With his knack for the sport, he was sure there was no limit to how far he could go with the right coaching! In the bottom pasture, Hubert spent time pitching up stones to see how far he could hit them with a big stick. The bottom pasture became his baseball stadium in the summer. Hubert and his friends would team up and play ball. Summers were too short for the kids. But, no matter how short the season, Hubert never lost his love for the game or his talent. He was good at baseball and he knew it.

At seventeen, Hubert started to walk with a slight shuffle but it didn’t keep him from wanting to follow his dream of playing baseball. He was still full of spunk and life. He was going to be ready when the opportunity came knocking in Walnut Creek. His chance at living his dream was closer to coming true when Mr. Fields Pedigo came to town to start a summer baseball league; everyone along with Hubert was so excited. Children from Walnut Creek and beyond came to Hubert’s pasture that summer to tryout. The old cow pasture was alive with kids. Mr. Fields and the other coaches had them to lineup to hit so he could see how they swung the bat, how they threw the ball and how well they could catch the ball. Hubert could throw, hit and catch because he was a natural. When he fielded the ball, he was precise. Mr. Pedigo watched him closely. He knew there was something special about the slightly bent young man because he had an eye for raw talent. With a little polishing, Hubert would be a real ballplayer. Mr. Pedigo watched Hubert as he batted at the plate. His eyes were focused and serious and his stance was firm and solid. He noticed that Hubert bent over the plate where he could hit the ball with the bat and drive it hard across the field for a homerun.

Hey, Hubert! yelled Mr. Pedigo loud enough for Hubert and just about everyone else to hear.

Quickly, Hubert turned and saw Mr. Pedigo motioning for him to come over to see him.

You’re a pretty snazzy ballplayer, he said as he took off his cap and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

Well, I’m not too bad a player, Hubert answered.

Not too bad, Mr. Pedigo replied. I think you have potential, son. Have you ever played ball on a summer league team before?

No, sir, he told him as he wiped at the sweet running down his face.

Mr. Pedigo reached over, patted him on the back and said, You keep up the good work and have fun. I’ve got a feeling there will be some important people watching you this summer.

After the tryouts, the boys were divided in to teams. There was Bon Air, Sideview, Mitchville, Providence, Pondville and Mr. Pedigo’s team, Walnut Creek. Bon Air was scheduled to play Pondville on Friday followed by Mitchville and Walnut Creek on Saturday. Slightly Bent was on his way to living his dream. No one remembered the Bon Air and Pondville game but everyone knew that Walnut Creek beat Mitchville because Hubert had three RBI’s and hit two homeruns!

It’s going to be a good season, predicted one of the scouts.

A very interesting season, replied another.

Game after game, the crowd cheered for Slightly Bent. Hit after hit and run after run, he drove the team up the ladder to first place. The game against Providence was a no-hitter. They beat Bon Air 8-3 and Pondville 10-3.

Where did you ever run across a player like that? a scout asked Mr. Pedigo.

Who, Hubert? He’s been here all his life, replied Mr. Pedigo. He’s a good, solid boy who loves the game!

As the summer slowly passed, Slightly Bent became well-known across the country. People drove for miles to watch him play. The people cheered as Hubert drove home his teammates with hit after hit. With Hubert playing some of the best baseball Mr. Pedigo had seen in quite some time, he asked a coach from a nearby college to come take a look at him. Hubert’s eyes sparkled like crystals and his laughter was that of a songbird in spring when Mr. Pedigo told him the coach would be coming to see him. Hubert could not be happier.

The summer heat was almost unbearable and there was not enough rain to wet the parched, dry ground. The baseball field in the old cow pasture had basically became dust. However, there was only one game left and that was the championship game between Walnut Creek and Bon Air. It was what Slightly Bent had dreamed about all his young life. He would be playing in the championship game and he was somebody; he wasn’t just a poor kid from Broken Fence Road. He had found his place in the world and he wanted to win this one championship about as much as he wanted to play professional baseball.

The big day finally came for the championship game. People came and brought chairs, picnic baskets, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice-cold lemonade and garden-fresh watermelons. The newly-built bleachers along the baselines were filled with fans. At last, they heard the two words they were waiting to hear.

Play ball! yelled the announcer.

Slightly Bent, Slightly Bent, Slightly Bent, they all chanted.

I’d like to welcome everyone here today to see the championship game between two of the best teams I have seen in many years, the announcer stated. I will have to say, Slightly Bent, one of the most favored players here, today, will show us how it’s done!

The crowd cheered for five minutes before the announcer and coaches were able to get control of the situation.

"We have been fortunate to see him play in other games this season and he is a remarkable talent. I know the