Justifiable Means

By V. L. Jones

A Dangerous Dilemma

How far will one man go to protect his family and all he holds dear? Will he go so far as to put the security of his country at risk to save his wife and children? Timothy Tyler is a brilliant university researcher who makes a scientific breakthrough that can help the world if it is properly used. However, his discovery can also have devastating effects if it falls into the wrong hands.

Timothy is plunged into the world of espionage, big money and greed. Can the university professor survive a grueling ordeal in a hostile environment where he is pushed to his limits? Will he falter and stumble under the pressure or will Dr. Timothy Tyler endure and stop a plot that can have international consequences?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493150236

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The eyes of the Board of Counselors are focused on a demonstration. The Board of Counselors is the higher education body that oversees research at all four-year colleges and universities in the state. Over the past seven years, Dr. Timothy Tyler has been doing research on the control of scents in plants. A breakthrough in that research has led up to this moment.

Dr. Tyler’s thoughts are calmly held in check, though he finds himself excited about the prospects of bringing years of tedious research to a point where it is ready for public testing. Earlier, Dr. Tyler was thinking, There is no turning back now. I hope all the i’s have been dotted and all the t’s crossed. Let’s get this show on the road.

Dr. Tyler and his staff have successfully developed groups of plants that give off a smell that imitates the fragrances of other selected plants. His graduate assistant DeWayne Henderson likes to say that certain plants have been designed to imitate the smells of other plants or can be developed not to have a scent at all. This project is actually an off-shoot of work being done to increase protein content and drought tolerance in selected grass plants.

Moments ago, the Board of Counselors had an opportunity to examine Dr. Tyler’s results firsthand. While wearing blindfolds, none of the board members could identify a plant based solely upon its smell. When allowed to smell a leaf from a corn plant, one board member identified it as a jasmine plant because of the new smell that had been placed in the corn plant. The jasmine plant gives off a sweet fragrance that under normal circumstances would be impossible to mistake for the smell of a corn plant.

The acid test will involve three drug-detection dogs with highly sensitive noses and used in federal security programs. The objective is to see if the drug-detection dogs are able to distinguish between the scents of real apples and onions that have been genetically designed to smell like apples. Three cubicles have been set up on the auditorium floor with a table in each one. The dogs and their canine unit handlers are being taken to the cubicles. Randomly placed on trays are a bag of peppermint candy, a bag of apples, an empty bag serving as the control for the demonstration, and a bag containing onions. The onions have had their scents shifted to smell like apples. The scent change was incorporated in the onions when they were very young bulbs. They were then planted and harvested.

The board members sit perched on the edges of their seats in the auditorium. They are eagerly awaiting the outcome of this activity. The demonstration was set up to gain their stamp of approval. Each drug-detection dog is given the smell of a cut apple and then commanded to find the bag containing the apple samples.

One by one, the dogs are taken to a cubicle. At the first cubicle, two dogs pick the real apples, and one picks the onions that have been given the apple smell. The trainers take their dogs to the second cubicle. Again, two of the dogs choose the bags containing the real apples, and one chooses a bag containing the onions.

Lastly, the trainers move on to the third cubicle. This time, one of the dogs chooses the real apples, and one chooses the onions. The third dog appears to be a bit confused at first, but then chooses the bag containing the onions. The Board of Counselors begins to applaud.

Later, when given the scent of an onion and commanded to find the onion sample, none of the highly trained dogs went to the bag containing the onion sample. The board concluded that the trials were highly successful. Dr. Caesar E. Phillips, president of the university, is praised by the board for his strong support of this research program and Dr. Tyler’s efforts.

Dr. Phillips stands proudly as he says, Thank you very much. Be assured that Dr. Tyler and his research group have already made progress in transferring taste as well as smell across plant species.

Sensing that he has the group’s attention, the university president continues, Just think about the future possibilities. Think about what it would do for the sales of spinach or broccoli if little Johnny found that they tasted like a peach or a pear or even as… let’s say, pizza?

The board members all laugh and tell Dr. Phillips about what a great job he is doing as president of the university. President Phillips shakes the hand of each member of the Board of Counselors as he assures them that a majority percentage of the proceeds for any patents from this discovery will remain with the university. The intellectual property matters are already being handled by the university’s legal team.

Dr. Tyler and his laboratory staff are busy collecting and securing the plant samples while members of the board are coming down to the auditorium floor to congratulate him and his research team for their work. William Whiting, a very congratulatory council member, gives Dr. Tyler a thumbs-up and says, Exceptional work, Dr. Tyler… exceptional work.

All the while that the testing was going on, perhaps no one, not even Dr. Tyler, seemed to be more enthused about the prospects of a successful testing than William Whiting. His mind is now racing with the possibilities associated with the program being a success. William Whiting leans toward Timothy and speaks softly into his ear. Wearing a broad smile, he whispers, Don’t be surprised if there is an interest very soon in acquiring some rights to your work by private industry.

Dr. Tyler responds to Mr. Whiting by whispering in his ear, Oh, my work is not for sale. Besides, there are still quite a few little bugs that need to be worked out.

William Whiting is still smiling as he softly rejoins to Dr. Tyler, Sometimes one must strike while the iron is hot. And, my good doctor, I would say that you and your associates have heated the iron up quite nicely.

As Dr. Tyler smiles and begins to step away, Mr. Whiting steps next to him again and says, Do think about what I have said. With that stated, William Whiting now walks over to congratulate Dr. Tyler’s research team.

For some unexplained reason, Council Member Whiting’s sudden personal interest in this research has given Timothy a very uneasy feeling.

CHAPTER 2

Timothy drives home with some of his favorite classic music blasting on his vehicle’s CD stereo. He has been told before that it violates the unwritten rules of listening to classics when they are played too loud, like hard metal rock music. However, when driving alone, he tends to ignore that unwritten rule.

That Bach, what an innovative mind, he says out loud to himself.

Timothy presses the garage door opener attached to his driver’s side sun visor as he pulls into the familiar driveway of fifteen years and parks his SUV just outside of the garage. He seldom gets to park inside the garage since his daughter got her anxiously awaited car a couple of months ago. When he clears away enough space, then he’ll be able to park in the garage again. His wife’s midsize vehicle is already snuggly parked in the third parking space. Right now, he is thinking, I have to get rid of some of this stuff. Donations to some charities are going to be put on my calendar. There is a brief check for messages on his cell phone, and then he gets out of his vehicle. He grabs his laptop bag and, while on his way to the garage door, sees Jacob.

Jacob is a neighbor’s six-year-old son who is wearing a safety helmet that’s too large for his head and trying with a great amount of effort to learn how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. The bicycle is obviously too tall for his six-year-old legs. The boy falls twice before Dr. Tyler can get out of his driveway. Recalling teaching his own children how to ride a bicycle, he knows why helmets are often called crash helmets. Dr. Tyler walks over to Jacob, picks up the boy’s bicycle after his third fall, and tells the youngster to keep on trying.

In a fatherly manner, he says to the discouraged boy who is now sitting on the sidewalk with his arms folded and tears in his eyes, Hey, Jacob! You aren’t giving up, are you?

Not to his surprise, Jacob replies, Mr. Tyler, I’ve tried and tried to ride this stupid bike. And every time I try, I fall. I’m tired of falling—falling stinks.

Searching for some encouraging words of wisdom to share with the tearful youth, Timothy says, It does stink, doesn’t it?

Jacob nods his head to say yes and rubs his bruised knee as he replies, And it hurts too.

Listen, Jacob, you just keep on trying, and you’ll eventually stop falling and start riding like a pro.

With a look of doubt on his face but a gleam in his eyes, the small boy stands next to his bicycle and asks, I bet you never fell when you were learning how to ride, did you?

With a chuckle and a boyish grin, Timothy responds, Oh, but I did fall—many times. He rolls up his left shirtsleeve and shows Jacob an old scar on his elbow that is still slightly noticeable. You see this scar, Jacob? The boy examines the scar with critical eyes. I got this trying to learn how to ride a bicycle on a gravel road.

Jacob replies, Wow! You used to be as bad a rider as me. You used to stink too.

Timothy smiles and says, Yep, I sure did. But I kept on getting back on and trying.

Briefly, Timothy takes a trip in his mind back to one of those days when he was a child trying to learn how to ride his bicycle.

Crash!

Down goes, Timothy! Down goes, Timothy! says his older brother Jimmy.

He goes down hard, but the T-man is back up and on his bike again.

Not caring about who is watching or giving play-by-plays on his efforts, Timothy pushes off from the porch, pedals two times, loses his balance, and goes down again.

Crash!

This time, Timothy scrapes his left elbow, and it begins to bleed. He then says as he looks at his now-bloody elbow, Well, bicycle, you made me bleed. Now it’s personal. Now I have to learn how to ride you, or my nosy brother will tell everybody I’m a quitter.

With that statement of resolve, Timothy gets back on his bicycle and gives riding another try.

Crash!

He falls again. It’s as if he can still hear his broadcaster brother say, There you have it, folks. Yes, he is bloody yet unbowed.

It would be several more falls, more bruises, and seven stitches later before Timothy would master his new bicycle.

Timothy’s daydream ends, and he says to Jacob, Just keep on trying, Jacob. Just keep on trying. That bike has made you bleed. Now it’s personal. Keep on trying.

Jacob gets back on his bicycle and says, If you can do it, then I can do it too.

That’s the spirit. Go for it, Jacob.

Yes, sir, is what Timothy hears as he turns and walks back toward his driveway.

As he enters the garage, Timothy hears another crash. He turns, sees that Jacob is all right, and shouts, Try it again, Jacob!

In response, Jacob shouts back, Yes, sir!

Timothy walks back out, picks up the newspaper in his driveway, and enters his home through the garage entrance.

As he enters, Timothy is still riding high on the tide of good news from the successful research demonstration. It was difficult for Timothy to think of it as just happening earlier in the day. He is thinking that now would be a great time to share the good news with his family.

As he walks into the kitchen, Timothy cries out, Lana! Sierra! Junior! Anybody here?

Timothy walks into the den and sees his wife, Lana, on the phone. Lana got her real estate realtor’s license nearly a year ago, and since then, she has been a ball of energy at her realty company. She is still excited about being back on the job.

Entering the room, Timothy sees Lana on the phone but tries to give her a hug anyway. Lana covers the phone’s transmitter and says, Timothy, not now. I’m trying to close a deal on the Parker Street house. This is big.

Uncovering the phone, Lana says, Yes, Mr. Rhodes. Sure thing. Looking at her watch, she says, Just give me twenty, twenty-five minutes at the most, and I’ll have those papers at the office for you. The abstract? Not to worry. I’ll get on it first thing tomorrow morning.

Timothy tries to kiss his wife, but Lana stuffs a couch pillow in his face. Sure, Mr. Rhodes, that can be done.

As Lana continues to talk, Timothy blows her a kiss. He walks up the stairs and down the hall toward their children’s rooms. He hears his twelve-year-old son Timothy Jr. in his room. Dr. Tyler knocks on the door, but there’s no response. Timothy pushes the door open to find his son totally engrossed in a car-chase video game. Timothy pretends to be talking on a two-way radio as he says, Hi, Junior. Dad to Junior. Dad to Junior. Come in, son.

His son slowly looks up and sheepishly says, Oh, hi, Dad.

Timothy looks at his son and says, When I was a kid, we got engrossed in chess, Connect Four, and other board games. But we were still in touch with reality.

Putting a hand on his son’s shoulder, Timothy asks, Hey, a little later, how about shooting some hoops? Timothy pretends to be shooting a basketball.

While still attached visually to the video game screen, Junior replies, Not today, Dad. Jackson is coming over, and we’re going to go head-to-head on his three-dimensional subterranean mist car-chase game.

Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to keep you from your subway game.

That’s subterranean, Dad.

Right, subterranean.

Timothy closes the door to his son’s room and continues down the hall to his daughter’s room. Sierra is a junior in high school and most of the time seems to have a phone glued to her ear.

Timothy can hear his daughter talking on the phone as he approaches her room. He reaches the door and gently knocks three times.

Come in, Daddy. It’s open, responds the gum-chewing, hair-twirling, Internet-searching teen. Got to go now, she says into her phone. Then she hangs up the phone.

Timothy walks over to Sierra’s computer and asks, Now how’s my little princess?

Sierra smiles and says, Oh, fine. She briefly hugs her father.

Her iPhone rings again, and she answers it before the second ring. You mind, Daddy?

Not at all, says Timothy as he waits awhile.

She didn’t, says Sierra to the person on the other end of the line. No, she didn’t. You mean she really did? That was so not wise.

Timothy quietly walks out of his daughter’s room and closes the door. Sierra suddenly appears at the door and asks, Daddy, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?

Timothy looks at Sierra and says, Well, I kinda miss coming to your room and talking, you know, like we used to do.

Sierra laughs and says, Oh, Daddy, you are such a kidder. Hanging out in your room with your parents is so-so not the thing to do when you’re nearly a senior in high school.

Right, replies Timothy, then maybe we should just put you back into middle school.

Sierra laughs again and says, Daddy, you are such a kidder.

She suddenly remembers the phone in her hand and begins addressing her caller.

Oh, that was just my dad. Like I said, I told her, ‘Oh no, you don’t.’

Sierra steps back into her room and closes the door.

Timothy walks back down the hallway to the den and sees his wife Lana