The Grasshopper’S Shadow

By Mary Johnson

This is the story of a man who, because of a tragic experience in his youth, becomes a borderline vigilante. He seeks to obtain justice for anyone who is bullied, stalked, or abused. The offenses usually cannot be proven using normal methods. In these instances, he aids the authorities by obtaining information not readily available to them. His goal is to help people he has chosen through online visits.

Mark Percy had been a soldier in the United States Army. He had been trained in the art of combat. As a member of the Special Forces, he had a license to kill. However, Mark was not a murderer. He was just an ordinary man with a desire to protect and serve, especially those who were at the mercy of a devious opponent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524525965

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Mary Johnson.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016911286

ISBN:      Hardcover   978-1-5245-2469-2

                Softcover      978-1-5245-2468-5

                eBook            978-1-5245-2596-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/15/2016

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CONTENTS

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

PRELUDE

This is the story of a man who because of a tragic experience in his youth becomes a borderline vigilante. He seeks to obtain justice for anyone who is bullied, stalked or abused. The offenses usually cannot be proven using normal methods. In these instances, he aids the authorities by obtaining information not readily available to them. His goal is to help people he has chosen through on-line visits.

Mark Percy had been a soldier in the United States Army. He had been trained in the art of combat. As a member of Special Forces, he had a license to kill. However Mark was not a murderer. He was just an ordinary man with a desire to protect and serve especially those who were at the mercy of a devious opponent.

After his return from active duty, Mark took a job as a volunteer at a Crisis Center causing him to encounter and help all sorts of people. In order to successfully accomplish his goals, Mark must remain somewhat anonymous to those he helps. This fact becomes both a help and a hindrance.

While helping an abused woman Mark falls in love with her. Of course, Mark uses his skills to help her. During his private investigation, he discovers a plot by her abusive husband to kill her and collect monies from an insurance policy.

The story is fiction but touches on many present day issues involving stalking.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to the real people who shared their feelings and experiences with me. It is my desire to let anyone suffering from abuse know that there is help available. The first step is to let someone know. Someone you can trust. Writing is a means by which we can communicate thoughts, ideas, experiences and hope. It’s like the internet. Although this work is fiction it brings into view reasons for some present day problems and ideas for cure.

Mary Johnson

CHAPTER I

T he dry, July morning breeze had to be tolerated, but not welcomed by the already parched land. It had not rained in days. The air was really hot. It was an egg frying on the sidewalk kind of hot. The kind of heat that brought people living in low income apartment buildings out of their dwellings and onto the streets and sidewalks in an effort to find relief. Early morning heat made folks especially irritable. It seemed as though some would rather bite someone’s head off than say, Good morning.

On the crowded sidewalks of a busy Manhattan main street, some pedestrians purposely bumped into each other. These streets were excellent haunts for those who liked to shop in the pockets of others. A few cars hosted irritated drivers, who impatiently honked their horns and pounded their fists against their steering wheels in apparent frustration. The reaction was caused by a fellow driver who would not move faster, or simply get out of the way.

On a side street, an irritated cab driver pulled speedily to the curb. He got out of his cab…the motor still running… rushed to his passenger’s door and jerked it open. He snatched the passenger’s bags out of the cab and roughly deposited them on the curb. The cab driver began yelling at the scared passenger in a heavily accented voice, Hey Mon, get out! Say something else! I will kill you! The poor passenger retrieved his bags and headed for the main street to hail another cab. The first one recklessly sped away almost running down an elderly lady who was only trying to cross the street. Scenes like that were normal for the time of day, the location, and the unbearable heat.

Back on a main street, voices could be heard yelling for taxi service. Diesel engine busses made their roaring sounds as they went from stop to stop. Some courier bikers, rushing to make deliveries and avoid traffic lights, dipped in and out of the crowds while they skillfully avoided running down pedestrians on the sidewalks.

A few business men could be seen in shirt sleeves with a folded suit jacket draped over an arm. Expressions of frustration played with their features. They wiped sweat from their brows with handkerchiefs while heading from the subway to an office building.

New York was considered a melting pot for people of different countries, races, and ethnic backgrounds. During this season, some days the word melting might almost be taken literally.

Walking some streets of Manhattan was considered hazardous, but so was driving a car during morning hours when New Yorkers were trying to get to work. The subway was no better. Millions of people used this form of transportation, daily.

Mark Percy walked through these streets every day unperturbed by his surroundings or the heat. He had endured worse. Often he had laid sniper-style, in the sands of a foreign land dressed in full battle gear with the air around him registering well over ninety degrees.

Mark was a man of slim, but muscular build. Standing just under six feet in height and weighing just over 175 lbs. His hair was dark and cut close to his scalp. He was just a guy among these millions of people. A guy that others saw, but paid little attention to. He dressed casually and was usually clean shaven. He was average looking—not particularly attractive. He seemed to be shy and somewhat unassuming. This was merely an adopted facade.

In spite of his outward appearance, Mark Percy had been, and could be a dangerous man. He was a man of purpose. He planned his work and worked his plan. Because he was skilled in covert activities and quite sure of himself, he was not intimidated by his surroundings. If physically challenged, he was very capable of defending himself. His size and his ability to blend with a crowd was an asset to him. Years ago, he had been trained by the army in the Special Forces Division. He was now a little over forty, still in good physical shape, and a retired veteran.

While in the service, the men in his unit had given him the nickname, "The Grasshopper." They said that Mark had an innate and uncanny ability to blend into the scenery and remain unnoticed (hidden in plain sight) until he leaped. By then, it was too late to escape his grasp. When engaged in combat, he overcame and killed many enemies using this skill. His size and agility helped him to out maneuver an opponent and his patience and stamina assured him victory. He had also been an excellent Point Man.

In spite of his