...And Justice for All

By Carl Schuler

Destiny by design? Could it all be that simple? Planned? Predestined? If free will reigns supreme in all manner, then what avenues, in reality, are open to challenge or choice? Jumping from the comfortable confines of a perfectly good airplane into the black abyss of night to land in a humid tropical jungle for the express purpose to sanction another person''s life might leave some mouths dry and throats tight, but, for army Ranger Sniper Sergeant James Barringer, such adventure was simply following orders. That the twenty-eight year old was good at what he did was an understatement; the soldier excelled at living, always had, and that quality made him stand tall in any and all endeavors he challenged. Natural questions bombarded the sniper as he made his way through torturous jungle heat and myriad obstacles to reach his objective within a set time limit and then complete his assigned mission, finally affecting escape and evacuation. His path had been long and wrought with self-doubt; that he had arrived, at all, came more a surprise to his own awareness than to any of his superiors. A man does what he must and talent will tell. Such pronounced, or, even acknowledged, descriptive accolades proved foreign to the mind of an innately humble personage; his subconscious understanding of his abilities to adapt, improvise and successfully overcome any, and all, negative circumstances set the man apart from most others. Barringer was, simply, the best of the best. What the soldier knew of such heroism, which is exactly what others surmised in his intent, was negligable to his main ambition---Survival! Even on this focused conclusion, the soldier did not dwell; his duty was: Complete the mission! And, by simple logic, that expressly demanded that he survive. All of this was second nature to the man; he had been born to such design. Not something that Barringer spent any time thinking about in any conscious manner, he, never the less, had occasion while on stand-by aboard an aircraft carrier to give his present plight some consideration; the very idea brought to the surface of consciousness by a beautiful woman whose life he had saved by accomplishing his most recent mission. Regression to one''s past can be, and, often, is, a pleasant experience; seems the mind recalls the good times. But, to decipher the who, the what, and, sometimes, that troubling nemesis, the why, brings reliving unpleasantness to necessary relevance. The remembrance focused on an angel in human form in the guise of "first love" and for twelve-year old Jimmy Barringer, his true and only love. Both were headstrong; that anomaly, in itself, fostered disaster. Storms of love tended toward ferocious; young love tempted hellfire! He loved Angela and she reciprocated, but, her flirtations and final betrayal sealed the fate:His and her own. When, in angered temper, she told him to never speak to her again, he decided to make her regret those terrible words. That directive by his love caused Jim Barringer to enlist in the army on the very day of their high school graduation. He desperately wanted to relent, to reunite, to forgive; Jim wanted to marry her, idespite everything, to take her away, to live happily ever after. Ugly pride precluded his intent; fate lunged forward and stabbed his world, bursting the dream. Angela''s sudden "accidental" death brought the young man home from duty to attend her funeral. Ther,e he met Angela''s college friend and the two young men found themselves immersed in mystery, murder, suspense and intrigue as they combined resources to challenge the L.A. societal morass, hot desert winds at Palm Springs and high-powered elite politicos in an effort to solve the enigma of Angel''s senseless demise. Any authority capable of unearthing the truth of the matter, chose to remain quietly unobtrusive to the status quo. Such outrage proved diametrically opposed to Barringer''s sense of righteousness. Perseverence led him to: Truth! ...And Justice for All!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1521225923
• ISBN13: 9781521225929
• Release Date: May 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 369 Pages
• Weight: 1.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.8" x 6.7"