Who Turned the Lights Off?

By Jessie L. Jones

Unemployment is rampant across the entire country. It finally reaches a small town where Dr. Dan Johnson has been gainfully employed as a psychologist for over twenty years. The Center where Dan works shuts down due to budget cuts. Dan loses his job and eventually he loses everything that he has worked for over the years, including his home. Dan is now a homeless man, living out on the streets where homelessness is rampant; eating out of trash cans; trying to survive day-by-day. He meets two homeless men: one a veteran of war, the other an ex-con. They teach Dan the ropes for survival; however, they have one major problem: Marc Parker.

Attorney Marc Parker is on a mission to rid the city of homeless people because his sister was killed by a homeless man; a man who was never found. He uses the law by day to accomplish his mission; but at night, he becomes a vigilante who goes around savagely beating up homeless people.

Something drastic happens after Dan and Marcs paths cross. They meet Stephen Young, an engineer turned minister, who is also on a mission to rid the city of homeless people. God gave Stephen a direct message on how to accomplish this mission. This message resonates across the entire town.

A riveting encounter between these three men changes the hearts and minds of an entire town. Could this message also change the hearts and mind of an entire nation?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490862118

Jessie L. Jones

JESSIE L. JONES was born in Suffolk, VA, and educated at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. A former Special Education Teacher; and a retired Federal Employee, she always dreamed of writing a novel that would change the hearts and minds of her readers. She currently resides in Maryland.

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Copyright © 2014 Ms. Jessie L. Jones.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-6213-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6212-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6211-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014921443

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/05/2014

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Notes

CHAPTER 1

T he atmosphere in the conference room was tense. All eyes were on the director as he entered and took a seat at the head of the table.

The fifty-three-year-old director was getting ready to let the staff know that they had not won the contract. The economy had not bounced back from the recession, and funds were no longer available for the services that the center provided. All employees would be laid off, and the center would close. Naturally, this action would add to the unemployment numbers for this small town and the entire nation as a whole.

You all know why we are here, the director said. Let’s cut to the chase: we did not get the contract. The center will shut down in six weeks. Each of you will get severance pay and, afterward, unemployment compensation. Are there any questions?

The room was silent.

This meeting is adjourned, said the director. With that, he got up from his chair and left the conference room.

Dan Johnson was in a state of shock. He could not believe what he had just heard: he had lost his job. The director had warned them about this in earlier meetings, but Dan was still shocked. He loved his job as a psychologist.

Dan had a PhD in abnormal psychology. Even as a child, he had been interested in human behavior. His mother had had a personality disorder and had good days and bad days. On good days, his mother had been happy, loving, and caring. On bad days, his mother would be slumped over in a depressive state. Later in life, after Dan was formally trained, he learned that his mother had had bipolar, or manic depressive, disorder.

Dan’s father had been a psychiatrist and had always been supportive of his wife’s illness. He had been the one to hold the family together. Both of Dan’s parents had been killed in a car accident while he was in college. Dan had continued to pursue his field of study as a memoriam to his mother. He had been working for the center for twenty-two years and was now fifty years old. Too old, he thought, to look for another job.

Finally, Dan absorbed the information: he was now unemployed and had become a statistic. When the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its next monthly report on the unemployed, Dan would now be included in that number unless he found another job immediately.

The center had opened in this small town in the Northeast thirty years ago to provide services to citizens who were classified as having intellectual developmental disorders. The mission of the center was to train those who had the ability to learn basic job skills so they could gain employment and become productive members of society. Citizens reported to the center on a daily basis to learn skills from professionals. Dan was one of those professionals.

Still in a state of shock, Dan returned to his office and cleaned out his desk. He then said good-bye to his colleagues and walked out the door. As he walked to his car, he looked back at the building. Unbelievable. Twenty-two years, and now he was unemployed. He opened his car door, got in, and drove home. He was grateful that his car was paid for so he did not have to worry about transportation. At least he had the means to get around to look for another job.

When Dan finally reached his driveway, he opened the garage door and parked his car. Upon entering the house, he turned on the television to watch the evening news.

We have breaking news, the news anchor said. The director of a major center has just been found dead in his office. Although we do not have confirmation, it appears that the cause of death is suicide. The news anchor continued, The director left a note to his staff that read, ‘I’m sorry that after so many years I’ve failed you. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me.’

Dan held his breath as he waited to hear the name of the center, though he feared he already knew which one.

The news anchor gave the name, and Dan shouted, Oh no! Less than two hours after Dan had been fired, his director had committed suicide. Dan’s heart pounded, and he could hardly breathe. Grabbing his chest in pain, he reached for the telephone and dialed 911.

Operator, said the person on the other end of the telephone. What is your emergency?

Please send help right away … I am having chest pains … gasped Dan. The phone fell from his hands and hit the table as he collapsed on the floor.

Sir! Sir! shouted the emergency person. But she received no response. Fortunately, Dan had not hung up the phone, so the ambulance was able to locate his house.

CHAPTER 2

E xcuse me, sir. Can you spare some change so I can get something to eat? asked a homeless man.

Get a job! Marc Parker sneered as he entered his office building. When the elevator reached the eighth floor, he got off and entered his office.

Good morning, said Madge, his office administrator. How are you today?

I’m doing fine, said Marc. "But I am sick and tired of homeless people always asking for a handout. Every day, as soon as I enter or leave this building, the first thing I am confronted with is someone asking for a handout. No matter where I go now, I see the same thing. As I walk down the street, people stop me and ask for money. It’s not that I don’t want to help or don’t have a heart. It’s just that nowadays I have to be careful. If I open my wallet to give them money, they may rob me or, in extreme cases, try to kill me. We do not live in a world where you can reach out to help people in need anymore. It’s every man for himself.

I work hard to make a living for myself. Why can’t that homeless man get a job? Why does he have to beg all the time? I’m tired of street people begging for money all the time. You can’t trust them. You give them money to buy food, and then you see them later, spending the money on riotous living. I don’t mean to categorize all homeless people, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Why would this one be any different? I’m going to help him all right. I am going to do everything in my power to get homeless people off the streets. They should be locked up or placed in a camp somewhere. This has to stop.

Marc’s sister had died at the age of sixteen. Walking home from work late one night, she had taken a shortcut, and a homeless man had attacked and brutally beaten her. As a result, she had been declared legally brain-dead and moved to a nursing home. A year later, she was dead. The police had never found out who had attacked her. This had left Marc with a bitter hatred toward all homeless people. He had determined that one day he would clear the community of them.

Marc had become a lawyer. He’d known he was destined to become a lawyer because both his father and grandfather had been lawyers. The incident with his sister had confirmed that he needed to become involved in the justice system. He’d completed college with a bachelor of science and a master of arts in criminal justice. He also held a PhD in criminal justice as well as a Juris Doctor. He was proud of his academic achievements and prominently displayed his degrees on the wall of his office.

Marc was a fierce attorney, intelligent as well as aggressive. He’d never lost a case. In court, he felt like an actor on a stage. He did not care if his client was innocent or guilty. His job was to make the judge and jury believe that his client was innocent, and he was good at his job. He made a lot of money, but he also lost a lot of money because he loved to gamble. It was nothing for him to lose thousands and thousands of dollars on a gambling spree. What the heck, he always said to himself. It’s just money. Might as well spend it while I have it because I sure can’t take it with me when I die.

Marc stood only five feet three inches tall and weighed 130 pounds. He compensated for his small stature with his aggressive personality. He was often accused of being arrogant and coldhearted, but he did not care. He loved to challenge people about anything, and he always won the fight. He did not care much for religion and did not know whether or not there was a God or a higher being. His faith was in himself. He believed that the world was a stage in which everyone was an actor or actress and that they were responsible for their own destinies.

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It’s time for your board meeting with the city council, said Madge. You’d better hurry, or you will be late.

Marc snapped back to the present time. He stormed out of the office to go to his meeting. He did not even have the courtesy to thank Madge for letting him know that it was time for him to go.

Good riddance, Madge said to herself. Only two more weeks, and then I will be retired.

Madge has been with the law firm for thirty-five years. Marc’s father had been the senior partner when she’d started working there. Unlike Marc, his father had been a gentle, compassionate man and an advocate for the poor. He had done a lot of legal work pro bono. Madge had seen the law firm grow over the years. They had been one big, happy family. When Marc had finished law school, he’d joined his father at the firm. When Marc’s father had died, Marc had taken over the firm, and that was when things had begun to change.

Madge looked at the office clock on the wall. It was time to go home. She shut down her computer, grabbed her coat, and left the office for today. She was glad to be retiring soon. Not long, she thought.

When Madge arrived home, she was glad to see that Stephen, her husband, was home as well.

CHAPTER 3

H e is ruthless, Madge said to Stephen. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He will hurt anyone and everybody to get his way. He is coldhearted and does not have any compassion for anyone. He’s always talking about the downtrodden person. He doesn’t care. Someone has to stop him.

Madge was talking about her boss, Marc Parker. It upset her to hear how he talked about the homeless. Not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth like Marc, continued Madge. Not everyone inherited a multimillion-dollar law firm from their father like he did. Not everyone has the privilege of being a member of the city council. Madge was railing at Stephen as if he, not Marc, had said or done something to upset her.

Honey, please calm down, said Stephen. I don’t like to see you like this. He went over and put his arms around his wife to console her.

I’m sorry, Madge said. I don’t mean to lash out at you in anger. It’s just that it bothers me to hear this kind of talking. My boss is a thirty-five-year-old brat. He’s never had to suffer or endure any kind of hardship. Everybody has a story to tell. I’m sure that every homeless person has a life story to tell. Nobody should judge anybody. No one knows what a person is going through until they have walked in that person’s shoes. I’ll never forget what I saw.

Madge was referring to two incidents she’d encountered while at work that had changed her life forever.

Her office was located on the eighth floor, which was the top floor of her building. Her office had a window that gave her a nice view of the area. One day, early in the morning, she had been looking out of her window enjoying the view. It was springtime, and the scenery was beautiful. The sun was shining bright, and the temperature outside was perfect. Across the street was on open space, similar to a park. Bushes lined the sidewalk. Between the bushes she glimpsed two men sleeping on a blanket. She had never noticed them before. She saw one man get up and stretch. He put on his shoes and walked over to the trash can. She watched him take a bag out of the trash can and open it. He pulled out a messily wrapped half-eaten sandwich and went back over to his blanket and sat down. Then she watched the man eat the leftover sandwich. The sight had touched Madge’s heart. She had been saddened at the thought that in the midst of all of these office buildings, where people were going to work day after day, a person had to eat out of a trash can to survive.

Madge also remembered what she’d seen one winter morning. It had been snowing all week long, and it was cold outside. The area had gotten approximately six inches of snow over that time. She had gotten to the office early one morning, and when she looked out of her office window, she noticed how pretty the snow was. The ground and all the tree limbs were completely covered with it. The scenery outside was beautiful. She happened to glance over in the area were the bushes