The 20% Solution

It's quite simple, really. Twenty percent of the world's population causes eighty percent of the problems. Kill off those twenty percent, and you will have a wonderful world. And we all know who makes up that 20%. It's the people in jails, drug addicts, crackheads, homeless people, ghetto dwellers, welfare recipients, and so forth. Oh, there will be some collateral damage, but only a million people or so, but just think how great everything will be afterward. Well, someone has decided to make this happen! Scott Marklee receives a curious message on his cellphone: "The 20% solution has gotten out of control. The cabalists have betrayed my trust. The cabal won't listen to me now that I've finished my work. Meet me in Laughlin, Nevada. Don't bring anyone, or I won't show." Scott ignored it until people around him turned up dead. As an investigative reporter, people called him with leads, but never like this. This was worse than 9/11. Millions of people were dying, and they weren't all evil. Many of the dead were innocent people, including his daughter and ex-wife. The message leads Scott to who is responsible. But now, suddenly, he becomes their prime target, and they want him dead. Somehow, he must get from Laughlin, Nevada to Washington, DC, to meet with the Vice President of the United States and inform her of the facts. She is the only person he can trust. Even more critical, Scott carries knowledge of how the poison was made and the formula for the antidote. If the wrong people get this information, how many more innocent lives will be lost? He must get to the Vice President first. They don't plan on letting that happen.

It's quite simple, really. Twenty percent of the world's population causes eighty percent of the problems. Kill off those twenty percent, and you will have a wonderful world. And we all know who makes up that 20%. It's the people in jails, drug addicts, crackheads, homeless people, ghetto dwellers, welfare recipients, and so forth. Oh, there will be some collateral damage, but only a million people or so, but just think how great everything will be afterward. Well, someone has decided to make this happen! Scott Marklee receives a curious message on his cellphone: "The 20% solution has gotten out of control. The cabalists have betrayed my trust. The cabal won't listen to me now that I've finished my work. Meet me in Laughlin, Nevada. Don't bring anyone, or I won't show." Scott ignored it until people around him turned up dead. As an investigative reporter, people called him with leads, but never like this. This was worse than 9/11. Millions of people were dying, and they weren't all evil. Many of the dead were innocent people, including his daughter and ex-wife. The message leads Scott to who is responsible. But now, suddenly, he becomes their prime target, and they want him dead. Somehow, he must get from Laughlin, Nevada to Washington, DC, to meet with the Vice President of the United States and inform her of the facts. She is the only person he can trust. Even more critical, Scott carries knowledge of how the poison was made and the formula for the antidote. If the wrong people get this information, how many more innocent lives will be lost? He must get to the Vice President first. They don't plan on letting that happen.

A prolific writer, Jeff Spalsbury has published contemporary fiction, western novels, Christmas short stories, science fiction, and children's books. He seeks unique story locations and uses factual sites, people, and events to enhance his fiction. Jeff enjoys writing in five genres and is often asked if it is hard to switch back and forth among them. In a recent interview, he said, "I find it very refreshing except (like a few months ago) when I was working on the final edit of my fifth western novel, plus being in the middle of writing a contemporary novel, the interviewer asked questions about my Christmas short story collection. That got my head spinning, but normally, by the time I've finished one book, I'm ready to switch genres and work on another." Jeff grew up in the small town of Logan, Ohio. Before he became a full-time novelist, he was a research librarian, director of a college library, and a college professor. He lives and writes in Murrieta, California, one hour north of San Diego. His office has four Apple computers, an Amazon Kindle, an Apple iPad, an Apple iPhone, an eclectic collection of funky stuffed animals, a 5,000-book library, and no television.