“Lea’s burner phone rang; “someone’s onto where you are. I’ve had someone trying to watch you and he saw some old woman go into your hotel room in Scranton where you and your daughter were sleeping…” The voice continued but…
#SteppingonFingers
Thriller about an American teacher's being sent to a penal colony in Russia by an American religious court
Train to Russian Penal Colony
Beginning of Lea’s trip from an American religious court to a Russian penal colony: “Inside the crowded compartment, a robotic arm dragged Lea’s jerking body along the rail then dumped her onto a wooden bench beside a vertical window-slit. Corroded…
Source of “Stepping on Fingers” Title
Source of “Stepping on Fingers” title: “David was worried the professionally dressed woman still jammed against Gillespie’s right shoulder might remember him as the platform under him began to vibrate with the throaty rumble of the coming train’s arrival, its…
A Voice from the Past
After Buddy Lassiter finds Lea and their daughter in “Stepping on Fingers:” “Loud knocking at the front door interrupted the conversation. Drak stuck his pistol behind his belt in the middle of the back and scurried over to the front…
An Unplanned Procedure
Near the beginning of “Stepping on Fingers,” Lea awakens to a new horror: “As light and dark began to drift apart, I felt something very heavy holding my wrists tight against a frigid, waxy metal surface. Except for patches of…
Relieving some Tension
As “Stepping on Fingers” unfolds, saving Lea: “Despite some closure from disposing of Judge Beckinsale, Lea remained concerned about the explosive device embedded in her neck and the amulet between her breasts. It was supposed to fool the bomb about…
There Goes the Judge
After Lea returned to America from the Russian penal colony and rescued her young daughter, Clara, she started on the Movement’s assignments to bring back freedom: “The good news is the Movement doesn’t mind if we put the judge under…
On the Way to Find Lea
Near the beginning of “Stepping on Fingers,” Tariq and former governor Lassiter try to leave Syracuse airport to find Lea: “Wellll,” former governor Lassiter stuttered, “what can I do for you, kind sir? My father used to beat me, was…
Help on its Way to Lea
Near the beginning of “Stepping on Fingers,” Saddam Hussein’s former bagman and the impeached governor of Georgia are on their way to find Lea: “The knot in Tariq’s stomach tightened several turns as the Syracuse airport’s exit booth’s occupant came…
Dream of Choice v. Dream Picker
The beginning of an inventor’s quest to protect his patents for an innovation that allowed people to select a night’s dream in “Stepping on Fingers,” from an infringing corporation: “Mordoff had endured the delay and expense of obtaining broad US…
