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C.H. Foertmeyer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1949, the eldest of four children. After graduating from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he returned to Cincinnati to pursue a career in his hometown. Today, Mr. Foertmeyer divides his time between web authoring and fiction writing.
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AUTHOR
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Hackett State Prison wasn’t such a bad place, for rapists, pedophiles, and murderers, but Nick was none of those. For him, an innocent man, Hackett State Prison was a living nightmare, Hell on earth, and a cold grave, all rolled into one. He had been beaten, raped, and robbed within the walls of Hackett, and all in his first week there. Who knew what week two would yield?
By the end of week two, Nick knew exactly what. He was now the girlfriend of Willie Carver Maxwell, the biggest, meanest, and most black-hearted inmate at Hackett. Before he had entered Hackett, he had thought his life over. Now, two weeks later, he knew it was. It would be only a matter of time, probably not too far down the road, when Willie would tire of him, and then he’d be up for grabs anew. He couldn’t imagine his life sinking any lower, but then again that’s what he had thought before, so long ago it seemed, as he had huddled in the corner of his kitchen awaiting the six a.m. freight to Atlanta. He had known then that there was always farther to fall, but it wasn’t until now that he could put a name to the hole he had fallen down. The name of the hole was Hackett, and he was at the very bottom of that hole. If he was to fall any further, he’d need a shovel to do it.
Life was made even more unbearable by the fact that he received no visitors–ever. Had his parents been living anywhere near, he was sure they would visit, but his dad had followed his dream to Alaska, and both he and his mom were now living in Anchorage. Had Gayle been alive, she would have come, but unfortunately, she no longer graced the world with her presence. And Levi, yes Levi would have come often, but again…No, the cold, bitter truth was that no one gave a damn about Nick Hines anymore; no one.
The plumbing at Hackett was ancient, and in deplorable shape, the toilets prone to clogging up almost daily. What better job, that of sewer cleaner, to assign a man in Nick’s situation? As luck would have it, he did draw that assignment, that of keeping the sewers flowing. For eight hours every day, he worked in urine, feces, and everything else the inmates flushed down the prison toilets.
Yet, despite his losses and his current situation, which in all likelihood was to be his permanent situation, Nick held out hope for the future. Every day, after finishing his sewer work, he would shower and then satisfy the desires of Willie Carver Maxwell. Then, he would shower again, go to his cell, and pray to his Father in Heaven. It was through his prayer that he gained the strength to go on another day, and it was through his prayer that he held out hope.
But the day came that a new inmate was introduced into the population, and the new inmate, one Wilson Roberts, had designs on Nick. Willie Carver noticed the interest Wilson had taken in his property, so he confronted Roberts about it in the exercise yard. The problem for Willie was that Wilson was just as big, and just as bad as he was, and the fight ended with both men on the ground, exhausted and beaten. Neither man now had an indisputable claim to Nick, and in Willie’s convoluted mind, that was unacceptable. If he no longer had a confirmed claim on Nick, then he certainly wasn’t going to allow Wilson to have one. So, Nick paid the price, as Willie got up from the ground and shoved a shiv between his ribs. Nick fell to his knees, holding his side, as blood oozed between his fingers. “Oh, God help me,” he mumbled, before falling to his back, and passing out.
When he awoke again, he was in bed in the prison hospital ward. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, or what his condition might be, but he did know he probably wouldn’t be going back to his sewer duties any time soon. That, coupled with the fact that he was away from both Willie Carver and Wilson, made the stabbing almost worth it.
Trying to find a more comfortable position, Nick rolled over in bed and noticed no pain coming from the area of his wound. He reached down and pulled up his gown, searching in vain for where he had been stabbed. There was a bandage where the wound should have been, but beneath it, nothing but unbroken skin. “Huh, don’t that beat all,” he said to himself, and then he looked around the ward, noticing for the first time, that he was alone. Each of the other seven beds in the ward was empty, and there was no sign of a nurse, or doctor anywhere. He got up from his bed and walked, quietly and cautiously, to the ward door. Fully expecting to find it locked, he tried the knob, and to his surprise, the door opened for him.
Once in the outer hallway, he listened to the deathly silence of the prison, thinking that it must be the middle of the night. That thought was quickly dispelled, as he rounded a corner and saw daylight coming through a barred window. He continued down the hall, encountering no one, until he came to the barred door that led back into the prison proper. He gave the bars a push, and they swung away from him. That’s funny, he thought. That gate is always locked. He proceeded into cellblock A, discovering all sixty-five cells were empty. Further investigation revealed that the same was true of cellblocks, B, C, and D. There was not one prisoner, guard, or visitor to be found. Other than himself, Hackett State Prison was devoid of all human life.
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The Wager
By C.H. Foertmeyer
ISBN 978-1-4001-1323-9
160 pages at 12.95 paperback
iUniverse
1663 Liberty Dr.
Bloomington IN 47403
I look forward to each new Foertmeyer book because I never know what his fertile mind will create next. But after reading 13 of his books, I know to expect that the mysterious and surreal will seep into the lives of ordinary folks. His literary style is unusual, and addicting!
In this latest book, specters from a good and decent man's past shatter his world. Nick Hines is the well-respected owner of a hardware store in Montrose, Tennessee. He's a reliable and kindly friend, a devoted family man and dedicated Christian active in his local church. On his 30th birthday, he sees a high school friend limping down the street and can barely believe his eyes. The friend has not changed from High School days, still a teenager in appearance. Nick is frightened to discover the old friend died before his spectral appearance on the quiet streets of Montrose. That day begins Nick Hines' unraveling.
Over the next 315 days, Nick loses everything. His wife, the sheriff, the townsfolk are convinced he's crazy when he continues to see his dead friend around town, and also begins to see his brother who died as a child. Each ghostly vision precedes the horrible discovery of a dead, missing child. He's investigated as a child killer, diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, loses everything and everyone dear to him, and imprisoned for murder. An evil, invisible force is at work in Nick's life, driving him to the brink of madness and beyond. Will his faith in God be enough to save him from the final disaster? You'll have to read the book to find out.
The Wager is a parable with Nick Hines as a modern-day Job. If you aren't familiar with the story of Job, I suggest you read it as a comparison to this book. As with all Foertmeyer's books, this one is imaginative, mysterious, and entertaining.
Review by Laurel Johnson
I sat up late last night finishing Chuck's book!!! Just couldn't put it down once I started it! So intriging and kept me guessing the whole way through it. He does have a clever imagination! It was especially fun knowing that you, Nick, Emily and Adam were the main characters in the book!!
Doris Batch
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CONTACT:
The Wager
Writers Club Press
iUniverse, Inc.
Toll Free US: 877.823.9235
International callers: 402.323.7800
Email: Author Email custservice@iUniverse.com
2005 © C.H. Foertmeyer
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