Spurred by a desire to travel the world, Ezra Cantrell joined the Foreign Service and saw it all- Thousand islands of Indonesia, soaring minarets in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan's bulbous blue domes, and many pleasant tree-filled city streets around the world. His journeys traversed the continents casting a spell on any traveler's imagination. Along with Sacha his Indonesian spouse, their magical journey is a measure for adventure. And then the ragged wounds of life strike Sacha with an emotional disorder and strip her of a fulfilling life experience. Her obsessive ritual is matched only by the lecherous fetish of a French diplomat who falls in love with her nineteen-year-old daughter. The mishmash adds a disquieting twist to an already sick family dynamic. Lost in the shuffle, Sacha struggles as she trails her husband on international assignments. With each move she starts again in a different city. Ezra finds solace from the family turmoil, as he escapes on assignments and soon experiments with his sexual curiosity. Tormented by his secret desires, he struggles to stave off the gremlins. Along comes a sociopath brimming with wicked desires who spews a disturbing shroud over an American university campus. A delusional love affair sprouts, a bruised ego ruptures and a sick obsession with a sadistic bent is unleashed with dreadful outcomes. What appears to be isolated slayings soon turn into the handiwork of a deviant mind setting off an intercontinental jealous rage that chills the mind in this fictional drama.

A Ritual of the Monkey

By Richard Sole

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Richard Sole
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-7769-7

Contents

Chapter One A Zesty Mélange.............................3Chapter Two A Deafening Silence..............................15Chapter Three Evening Clouds.................................58Chapter Four The Obsessive Ritual............................114Chapter Five It's De Javu all over again.....................139Chapter One Gremlins in our Stars............................173Chapter Two Full Throttle....................................187Chapter Three Evil this way comes............................225Chapter Four Ogre of Bokhara.................................243Chapter Five Time out Tashkent...............................247Chapter Six The Bugs of War..................................297Chapter Seven Passion or Fiction.............................307Chapter Eight Mutilated Octopus..............................323Chapter Nine Self Acceptance is Key..........................364Chapter One Chickens Come Home...............................367Guide for Book Club Discussion................................416

Chapter One

A Zesty Mélange

1

Brett steals a glance at his watch and looks up to survey the street down below. It looks eerily quiet at 10:47 AM. This snowstorm has come as a surprise to many despite the warning from the National Weather Service. In a town noted for moderate weather where snowfall hardly exceeds six inches, a major blizzard with a heap of snow is quite bizarre. He steps into the huge living area from the penthouse balcony and picks up the remote control to activate the drapes. A view of spectacular luxury greets him. Long curtains part ways revealing a cityscape covered in snow. He sits in his favorite chair by the floor to ceiling window and observes the view, taking it all in. It's a winter wonderland in Washington and Brett is marooned with nowhere to go.

His reverie is brought back to life by what he thinks is a movement in the blizzard, he squints trying to make out an image laboring against the storm. The individual appears anxious and restless. Disinterested, Brett sits up and gets out of his chair to flip on the TV.

"... Once again, the heaviest snows are expected between Northern Virginia, Washington, DC and Maryland. 14th street is seeing big storms all the way to Adams Morgan. On top of what has already fallen more snow is expected in this region tomorrow. The office of the Mayor has declared a state of emergency.... Coming up: Another brazen killing shocks a quiet neighborhood in our region. If the winter weather makes you feel tired and low, find out ways to beat the winter blues ...,"

He saunters into the kitchen and pulls the double door refrigerator open. It is stocked with fruit juices, milk, bread and Budweiser. He grabs a jug, pours a cup of juice and takes a swallow.

A FedEx envelope lies on the granite counter top.

"Shucks! This was supposed to go out this morning," he mutters.

Brett sits back in the kitchenette and calls his parents. They left town ahead of the snow to return to Atlanta. He wishes that he had left with them rather than be marooned in Washington, D.C.

A week earlier, Brett was riding on MARTA Atlanta's citywide train system with his Dad, Ezra. He arrived early on the 7:35 AM flight in Atlanta. Ezra was on hand to meet him. Ezra is tall and soft-spoken, a moderately built white haired art lover in his mid sixties. He has accomplished extraordinary things and continues to do so. Ezra is as eager to show Brett around as Brett is keen to see Atlanta and they start off at Buckhead-the jewel of the city. Minutes from downtown Atlanta and locale of gracious homes, chic hotels and shopping centers, Buckhead have some of Atlanta's best restaurants.

"Over a hundred restaurants in the Peachtree area son," Ezra says.

"We couldn't possibly see it all," Brett answers.

"But darn, we'll try," Ezra replies humorously.

"You haven't changed Dad," Brett remarks laughing.

They walk across the design district, past art studios and galleries. Ezra stops to admire an Asian motif oil painting. It reminds him of his service in Jakarta.

"Ain't gonna lug that around?" Brett says flexing his muscles.

"Yes you are," Ezra says smiling.

It has been a week of busy activity for Ezra. A successful residential real estate developer with an intense passion for work, he is working on a project in the Atlanta area. Ezra Cantrell invested money and resources into this seven hundred fifty five acre custom homes project in North Fulton County and his company stands to reap huge financial reward from their investment.

Brett is not as interested in the building profession as his father would like. He considers it a tedious task and is more attracted to activities that deliver immediate gratification. For Brett, anything short of instant fulfillment is uninspiring. He is immature and lacking insight in many ways, did not finish college and still receives financial support from Ezra with his living expenses.

2

In Southeast Asia and with a population of over 234 million people, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation with 17,508 islands of which about only 6,000 are inhabited.

Adventure looms large in this vast and steamy archipelago. Lively medley simmers enticingly and diverse cultures spin and multiply in the thousands. Though most of the territory remains unexplored, the inhabited islands conceal a wealth of cultures and a myriad of landscapes. Ezra Cantrell has not visited Jakarta, the city of his nuptials in four decades. The city is filled with dramatic vistas and unabridged mischief but it is the Dutch and British colonial-style buildings that make Jakarta the main attraction in Indonesia.

Ezra was in Indonesia only five months when he met his future wife. She is a young beautiful Indonesian woman from a moderate Muslim family. Sacha, 22 was studying Medicine at the University of Indonesia Selemba campus. Ezra 27, a young American diplomat who frequently attended cultural events was at a gala for the visiting Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. The American Ambassador introduced Ezra to Sacha's father. Alhaji Pramana Kersen has completed one of the five pillars of Islam by traveling on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca. Ezra reaches out to shake Alhaji Kersen and Sacha's hands. Gentle in nature, she greets Ezra with a lovely smile.

Sacha's luxuriant hair is pulled back and covered with a silk veil. Her conservative mien warms up a room full of guests. Like a showpiece Alhaji Kersen walks Sacha around and with regal symmetry, she walks proudly by her father. Guests mingle and Ezra stands in a corner watching from a distance when his eye catches Sacha. She smiles demurely and with alluring nuance of style she flirts but for a millisecond and waltzes away.

Ezra Cantrell, a tall lean diplomat with intense eyes is smitten. As an American in Indonesia, he is treated like royalty. But even more, he possesses tremendous personal magnetism that arouses women. He will walk into a room and women will notice his engaging presence. Stylish in dress and manner, Ezra is just as scintillating in personality as Sacha is demure.

With ease he walks up to Sacha and her father as they engage in a conversation with an Egyptian Air Force and a naval officer. Glass in hand, he listens to the small talk and at the opportune moment, he extends his hand to meet the...