The Hedonist (15 page)

“Oh… wow, I hadn’t even noticed,” Shawn said.

The officer flashed the light across Shawn’s face and noticed the distortion in his eyes.

“Sir, I’d like you to step out of the car.”

Shawn did as instructed. The officer then inspected the front seats. He noticed Shawn’s dark blue jacket and reached into the left breast pocket. His hand immediately grasped a very small bag of cocaine that Shawn had brought for his evening with Dr. Daniels and Charlotte.

“What do we have here?” the officer said with a sly smile.

“Ugghhh…”

Shawn sighed as his heart sank to his stomach. The officer looked him in the face and then noticed the insignia on the dark blue jacket.

“You’re a member of the Wilmot Country Club?” the officer asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well I guess that changes things…”

Without thinking, Shawn blurted out a strong connection.

“I know Chief O’Hare pretty well.”

“I see,” the officer said with his expression slightly contorted. Shawn could tell the officer wasn’t sure what to do but he asked another question. “Identification, please.”

Shawn reached into his back pocket. He handed over both his driver’s license and his Ashmore University identification card. The officer inspected them both.

“Well uh, Dr. Stevens, you and I both know Chief O’Hare wouldn’t want anyone to make a mess of things on ‘Wilmot Golf Month.’”

“I assume so,” Shawn said with confidence.

The officer handed Shawn back his jacket, hesitated for a moment, and then handed Shawn back the small bag of white powder.

“Generally we carry with us devises that can detect specific drugs when the chemicals are analyzed. Unfortunately, I do not have such a devise on me. So I’m going to assume this is simply…”

“Baking soda,” Shawn interrupted.

“Yeah…” the cop continued, “Baking soda… So you just be on your way, Dr. Stevens. And make sure those lights are turned on next time.”

Shawn entered his car while the officer returned to his own vehicle. The officer’s expression was not that of pride, but of fear of disobeying a superior, namely Chief O’Hare.

CHAPTER 13

(EPILOGUE)

Even a few days after it happened, Shawn was still left dismayed at the privilege he received from law enforcement. While visiting Laura’s office on the Monday after the Wilmot Golf Month, he learned
exactly why he was let go.

“Chief O’Hare is pretty protective of the Country Club members. Especially during the Wilmot Golf Tournament,” Dr. Daniels told him. “We are his bread and butter after all. Ashmore University is one of its biggest sponsors. And the Tournament itself fuels the entire city. It put this city on the map.”

“So we get a free pass if we belong to the country club? I knew it was exclusive, I didn’t know it was that exclusive!”

“Well during the month of April, yeah. But today marks the beginning of May so you ought to be more careful next time.”

“Funny,” Shawn smiled. “I was going to tell you the same.”

“Well, thanks again. Charlotte is doing fine. I mean, she’s still snorting… Old habits die hard. But she’s not mixing it anymore. Certainly not mixing up anything that’s going to cause a heart attack. That was the last time.”

“Good to know,” Shawn said.

“You’ve been pretty helpful since you got here, so I want you to have something.”

Dr. Daniels pulled out a glass encased orange moth whose wing span was the width of a number two pencil. She handed it to Shawn.

“Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate it. But what’s next?”

“Well Dr. Sawther is going to be spending next semester in South Carolina as a visiting professor. We’re going to get another professor to serve as a visiting lecturer here to take his place. It’s only temp but at least he won’t be watching us like hawks. And of course the professor who the college President ousted is leaving.”

“Dr. Wilkins?” Shawn recalled.

“That’s the one. It’s finals week and in a few days she’ll be gone for good. But you know… I’ve heard a few grumblings about the college president, Dr. Rodriguez.”

“Like what?” Shawn asked.

“I’ve heard from a friend of a friend that he’s in need of a new dealer.”

“What?”

“Well, I don’t know if it’s true or not. I report to him but he never talks on a personal level. But rumor has it, he dabbles in the white pony quite a bit.”

“And you think we could become his go-to guys?” Shawn asked.

“That’s one of many things I had in mind.”

“What else?”

“Well Shawn, I’m a department chair but I’ve always wanted to work my way further up the ladder. This may be an opportunity.”

Dr. Daniels didn’t elaborate and Shawn was a little too occupied to inquire any further. She merely told Shawn that Dr. Rodriguez would be away until graduation, at which point he would return to deliver the Commencement Speech. The co-speaker would be none other than Police Chief Thomas O’Hare.

Shawn, meanwhile, was busy with other things. He spent the next eight days working closely with the students who he assigned to prepare and conduct his research work. The Social Science Conference Call arrived on the second week of May. On the day of the conference, Shawn was dressed as sharp as ever and arrived with the three students who did the heavy lifting.

After going over the students’ research work page by page for several days, he was prepared to present the research to several hundred viewers. During the event, the crowd consisted mostly of fellow professors, political and social scientists, and other researchers. His topic, “The Effects of Drugs in The Application of Academia,” solidified him as a top professor following a thunderous applause. But most importantly, he made sure to acknowledge the students that made it possible.

After the presentation, Shawn found himself shaking hands with various academic powerhouses. He was being congratulated by the top movers and shakers on the east coast. But Shawn was happiest when those with academic authority began to offer grants to the students who helped him. Each of them were given the contact information of various graduate schools who were interested in their work.

Shawn usually talked his way out of research benefaction. He had little interest in doing research work year round. So when asked about his methods, he would endorse the naïve yet terrific students who helped him make it all possible. Or rather made it all possible by themselves.

Following the conference, Shawn crossed paths with Dr. Stacy Hines for the first time since their conversation at the Wilmot Golf Tournament. She informed him that she would be moving to another state to take a higher paying Assistant Professor position. Shawn smiled and told her she deserved it more than anyone. He wished her the very best.

He was later joined by his two favorite students, Jessica and Lauren. They asked what grades he gave them on the prior week’s final exams and he preferred to remain coy.

“The only grade I give is the grade you earn.”

Of course they knew he’d given them each A+ grades no matter how they performed. They had become partners in crime and he liked to please them whenever he could. Shawn then asked Lauren and Jessica if they would be up for a little traveling during the summer.

“We’ll disband for the rest of May,” he told them. “I’m going to visit my mother and I imagine both of you will be doing something similar.”

“Yeah, I’m going to see my family,” Lauren told him.

“Me too,” said Jessica.

“Great, that leaves us June and July. I was thinking we could take a little trip to Vegas.”

“That sounds awesome,” they agreed.

“The shows, the glamour, the gambling… We’ll do some of it all. But most importantly, there’s a great deal of money to be made in Vegas.”

“I don’t even know what it is but hell yeah, I’m in!” Jessica said and Lauren agreed.

“But first,” Shawn told them, “Dr. Daniels tells me that our college president may be in need of something I can provide. Apparently he’s quite the connoisseur of excessive and extravagant proclivities. And as I always say, ‘Too much of a good thing is a great thing.’”

Dr. Shawn Stevens will certainly return.

Stay tuned for The Hedonist 2.

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this moment to give thanks to the various individuals and characters that inspired this book. From the few whose support I’ve actively received to the various who know little of my fictional documentations.

I like to think that there is a little Shawn Stevens in all of us- perhaps that is why we are drawn to characters of audacious excess. But it is in those wildly entertaining characters that we may better understand the passion and happiness within ourselves. Whatever the reason, I thank each person who has read this novel. It means more to me than you will ever know.

Yours Truly,

A.L. Patterson