Watching the Watcher
by Louis Combe
$12.95 paperback, 180 pages
Published: 2000
ISBN 1-880849-24-0

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"Watching the Watcher saved Boy's life on the cold Christmas morning in the far away secret, sealed place. ...The Watcher waited and watched for Boy with the rifle in his arms. He then screamed the loudest ever and shot the plastic Santa Claus from atop the shack then whipped about and shot little Buddy in the right ear. The Liar fell to her knees over little Buddy in the snow and the Watcher shot her in the left ear."

Parents watch their offspring to assure their well being. But who is to watch the watchers themselves when this trust is violated? Charley Cardiff's father, the Watcher, uses Cardiff as a scapegoat for his own mistakes and misdeeds. Charley survives in Idaho by constantly watching the Watcher, to anticipate his abusive wrath. Charley eventually escapes the Watcher by killing him and he moves on to adulthood, his crime undetected.

Parent companies watch their employees to assure their productive well-being. But who is to watch these watchers themselves when they violate this trust. Charley thrives in the industrial world until his corporate fathers target long-service middle managers, such as himself, as scapegoats to be driven from the company. A corporate watcher orchestrates Charley's ultimate termination by demotion to a troubled waste incineration plant in North Carolina's Chatham County.

Chatham County citizens are battling yet another invasion from the north. Developers are intent on bringing the ills of unbridled urban sprawl to their homes in small towns and the country side. The innovative waste incineration plant is a vital initiative in preventing chaotic growth and preserving life-styles, but those with hidden agendas oppose its existence in their backyards.

Against all odds, Charley manages the plant with surprising success until the corporate watcher creates an enviromental disaster that closes it. Blame is heaped on Charley, the designated scapegoat, who knows all too well how to punish abusers. Belatedly, Charley learns a terrible truth. His character, developed in Idaho, seals his fate in North Carolina.