Killing the Blood Cleaner

In Killing The Blood Cleaner, Dr. Jack Randolph has a golden and riotous existence as a young society doctor in Atlanta. His world is filled with sensuous women, private clubs and all the entitlements accorded to Atlanta's elite. Such privilege turns his discreetly required resignation from the Centers for Disease Control into an opportunity for entry into a lucrative private medical practice. Jack looks forward to his upcoming trip to the luxurious Cloister Hotel on Sea Island, Georgia with his lithe fiance, Annabelle. On the Coast, two women have beautiful dreams of a more glorious existence. Cindy Jessup understands Jack's world and craves to be released from the web of murder, lies and corruption which is her daily life in her work with Sheriff Roger Odum. Her real desire is to somehow find a way to be a lady in Atlanta and Jack could be that ticket. Nurse Tacy Crandall wonders about her future and shudders at the day she narrowly missed being raped and murdered by inmate Henry Kirk at the Georgia Maximum Security Prison in Lester, Georgia. Her friends warn her she could still end up like the unfortunate female doctor who took her place that day and urge her to quit and find a job in Atlanta or Savannah, where there would be men who could fully appreciate her intelligence and charm. Judge Augustus Valentino and lawyer, Fitz Davis labor to contain the political power of Sheriff Odum and to somehow bring an end to the Sheriffs long running empire of corruption and drug smuggling with little success. Their efforts have long been stymied by the Sheriff's nuanced tactics and the occasional disappearance or deaths of crucial witnesses. Fitz Davis hopes that his latest informant, Cindy Jessup will be the key to bringing the Sheriff down. The Judge and lawyer Davis have also long been involved in a case concerning Georgia Maximum Security Prison. Over the years, Judge Valentino has issued Orders that govern every aspect of the operation of the prison. The Orders are so detailed and the Judge's supervision so strict that hardly anything is done by the Warden or other staff without consulting the Orders or the Judge himself. The Orders are very specific on the use of force on an inmate to obtain blood samples after a sexual crime has been committed. The prison is also required to issue detailed reports as to such uses of force and to maintain a sophisticated video monitoring system should claims of excessive force arise. Sheriff Odum and his second in command, Major Knowles are aware of Cindy's betrayal of their organization but have little time to act. However, thanks to the largesse of the Federal government as a result of the Sheriff's political power, they have access to an array of sophisticated military intelligence devices centered in a secluded compound on a tidal river. It would be useful to dispose of Cindy in a way that even Judge Valentino and Fitz Davis would have to admit the overwhelming evidence of pure accident caused by an outsider. Inmate Kirk is not satisfied with the rape and murder of the prison doctor. He still has evil designs on the beautiful Nurse, Tacy Crandall. Kirk plots an escape and kidnapping of Nurse Tacy with the help of the inmate law library clerks and his knowledge of Court and prison procedures. Soon Jack will be propelled into the lives of both these women. His wild escapades with Cindy make him an unwitting pawn of the Sheriff, and he finds himself forced to be the temporary doctor at the prison. Nurse Tacy introduces Jack to the ways of the prison and her close to nature life in Lester, Georgia. Tacy shows Jack the simple local pleasures, such as barbecue, fishing on the tidal river and Church bingo which soon escalate into an earthy love affair. Finally, Jack finds himself face to face with the evil of Henry Kirk and the inmate's medical secret which could lead to a cure for AIDS, with Tacy's life in the balance.