Adam Quatrology

Adam Carter has begun checking the locks on his doors again and again. Are they securely fastened? Is the alarm set properly? He's never quite satisfied that everything is in order. And so he feels compelled to check yet again. He feels for his wallet and then confirms that each and every piece of paper, credit card and cash is perfectly in order and safely in its place. He's had these obsessive thoughts before, but for Adam, a successful Washington lobbyist, they have in recent years been merely a sometimes annoyance, a quirkiness. Now, the "checking" behaviors threaten to debilitate him. So Adam pays a visit to his old psychiatrist, who frankly is not overjoyed to see him. Doctor Rogoff can diagnose Adam's symptoms and prescribe the latest in medication, but Adam cannot-will not-fully accept the need for treatment. Adam knows the true cause of his problems is not to be found in a diagnostic manual. It is the Horla, a creature straight out of a Guy de Maupassant tale. These two first met in Adam's youth, within a dusty old volume at the local library, Later, somehow, the Horla, managed to make Adam its victim. Now the Horla is stronger, more active than ever before and intent on destroying Adam's world. Adam must fight the creature, but how? . . By chance, Adam has met a woman, Miranda. She's bright and attractive, and willing to put up with Adam's eccentricity-to a point. He's intrigued. More importantly, however, it is through her that Adam sees a way out of his problems and back to a reasonably normal existence. But the Horla is lurking. Maybe he's in the next room, perhaps he's downstairs. Adam can't tell. With the help of a new ally, a Doberman named Willie, Adam plans for a final confrontation to vanquish the Horla and regain his life. .

In hindsight, perhaps Adam Grossman should not have retired--at least not so soon. After all, he was a respected heart surgeon and certainly not of diminished skills. Adam, however, had let his ego get the best of him and when he is passed over for a department chairmanship, decides to take his generous pension and move on. Now a year later, he's adrift, although not always unpleasantly. For his wife Eva it's a different story. He is disrupting her life to the point that she has jokingly suggested an affair to fill his days. Even their two dogs seem a little agitated with Adam's current schedule. Adam has come to the opinion that there's no point to anything anymore. But there is one thing that keeps him engaged-music. Most particularly, he has always been enthralled by the brilliant, yet underappreciated rhythm and blues stylings of Oscar Brown, Jr. They met over 35 years before and have been fast friends for most of that time. Adam has hit upon an idea. He will tell the tale of Oscar's life and career and thus revive the public's enthusiasm for the musician-songwriter. To Adam's surprise, Brown warms to the idea. There is one problem. Although Adam has the support of his friend and intimate knowledge of his music, he never really considered the effort required to actually put the story to paper. Then, there is a wonderful coincidence. Attending an Oscar Brown Jr. show at the last minute, Adam is approached by a young woman. She's an accomplished writer, and even has clippings from articles she's done about other music entertainers. Adam has a proposal. Would she be interested in collaborating on the book? Adam and Charlene strike an agreement. He will supply her with rare recordings and other background material. In time, the book will be completed . Deal in place; Adam and Charlene begin to meet daily. For Adam, this arrangement is wholly satisfying. But after a while, Oscar and Eva begin to wonder why no pages have been produced. Even Adam questions how this can continue. His embarrassment grows. Just who is this woman? Adam is now as determined to maintain his relationship with Charlene-despite the warning signs-as he once was to tell Oscar's story. He thinks he can do both, but who is he fooling? Adam struggles to maintain his equilibrium, but with every new alibi he creates, his illusions fade a little. It becomes clear to Adam that, sooner or later, he is headed for a fall .

Welcome to the world of the Electroencepalographer. Adam Turner is a middle-aged, married, Washington-based physician. By all appearances, he is a conventional and well-organized neurologist, devoted to the routine, clinical interpretations of EEGs (brain waves) at a university hospital. In truth, he is a fearful man, depressed and tormented by the idea of his death, obsessed by recurring and somewhat paranoid philosophical ruminations of his own wretched condition. Moreover, he sees life in general as a hellish experience. Turner seeks out extramarital involvement, but that provides him with only brief and unsatisfactory release. Confronted with the impending death of his close friend Jean, his depression deepens; despair made worse by a peculiar lifelong handicap--the inability to cry. . During a visit to New York to see an ailing friend, the Electroencepalographer encounters Edna. He finds her irresistible. Their relationship transforms him. . Back in Washington, he is a changed man, buoyed by his torrid affair and the anticipation of its continuance. Then, the Electroencepalographer is asked to examine an unusual patient, a women who may even offer a possible cure for his inability to shed tears. . . His mind fills with thoughts of a joyful existence. He hardly suspected that his pleasure was probably too good to be true. .

We all lie. Whether it is a major deceit, a common whopper or a benign throw-away, these fabrications become part of the navigation of life. But when we lie to ourselves, what is the result? Are we in a state of denial or merely bending our memories to shape a new reality? Adam Merritt, a successful dermatologist awakens one morning feeling obliged to be, in all things, truthful. It doesn't matter if it concerns his friends, his wife or his professional relationships. He is going to forge ahead with complete honesty. He feels liberated, energized. The reaction of those around him, however, is less enthusiastic. Adam decides to turn on the old table radio in his bedroom. Left in his care years ago by Betty Tarrington, a fellow medical resident, he has always appreciated the set's vacuum-tube induced, mellow sound. He begins to recall in detail his earlier days in New York and the radio's original owner. Adam remembers the long hours at the hospital, their shared love of music and a fleeting companionship. Slowly, he begins to acknowledge that she meant more to him than he had realized. Could he have done more to deepen their relationship? Radio in hand, he travels back to New York City seeking answers. Once, Adam could easily define himself as physician, husband, and friend. When his journey of remembrance becomes contorted, he questions the substance that make up his life and the circumstances surrounding his memories. What was true only a moment before is now murky and ill-defined. Will he ever understand reality again? The truth-if it is the truth-threatens to shatter the underpinnings of the man that Adam Merritt thought he was.. .