To Kill A Clone

To Kill A Clone describes the machinations of a billionaire microbiologist who creates a doppelganger to foil an assassination plot. His scheme encounters numerous misadventures ranging from a surrogate mother who reneges on her contractual understanding because she developed motherly affection for the cloned child and rejects the billionaire's determination to regain possession of what he views to be a manufactured asset. As the drama unfolds the billionaire has to deal with the duplicity of a previously trusted employee who attempts to dispose of the billionaire and usurp the corporation's immense empire and the clone. After dealing with the traitorous employee the billionaire finds himself in a legal quandary because his manipulations have aroused the suspicions of a female assistant district attorney who is distrustful and feels that the actions of the billionaire and his hirelings are tainted with unlawful and murderous intent. Another unwanted distraction occurs when the clone matures and becomes convinced that he has an original human identity and is not a fabricated appliance. The entire cloning plot becomes unraveled in a district court before a judge who rules that the clone is entitled to protection as required by the constitution. This disastrous turn of events persuades the billionaire to murder and eliminate the clone. The elimination of the clone becomes difficult because of the successful maneuvering of the traitor employee who has persuaded the clone to assume the role of the corporate leader when the billionaire disappeared and is presumed dead. Later it is discovered that the billionaire has avoided the attempt on his life and returns because the original cloning schematic included a calculated premature death for the clone to avoid the possibility of an identity theft by scheming employees. As the misadventures continue the now-emergent billionaire is stunned to learn that he is to be arrested for the murder of the clone. After the billionaire reveals the cloning procedure to his attorney they meet with the prosecutors and explain that the clone's calculated maturation was intended to include a timely death. Later the billionaire's defense attorney wins a ruling from the Court of Appeals to quash the indictment on the grounds that there is no evidence that a crime has been committed. The Court of Appeals remands the case to the State District Court to evaluate the merits of the indictment. Nevertheless the Assistant District Attorney want to solve the puzzle of whether the cadaver is the real billionaire or the clone. She enlists the aid of an expert to establish the genetic identity of the cadaver and the merits of the murder indictment. Arrangements are made to have the cadaver cryogenically preserved until the indictment is resolved. While these events are under negotiation it was discovered that the surrogate mother had given birth to twins and the twin brother had been secretly transported to friendly relatives in Nova Scotia where his birth records and identity were concealed.

Gennaro Ottomanelli, PhD is a psychologist who worked as a professor, reviewer, editor, treatment director and was the author of three books twenty-one scientific articles and three presentations. He is currently branching into works of fiction and has found his professional achievements to be important stepping stones into fiction with a medical/legal genre.