A lot of readers wrote to me about the last two chapters. One gave me a technical explanation of why double jeopardy would not apply. (Leaving aside the technical details, Georgia and the United States are considered separate sovereigns for court purposes. Many thanks, really, many thanks. I like to be accurate.) One gave me a lengthy response about how what I described in Conover County would have never been allowed by various state, federal, and bar associations. All the others fell into two categories. First was “Wow! I didn’t know you lived in [fill in the blank] County! You just described my home!” The second was to toss in some details, many of which focused on drugs and corruption.
What can I say about the last three chapters? Into every life some rain must fall? Longfellow said so, but I don’t think he had this in mind. Anyway, enjoy - or not.
Interesting compliment from samurai: ‘Nobody does tragedy like rlfj.’ Thank you, though I’m not quite sure what that says about me. In one way it’s sort of like being proclaimed the best serial killer. I’ll have to ask my wife what that means. I’m not sure I want to know her opinion, either.
Many commented with sadness that we don’t respect our veterans more when they pass. We went through this with my father when he died. He was in the Navy during WW2. Never saw any action, did his time, and got out, but we all knew he served, and we all respected him for it. When he died we got a petty officer and a boombox playing Taps. Fortunately, my nephew, an active-duty Marine, was home on compassionate leave and in uniform. He took over for the PO and did the presentation of the flag to my mother. A year later my nephew ended up in Fallujah, and my mother would pray to my father in Heaven to watch over him. That was considered odd to the rest of us, since she was really hard-core Lutheran, and we don’t believe in saints watching over us. It worked, sort of. He came home from Iraq whole in body and damaged in soul, with a serious dose of PTSD.
Several people noted that a Glock would be a lousy gun to kill a nest of snakes. Instead, Grim should have used a shotgun with buckshot. Okay, I don’t know shit about guns. That being said, two points. One, Grim doesn’t own a shotgun. Several times it is noted he has two handguns and an M-14 set up as a sniper rifle. Second, don’t forget Grim is such a great shot he could easily have got them that way. Anyway, as he said, he wasn’t ending the menace, but he had to do something. One reader pointed out that it is illegal to kill snakes in Georgia. Correct, but incomplete. It is illegal to kill non-venomous snakes in Georgia. Rattlesnakes are venomous, and we know he killed rattlesnakes because he heard the rattle.
Several dozen readers commented on killing snakes. It seems that there is an ammunition for the Glock.40 suitable for snakes, rats, and other pests. It’s called shotshell and is made by CCI in a #9 size. For those wondering why Grim didn’t kill the snakes with that, there’s no reason to think he would have that sort of ammunition. There are many different types of ammunition. I googled ‘40 S&W ammo’ and discovered the following types: target, full metal jacket, jacketed hollow point, ball, shotshell, fragmenting, lead free, and round nose flat point. There are probably more. While I can’t speak for all police officers, I would think it unusual for a single officer to have every single type preloaded in a magazine for emergency home use.
Some readers want Grim to donate his remains to science or a body farm when the time comes. The shot glass idea is my thought, which I trot out occasionally when I want to gross out my wife and offspring.
We are taking another break from Grim and returning to Carl Buckman. Don’t worry, though. Grim still has a few chapters to go.