Jill grinned. “I’ll keep him away from the phone after nine o’clock. I promise.”
When we got to church on Sunday, it was a new year and, I hoped, a new beginning. But after greeting a few people, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being looked at differently than I had been before I shot and killed a man. Several offered condolences for what we’d been through.
John Jernigan remembered my interest in Gordon Franklin and said, “I had no idea it would be something like this.”
“You gave me the key clue with that info about the Military Amateur Radio Service,” I said. “That started all the pieces falling into place.”
He gripped my arm. “I’m just thankful you got out of it alive.”
Dr. Trent laid it all to rest with a comment during his sermon. Looking directly at me, he said, “Sometimes, in the face of crises, we are forced to take actions not of our choosing. On such occasions, it is important to make sure that what we do is always for the best of motives.”
Looking around at Jill, I knew what had motivated me to make that fatal move. And I had no regrets.
Author’s Notes and Acknowledgments
First a bit of explanation about the adventures of Greg and Jill McKenzie, and this book in particular. The first book in the series took place in November of 2002, the second a year later, the third the following spring, the fourth that summer, and now this one around Christmas. So in Greg-time, it’s still 2004. To avoid confusion, I call the location where the Nashville Predators play simply “the arena.” In 2004 it was the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Now it’s the Bridgestone Arena. Also, the Homicide Division back then worked out of the Criminal Justice Center. Now homicide detectives have been spread out among the precincts, much to many people’s chagrin .
I have several to thank for their help with this book. The character Louie Aregis is named after the 6th degree black belt owner of Aregis Taekwondo in Goodlettsville (Nashville suburb), where grandson Justin Jones qualified for his probationary black belt while this was being written. Aregis wanted to be a bad guy. Michael Bunch of the Nashville Fire Department, a certified arson investigator, provided help with the bombing scenario. Rudy Kalis, sports director of WSMV Channel 4 in Nashville, gave advice on the local sports scene. A source who prefers to remain anonymous gave me some valuable insights into the background of the local criminal element. Forensic guru Dr. Doug Lyle helped with a poison question.
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