Thursday, September 26, 2013

8:18 AM News – Shellie Zimmerman, George Zimmerman's wife, was interviewed and my TV was skipping in and out to the point that I didn't get to hear what she said. I'll go to the Internet after a few hours to see if her comments were published there. Apparently she called the police on him after he punched her father and threatened her with a gun when they came in to get some of her belongings. She has filed for divorce. She said she doesn't know where he is, and hasn't been able to serve his divorce papers as a result. He is apparently a more disturbed person than he appeared, or his arrest and trial damaged him emotionally enough to change his behavior. I didn't think he should have been acquitted, though. He had no need to follow Martin. He was told not to by the police, but instead went to his car and got his gun. He didn't act like an innocent man, but one who was looking for a fight. I wonder what he was like as a husband before all this occurred? 8:32 – The interview has been reported on the Internet. She just said that he has changed since his acquittal and now treats her “like she is disposable,” and went on a “victory tour.” She said she is conflicted over the question of whether or not he acted in self-defense. She said she doesn't know what he is capable of. Maybe he was always a ticking time bomb, and not the peaceful man that people thought. Someone was reported to have said about him that he was a “wanna be cop,” which says to me that he was disturbed and angry. Shellie said she didn't think he was profiling Martin, but I doubt that that is true, because all the young man was doing was walking down the street. He was wearing a “hoodie,” which some people consider to be gang clothing. Zimmerman was overheard saying something about “punks.” I think the whole “movement” of neighborhood watch is questionable unless the neighbors limit themselves to calling the police and letting them investigate and subdue the suspect. I especially question the idea that an individual is not allowed to walk down the street undisturbed, unless he gets off the pavement and into someone's yard or house. Cities are full of people who are out on an errand at night and minding their own business. Everybody needs to work together to produce a peaceful environment. I used to live in Washington, DC without a car and was often out walking at night. I was always on my guard, but wasn't overly afraid in most neighborhoods, and I can only think of three or four instances when I felt directly threatened.

The novel –- I'm trying to skip parts without missing the story and move through this book. The character of Purcell's daughter Gretchen is turning out to be exciting. She is, it turns out, the shooter of one of the criminals from earlier in the story. Purcell has finally told her he is her father. She is on her way to find the man who replaced the one who had been hiring her to do hits. She thinks her former employer has probably been killed. She told him she had quit and wouldn't do any more hits when he called her to kill Purcell and Robicheaux, and he told her that if she quit he would kill her mother. She didn't kill Purcell, and informed him of the contract. Purcell tells Robicheaux. Meanwhile Gretchen drives down to Miami and finds her mother, then comes back and is next seen defending a black female cop who offended one of the meanest of the villains, Leboeuf. Leboeuf finds where the black cop lives and talks his way into her house and assaults her. He is in the middle of trying to rape the cop when a mysterious shooter in a ski mask walks into the room and threatens him. First he begs and then he runs toward the bathroom, where she shoots him twice. He slowly dies where he fell in the bathtub, and the lady cop calls 911 after the shooter leaves.

Robicheaux goes through Lebeaux's pockets and finds a receipt with the coordinates of Alexis Dupree's island on it and he and Purcell go to the island on a private plane. They break into the house and find the torture chamber and two young people who are on the island in a tent doing drugs. They tell Robicheaux that Dupree is on his yacht. Then Gretchen shows up on the island and tells Robicheaux that the albino Lamont Woolsey, who was with Dupree, is the one who issued the contract on him and Purcell. They didn't find Tee Jolie, or in fact anyone, in the house. Purcell is going after Woolsey. He finds him and beats him up, but then lets him go. None of these criminals are getting arrested. The police are totally out of the picture. It looks like the author decided to go for as much violence as possible, without actually solving the crimes. This is really disappointing. I have liked his other books, but not this one. I have about 20 pages left to finish it. I'll do it tomorrow. I want to see if he ties up any of the loose ends.