Chapters 26-31
Why do you think Cruz killed Clement in such a cowboy animalistic manner?
What was Cruz proving to himself killing Clement in this manner?
No one knew it was going end this way, what do you think he is going to telling the people at the precinct?
I think he killed Clement in that manner and was also trying to prove to himself that he was not nice the sheepish boy, wanna be man everyone thought he was. He wanted to prove that he was the ultimate cop. That he had the ability to figure things out from all angles, cover all his bases and come out on top as the man behind the plan. John Wayne and Dirty Harry, all in one.
ReplyDeleteI think he's going to say Clement trying to draw a the gun on him (the gun now has his fingerprints on it) and he shot him to save himself with no mention of the beer opener.
I'm not so sure Raymond was trying to prove anything to himself. In fact, the way he behaved mirrored his previous actions as being systematic and methodical.
DeleteI also think he has no reason to confess to the shooting, even under the justification of it being self defense. With all of the Wildman's enemies, a number of people wanted him dead and could have committed the murder. Frankly, no one in the judicial system is going care to pursue the murderer of such an evil man, who previously has evaded any serious penalties for his crimes.
I grew up watching Westerns in both television and films, so the ending of the novel did not surprise me. I knew there would be a showdown between Clement and Raymond. Throughout the book, the two were always matched against each other in a game to see who would get the best of the other. The last straw for Raymond was when he learned Clement had assaulted, molested and stole money from his woman. Under the code of the West, he had to seek vengeance in a way that would match the cruelty Clement had early meted out.
ReplyDeleteTo get away with this crime, I don’t think Raymond needs to tell anything to his fellow officers. Clement had quite a few enemies, so his murder would be difficult to place on any one person. Under these conditions, Raymond will get away with murder like Clement had done so earlier.
Based on how the beginning of this book began, with a "Wild West"/raw approach to the law and justice, the ending seemed fitting (and even to an extent, predictable). Also, I will agree with Dr. Anderson - based on how many enemies that Clement had, it's easy for Cruz to get away with this killing.
ReplyDelete