In Search of a Murder

By Chester Campbell

I'm in the market for a plot. Not a plot of ground, but a plot for murder. I'm gearing up for my second Sid Chance mystery, and I need an exciting case to challenge his talents. It would be nice if I could look out my office window and find an inspiration for a good plot. But let's face it, I live in a boring neighborhood.

How nice it would be to live like my colleague Ben Small, out there in rattlesnake country, where deadly critters lie in wait for somebody to invite them in. Or maybe have a neighbor like the guy Beth Terrell wrote about who kept for pets such things as Komodo Dragons (or was it Kimono Dragons, no, that wold be Japanese).

I guess the worst I've seen out my writer's perch is young guys going down among the trees toward a creek that flows out of sight. I learned they had a nice setup with folding lawn chairs where they smoked pot. Some of the neighbors took offense and invited the cops to join the festivities. Unfortunately, I wasn't here to enjoy the proceedings. Needless to say, the party room was shut down.


Of course, Nashville has its share of homicides. It seems there's some sort of altercation on the news most every evening. I suppose I should be happy they don't take place  in my neighborhood, but it would be so convenient to stand by my window, or venture outside if necessary, and watch the cops do their thing. They'd have to import a body from elsewhere, since I wouldn't want any neighbor to be the guy decorated with a garland of yellow crime scene tape.

In today's paper we have a couple of interesting court cases to consider. One involves a woman charged with strangling her husband. He had filed for divorce and gotten an order of protection to keep her away from his house, where he lived with their three kids. That's a bit of a switch from the usual wife getting an order to keep an abusive husband at bay. She admitted going to the house and taking the kids away but claimed she didn't see her husband. A housekeeper saw him, dead in the bedroom closet.

I could go with the serial killer angle. We have one of those back in the news. He's a long-haul truck driver who's accused of murdering several women at truck stops around the country. While awaiting trial on one that occurred at a truck stop near downtown Nashville, the prosecutors say he arranged with a fellow jail mate to kill a few witnesses. He recently got thirty years for that, but his lawyers are asking for a new trial on the basis of court errors. They didn't mention the errors he made in setting up the proposed killings.

So many murders to consider, so little time before I have to get to work on the book. Ah, the perils of a mystery writer. I may just have to flip a coin. Heads he goes after a serial killer, tails he tracks down a husband choker. I'm not too thrilled by either of those, however. The excitement in the neighborhood will just have to pick up and lead to a totally new concept. Now that would be intriguing.

Rattlesnake Ridge

By Jean Henry Mead

Several weeks ago I wrote about our mountain mini-ranch and that it's a retirement paradise. But every Garden of Eden is inhibited by a serpent and we've been adopted by a five-foot rattler of our own.

Much of the property is covered in buckbrush, which serves as a hideout for a variety of creatures, including deer, antelope, elk, coyotes, rodents, wild turkeys and sage hens. The brush is also home to large flocks of birds and we gladly welcome their presence.

But rattlesnakes are a different tale. Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I’m a research hound, and I decided to read about our unwelcome guest. Here's what I learned: there are some thirty species of rattlers as well as many subspecies. Their scientific name is Crotalus, which comes from the Greek word kporalov, and means castanet. The snake’s rattle also shares its name with the sistrum, an ancient Egyptian musical instrument.

Rattlesnakes give birth live and have no need to care for their young, which at birth are literally on their own. The infant rattlers are born with fangs capable of injecting venom and are considered more dangerous than the adults because they have less control of the amount of venom they inject.

Some 7,000-8,000 people are bitten each year and five of them don't survive. About 72% of those bitten are males. Antivenom, when applied in time, reduces death to less than 4%. The snakes can strike up to a distance of two-thirds the length of their bodies and their venom can kill rodents, small birds and animals within twenty seconds.

According to the Wikipedia: “Quick medical attention is critical, and treatment typically requires antivenin/antivenom to block the tissue destruction, nerve effects, and blood-clotting disorders common with rattlesnake venom. Most medical experts recommend keeping the area of the bite below the level of the heart. It is important to keep a snake bite victim calm in order to avoid elevating their heart rate and accelerating the circulation of venom within the body.

Untrained individuals should not attempt to make incisions at or around bite sites, or to use tourniquets, as either treatment may be more destructive than the envenomation itself. Any bite from a rattlesnake should be regarded as a life-threatening medical emergency that requires immediate hospital treatment from trained professionals.”

I think we’re going to name our mini-ranch Rattlesnake Ridge and we’ll definitely acquire an antivenom kit. Hopefully, our uninvited guest isn't a female ready to give birth, but just in case, we’ll be prepared because the nearest hospital is 30 miles away by flight-for-life helicopter.