Acknowledgments

They say to write what you know. My problem is that I don’t know much, certainly not enough to fill a book. This means I’m constantly relying on the kindness of strangers and friends for information. For this book, I’m indebted to Dr. Mel Park for filling in my almost-nonexistent knowledge about guns and for taking me to the firing range that appears in this story. Thanks also to Bob LeNoue for a thorough discussion of the cremation process, to Nancy Loggins for instruction on embalming procedures, and to Dr. Harry Mincer for information on dental matters. I particularly enjoyed talking dart-poison frogs with Charles Beck, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Memphis Zoo. And yes, his office was very warm. It was fun, too, learning a bit about signing for the deaf from Dr. Jennifer Lukomski. My apologies to anyone who told me things I’ve used in this book but who wasn’t mentioned here. As much as I want every fact to be correct, sometimes things go awry. If that’s happened anywhere in this story, the blame is all mine.