I finished my last book right before spring break, so I decided to buy a new one at the airport and read it during the flight. I’m currently reading “Killing Floor” by Lee Child. The plot is interesting so far. It’s not the first time I’ve read something related to murder and crime. I like these kinds of plots because they keep me on the edge of my seat, wondering what’s going to happen. In this quotation, we meet Chief Morrison, an arrogant man who will be essential in investigating the murder case.
“My name is Morrison,” he wheezed. As if I cared. “I am chief of the police department down here in Mar-grave. And you are a murdering outsider bastard. You’ve come down here to my town and you’ve messed up right there on Mr. Kliner’s private property. So now you’re going to make a full confession to my chief of detectives.” (p. 12)
The chief is introducing himself to Racher, the main character. So, his hostility toward Reacher comes from a mixture of anger and fear. He is understandably upset that a homicide occurred in “his” town, and he also labels Reacher as an outsider, which immediately classifies him as a threat. In a city as isolated as Margrave, it is rare, if ever, that someone new arrives, and Morrison reacts as if Reacher’s presence is an infection he means to eradicate.