Zoyd

[Michael Bailey]

 Rob Jackson wrote:
>
> It's third person detached narration here. Van Meter is turned like a leaf
> in the breeze. A-and Zoyd knows it.
>

"ok, but what is he going to do about it?" I thought to say...

...then I was going to raise the issue of how he might be subverting
his handler by treating him like a friend, and (like in the story, The Great
Stone Face) over time Van Meter becomes his friend

but - proper respect - I must admit, that is a new thought to me,
about van Meter.

I spotted some private agenda in van Meter's seeking Z out at the
unaccustomed saloon, (page 41)
and thought there might be more to the whole "meeting up with
Van Meter, driving his car, looking just like him" on page 315 and 316
than meets the eye.

But, so, ok, there's this whole relationship with the DEA that's been
foisted upon everybody.
Has it prevented Z from having a lot of pretty good years?

Maybe the DEA's resources that were spent on him, kept those nasty buggers from
busting some really nice hippie down the road.

More to the point, is it possible that their devoted attentions,
pushing him into what
he thinks of as paranoia, awaken in him a spark of self-preservation
that is actually rather helpful to him in his travels?

Is it possible, with the demise of BV, that he might outlast them after all?

And again, so there's a little bit of snitchery.  Why so grim about it?
Can you really hate an informant who sells Zoyd a mantra?
I'm pretty sure Z doesn't.  That may be part of the point, in fact.

But thanks for the clues about van Meter.


-- 
"My God, I am fully in favor of a little leeway or the damnable jig is
up! " - Hapworth Glass