BE Chap 25 a Stinger chapter

[Mark Kohut]

Maxine gets a DVD from some midwestern state that
might be Minnesota where that famous social realist
Sinclair Lewis was from.

Classic mysterious conspiracy theory video. Rooftops,
Stinger aimed at the sky and therefore a Boeing jet; an
unidentified sniper but nothing happens. Dry run?

In what may be another of P's signature storytelling tropes--
or it may be having a little fun with conspiracy groups--
everybody just happens to meet up at The Deseret, where everything is
happening,
the rooftop Maxine geolocates from the video by dream instinct which has
never been wrong in this novel, a thematic meaning going on here.

March knows Reg. And it turns out Igor knows Reg. A circle of conspiracy
or the small town nature of NY webs of connection? I say conspiracy joke
about the unknown unknowns so far.

Russians since Afghanistan...."Pashto. "God is great" on the recognized
Stinger battery cap.
And the blade they took out of Lester was not a finely-made throwing blade.
Weapon for a *chainik*
Killed up close and personal.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/spetsnaz

Chainik (East Slavic: чайник, "teakettle", "teapot") is a term that implies
both *ignorance and a certain amount of willingness to learn* (as well as a
propensity to cause disaster), but does not necessarily imply as little
experience or short exposure time as newbie and is not as derogatory as
luser.

Russian expression, "It's clear to a hedgehog", meaning it is obvious
Apr 5, 2017 — The hedgehog is a friendly character in Russian folklore,
known to be clever and crafty. When faced with danger, it hides from
predators ...

Go look up that great short* Yozhik v Tumane, * Hedgehog in the
Fog....(1975)
(Among other things it is about seeing reality under the Soviet fog and, of
course, since such art transcends its time, it is about all who could not
see the reality of post-Soviet Russia as Putin rose to power.)