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[Relating to the comment from August 14, 2024 at 09:13 pm] Hey, @J.R.: Add this one to your list of words: Recidivism. Let’s hope Junior doesn’t wiggle his toes in those waters. 

Responding to: 8. What is your biggest “what if?” In the story? What would you think would happen?”

I like the Kormanesque “what if” as a prompt for reflection. Good stuff, @Logan.

So many smart “what ifs” in the comments. I love all the reflection on what might have happened in each of those scenarios. @Logan, just the thought of Junior saying “no” is scary. Father vs. son? With legal implications? Yikes! And @E.W., if they got caught, you’re definitely right about Junior and jail time. I think a lot of the answers to this would be similar to some of the answers to @Jade’s question about whether they deserved to get away with it (prison and juvie were mentioned frequently). And @Jade, your “what if” about I.C. All is one we probably all were considering a bit while reading the book. Good reminder that we didn’t find out her identity until Trey did! You guys are really creative.

For my “what if,” with some inspiration from @Jade’s, I will go with What if Gator (Junior’s “guy” at the garage who fixed up El Capitan) was actually an FBI agent on a sting operation?

I think Junior would have figured it out at some point and implemented a Houdini. But the family would be crunched for cash since they didn’t make any money on the El Capitan scheme, and they would’ve been forced to try a riskier scheme with less research to refill their coffers, starting a downward spiral that would eventually land them in the FBI’s net.