Deodand

"And until we can identify the one who hired the killers—the real murderer; the others are only a deodand—he's free to murder someone else."
-copied from 14, here.

The first time I read this novel, I must have just skipped past its unusual words. A deodand? (Which my lap top does not recognize.)

Is the term really applicable as Kintyre uses it? We have only six chapters left and Kintyre remains the viewpoint character although Yamamura is back on stage and, it turns out, has been investigative even while off stage. Someone holds them at gunpoint when they leave the Alley Cat at the end of Chapter 14. My excitement has not reached a crescendo. But I expect to find plenty of interesting words and phrases in Chapters 15-20. However, I had better not read any more of this text tonight.

Today, we attended at an Apple Festival at a local Community Association. Tomorrow, we might visit some interesting buildings open for the Heritage Festival. We celebrate the countryside and history and will eat at Aileen's and Yossi's place tomorrow evening. (We also celebrate family.)