33. Skidmore Finds Its Spine
Miraculously, Bo Bowenkamp survived the shooting, and the senseless murder attempt on their beloved elderly grocer finally snapped Skidmore out of the terror spell cast by Ken McElroy. After years of intimidation, the locals had had enough. McElroy was tried and convicted of first-degree assault – his first felony conviction – but remained free on bail pending appeal.
The residents banded together and wrote to all and sundry. Letters went to state legislators, the state attorney general, and the governor, letting them know that Skidmore lived in fear of the psychopath in its midst, and asking the authorities to do something about it. Their pleas were ignored. In the meantime, soon after his conviction, McElroy was seen in a local bar brandishing an M-1 rifle with an affixed bayonet – a clear violation of his bond – and vowing bloody revenge on the Bowenkamps and all who sided with them.