Lynn asked Dennis M. Banahan:

Have you ever experienced bad dreams as a result of being reminded of a certain case or criminal..after you've been writing?

Dennis M. Banahan Great question. Lynn. Yes, I use to have a recurring dream all the time. I guess it would be better classified as a nightmare. I am sitting in the passenger seat of a squad car on a darkened street, checking out the license plates of passing motorists to see if they're on the "hot" sheet (stolen vehicles). Suddenly, out of my peripheral vision, I see a man quickly approaching me from the rear, and he startles me. He bends over at warp speed, like in the cartoons, and he politely asks if I know what time it is. I let go an audible sigh of relief, and then look at my watch. When I turn to tell him what time it is, he has a sawed-off shotgun in my face. He pulls the trigger and I can feel chunks of my face being blown off, and the noise from the gun deafens me. Then I wake up. I believe the dream was predicated on the murder of Chicago Police Officer Kenny Kaner, who was sitting in his squad car making out a routine report, when someone walked up to his car and shot him in the face for no apparent reason. Unlike my dream, Officer Kaner was never able to wake up.

flag