Summary
Highlights
The protagonist, still dazed from a pill, wakes to the news that a girl has been found. He hears a murmuring of voices downstairs and observes a chaotic scene: his parents, his cousin Alex, and an unfamiliar man with a bow tie. This man reveals himself to be Norville Best, a reporter from The Gainesville Gazette, who is investigating the disappearance and has learned that a girl (implied to be Pauline) has been found. Best questions Alex and the parents about their relationship with the missing teens, Brody and Otis.
The protagonist, Brody, comes downstairs, where he is confronted by Norville Best. Best continues to ask questions, and Brody's mother tries to get him to rest. Brody is distressed to learn that Otis has still not been found. He is overwhelmed by guilt, vividly imagining the accident and his own role in it. Alex maintains their fabricated story about hearing screams and splashes over the river's noise, making it difficult for Brody to reveal the truth.
Brody's father intervenes, asking Best to leave, stating that Brody is not well enough to be questioned further. Best expresses his intention to return with a photographer, mentioning the girl's mother being hospitalized after the discovery of the body. After Best leaves, Alex whispers a warning to Brody to 'keep your mouth shut,' emphasizing that they are 'in too deep now,' hinting at the severe consequences if the truth comes out and implying that he's protecting Brody. He suggests that Brody would be blamed for making them drown.
As Brody's father goes to answer a doorbell, he returns with two rolled-up, dirt-streaked towels: one yellow and one faded black. Brody recognizes them as the towels he had hidden in a hole on the riverbank. This discovery creates tension and suspicion, as everyone wonders who they belong to and why they were found. Alex quickly attempts to deflect suspicion by suggesting they could have been left there that morning due to the chaos. Brody is filled with dread as the chapter ends, wondering who found the hidden items.