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searching for Tina Rutherford near a creek and eventually finds a man's body. The man is Morton Morrisette, who Silas knew in high school. Chief investigator Roy French arrives to take photos of the scene. Silas's girlfriend, Angie, who is a paramedic, arrives at the scene with a coroner to remove the body. . • Back in the office, French tells Silas he visited Larry and searched his house for evidence in the Tina Rutherford case but found nothing. Silas reveals he knew Larry in school. French says he plans to stop by Larry's house again to scare him into confessing, but Larry's mechanic shop was not open when he drove by. Silas finds that strange, as Larry's shop is always open. • Silas drives to Larry's garage and remembers that two years before, Larry had left him a voice message to welcome him back in town, but Silas never called him back. Silas knows that Larry's shop never has any customers because of Larry's bad reputation. When he was in high school, Larry went to the drive-in theater with a local girl, Cindy Walker, who disappeared immediately after. Everyone suspected Larry was guilty, but Larry never confessed, and the girl's body was never found. Finding nothing of interest inside Larry's Garage, Silas leaves to attend to another police matter and tells Angie to check on Larry Ott's house because Silas has a hunch something might be wrong. • Silas goes to a house where the postwoman reported a snake in a mailbox. Silas meets Irina Mott, who is an attractive woman in her early twenties. When Silas asks Irina if she knows who might have done this, she says three divorced women live in the house, and there are many angry men they had dated who could have put the snake in the house. Silas catches and kills the snake and leaves. Soon after, Silas gets a call from Angie who is at Larry Ott's house. Chapter 3- Flashback to L. & S. First meeting and start of their friendship (past) • Back in March 1979, Larry is on his way to school in his father's car and notices a black woman and her son not dressed warmly enough on the side of the road. His father, Carl, invites them into his car. The woman, Alice, whom Carl seems to know, introduces Larry to her son Silas. Larry realizes Alice and Silas live in an old hunting cabin on his father's property. Larry and Silas are in the same grade, and Carl drops them off at school. They separate because its not normal that black and white children are friends • When his mother picks him up from school, Larry tells her about the two people he had met that morning. The following days, Carl picks up Alice and Silas and drives them to school every morning, while Larry's mother asks Larry for details about Alice in the afternoon. When Larry tells her that he thinks Alice lives in the old house on their property, his mother drives Larry to school the next day and hands Alice two coats and tells her Alice never minded using other people's things. Larry and his mother drive off. . Larry thinks that his father never liked him very much as Larry was a sickly child and had an appearance that Carl considered soft and feminine. Carl also thought Larry was bad at all mechanical things so Carl did not let Larry into his auto-repair shop often. Now that Larry told his mother about Alice, his father does not talk to Larry on their drives to school. Larry takes one of his father's old guns and heads through the woods to the old house where Silas and Alice live. Larry thinks back to the previous year when he had tried to befriend two boys at school. They told him he had to call a black girl named Jackie 'Monkey Lips' to her face. Larry tried to impress and attend to befriend the boys by jumping out of a swing-> goes wrong Larry teaches Silas how to shoot and leaves him gloves Chapter 4- Silas and French investigate L.ś house after the attack (present) • Back in the present, Angie reports to Silas that she has found Larry lying on the floor in his own blood, a gunshot wound in the chest and a gun in his hand. It's not clear if he will survive or not. Silas calls French who sends him to Larry's house. • Silas can see a lot of footprints in the mud, but nothing else interesting for him. When he reaches the barn, a lot of memories come back to his mind. He once met Larry in exactly this barn and they had spent a wonderful day there, just the two of them. • Silas is waiting for French, who has visited Larry in the hospital. They investigate the house together, but don't find anything that might be important, except a case of beer in the fridge. They wonder, if Larry has started to drink, but Silas is quite sure that this is very unlikely. French believes that Larry tried to commit suicide but Silas wonders, if Larry came home and found a drug addict in his house, who tried to kill him. • Later this evening, Silas notices that his answering machine is blinking, and he presses "play". He hears Larry's voice, asking him to call him back, because he has something important to say but it was too late Chapter 5- The friendship between L. And S. Comes to an end one summer (past) Larry and Silas have become friends and are to be friends spending a lot of time together although Alice has forbidden meeting with Larry. • Larry tells Silas about Cindy Walker, a girl he really likes. Larry often spied on her alone, to see her sunbathing or smoking a cigarette but this time, Silas accompanied him. . • When they arrive at her house, Cindy isn't there but Carl and Cecil, Cindy's step-father. After a while, Cindy appears, only wearing a small towel. Cecil begins to argue and pulls on Cindy's • L. father wants to know where his any can gun is, and Larry has to admit that he has lent it to Silas. Carl is furious and orders Larry to bring it back to him the next day. Larry's mother is angry, that Silas and Alice are still living in the cabinet and issues an ultimatum to her husband. She says, that if they don't leave for his wife and son one night away, she and Larry will. Carl shows his dislike for his wife and son and storms out of the house. The next morning, Larry leaves the house and heads over to Silas. Once again, he asks him to give him the gun back, but Silas refuses because it's the only one he has got. • But out of nowhere, Carl appears and forces the boys to fight against each other. He is very drunk and threatens to beat them with his belt if they don't do what he says. Silas is about to win the fight and doesn't stop whenLarry tells him to (Jealousy?) when Larry calls him the n- word. . towel until she is half-naked. Before Larry can even think about it, Silas jumps up and helps Cindy get away from her stepfather. . Silas lets go of him, pushing him one last time to the ground and running towards the forest. Larry knows that he has said something unforgiving, which changed everything between them. Chapter 6- Silas finds out that L. Is his half brother (present)& flashback moving to c.(past) • One morning later, S. is glad that L. hasn't woken up until then, because that means that he doesn't have to see him yet. All the time, he has used Larry's insult as an excuse to avoid him. Silas goes back to Larry's house and found little splinters of glass and the butt of a joint. • Silas finds a shoebox in the attic which contains old photos. 1 photo shows baby Larry sitting on a black woman's lab. Silas gasps for breath->he recognizes that it is his own mother! -> keeps it • Flashback When he was thirteen, his comfortable life in Chicago changed forever. Although his mother's boyfriend had never liked and ignored him they led a fairly normal life but then, O.was arrested by the police for assault->tried to escape but the police caught him. Alice had enough money for bail, but O. told her to scrape as much money as possible together because there was another warrant out there for him and once the police came to arrest him, he would have to go into prison for a long time but at this time Alice and Silas had already left. They headed towards south but had difficulties to find a place to sleep. Silas By asking where they go-> she slapped him in public->about to run away-> mother stopped him & said: "Don't you dare run from the one person in this world that loves you." Doesn't want to live in this world • The bus driver insisted on driving them to a motel, but Silas knew that his mother had to sleep with him to pay him for that. Silas didn't want to be a part of that and jumped off the truck. He ran down the street, hearing his mother and the bus driver, Charles, screaming his name Suddenly, somebody pulled him behind a garbage can and took all his things, including his shoes. Silas tried to scream for help and Charles appeared and chased the thieves away. • Back in the truck with his mother and Charles, he fell asleep and at the time he woke up, they were somewhere in Minnesota. His mothers plan was to go to Chabot, a place she knew. After eating something in a diner, they caught a bus to Chabot. photograph. . Chapter 7- Larrys date with Cindy and her disappearance Larry is 16y.o. and gets asked out on a date the first time ever in his life-> confidence boost His mother is excited and gives advice; father is astonished and supportive, gives him car and gives him 20 $ Larry is embarrassed to talk about it with his parents - L. Lied about having asked her out, he would have never dare; she asked him to watch a movie - Before date L. Meets Cecil and cecil demands respect in a harsh way towards Larry-> is helpless because cecil pushes him against the wall and contemptuous of Cindy (calls her a whore after she pushed him away) - Cindy sits on the driver seat and drives, L. Is nervous. Cindy reveals the purpose of the date -> wants to use him to drive to Fulsom to her boyfriend (Larry is the only person her father would allow her to go out with) and confides in him that she is pregnant and her father would kill him too - She wats him to go to the movie theatre so it looks like they have spend the whole time together, then he should pick her up at 11 o'clock and drive her home Larry does it all- he even acts like theres a girl in his car When he wants to pick her up, she is not there, he drives to cecil house and gets beaten violently. Wakes up in ćecils and cindyś motherś house and they wait or the police as well as larryś parents. He sticks to the story Cindy asked him to tell But days later he reveals the truth because everythin points of him murdering her - Carl starts drinking hard alcohol, his shop starts loosing costumers because of the rumors and his mother no longer goes to church -> they all stop living and just seem to exist A year after C. Disappearance Larry joins the army and likes it, becomes fit - Learns how to be a mechanic and is friendly towards the other soldiers, but is not socializing - After 3 years in army Larry is honorably discharged Chapter 8- Silas discovers an unexpected connection between himself and Larry Silas meets Angie at the diner where his mother had worked for 20 years. He tells her, that he has to work on the case of Larry's shooting. Angie is sure, that Larry has shot himself, but Silas doubts it. When she asks Silas why he doesn't believe this, he tells her, that Larry and he had been friends at school and that he used to live on their land. He tells her, that Larry always wanted to get attention from the others but didn't get any. He was a strange kid, without any friends. Silas mentions, that Cindy Walker was part of his group of friends. Angie wants to know whether Silas has ever dated Cindy, but Silas doesn't answer this question. He says, that Cindy's stepfather was the kind of man, black boys stayed away from if they had any sense. Silas goes to the hospital to visit Larry. He is still in intensive care and hasn't woken up yet. He asks the man at the reception desk, Jon, if Larry has had any visitors but he denies it. Since nobody has told Larry's mother about the attack on her son, Silas feels it is his duty to tell her. He drives to the nursing home where she lives, but Ina doesn't recognize him because of her Alzheimer's. He asks Brenda, the nurse, to call him if she happens to have a good day. Silas finds out, that he and Larry are half-brothers. He decides to visit the old cabinet, he used to live in with his mother. On this way, he comes across a young man, Wallace string fellow, riding a four-wheeler, quite fast, down the middle of the street. Silas pulls him over, telling him that it isn't allowed to drive the four-wheeler on the street. He denies that he has been drinking and because Silas still wants to visit the cabin, he lets him go with a warning. As he gets closer to the cabin, he cannot stop thinking about his mother. She had two different jobs to have enough money to send her son to Oxford. Back then, Silas had seldom visited Chabot. On these visits, he had always spent his evenings with his old school friends rather than with her, refusing to see that his mother was starving from loneliness. - The cabin is completely overgrown with vegetation and he has to push it back to find the front door. Inside is still their old furniture. The glass from the window is broken and he can see that somebody has dug a grave underneath his old bed. It seems, that he has found the place where the missing girl is buried. Chapter 9- Larry makes a new friend, Wallace Stringfellow Larry is now thirty-one and his mother has just moved into the nursing home. He notices that someone is going into the barn while he is not at home-> tells his mother about it and she advises him to lock the door. But Larry tries it in a different way: One day he doesn't go to work but hides in the barn. When he hears someone coming in, he puts on his old zombie mask and scares the person. It is a blond, dirty, tanned boy without any shoes. The boy jumps up and runs away. Ten years later, the boy comes back. He tries to sell Larry a satellite dish, but Larry doesn't need one. The visitor asks him, if he could stay a bit and Larry doesn't know a reason why not. As Larry mentions his name, the man doesn't seem to know him, but they find out, that the two of them went to the same high school and left before graduating. The man promises to come back on Monday. Larry recognizes him as the boy who he has frightened off in the barn ten years ago. Wallace asks him, if Larry doesn't like him but Larry answers, that he doesn't even know him. But he admits that he doesn't get many visitors and Wallace makes a joke about it. Larry cannot help smiling, which is something very rare. The next time Wallace visits, he brings a whole case of beers with him and Larry is worried how drunk he is getting. He admits that he recognized Wallace as the boy who had been in the barn and Wallace tells him, that, although he was too frightened to return to the barn, he often went fishing in the creek on the land of the Ott's. Wallace reveals that he has seen Larry before in a church in the nearby town. W. was outside with some other kids, who started talking about "Scary Larry". One of their mothers told them to go inside and Wallace took a seat at the back of the church. After the service had started, Larry came in and sat at the back too. Just before the end of the service, L. quietly left. Wallace followed him and even called after him, but L. didn't turn around. L. remembers the incident and also remembers W. sitting in the church, looking at him curiously. Because of him, he never returned to the church. - Wallace starts to smoke a joint. It's the first time Larry sees one, but he doesn't want to try it.On Christmas Eve, he finds a shoebox on the porch, which contains an old .22 pistole. There is a message: "Merry X-Mas, Larry, from Santa". - On New Year's Eve, Wallace turns up and the two of them spend a wonderful time together. After that evening, he starts to come around once or twice a week. He asks Larry if he really killed Cindy and wants to know why they didn't have sex. Wallace is aroused by the idea of raping a woman. Larry is uncomfortable with this discussion and goes to bed. He sends Wallace home, but out of sudden, Wallace gets aggressive and threatens to go to the police and tell them, that Larry confessed to him that he killed Cindy. This finally gets a reaction from Larry. He goes back outside and tells Wallace that he would never hurt anybody in his life. After smashing the headlights and the windshield of Larry's car, Wallace drives away. W. doesn't return for months. Larry has even bought a case of beer in case he should show up. But nothing happens. Chapter 10- Silas admits his relationship to Cindy Silas finally admits the truth about his relationship with Cindy Silas is exhausted. A week has passed since he found Tina Rutherford's body in the old hunting cabin. When he called French to tell him about the find, his boss could hardly believe it. Instead of admitting how he found it, Silas lies and says it was just luck. It was too much for Silas and he ran outside to vomit. The girl was lying on her stomach, naked and her face didn't look human anymore. Meanwhile, Larry is still lying in a coma under police guard. In the hospital, other patients come to try and catch a glimpse of the alleged murderer. Larry is now the only suspect in the Rutherford case. The newspapers speculate that Larry may be responsible for other unsolved cases of missing girls. Silas is trying to protect his old friend. He always asks if Larry has had any visitors but nobody apart from the police, hospital stuff or the reporter ever comes. He tries to talk to Larry but gets no response. Silas feels the need to warn his old friend about how bad things are going to be for him. One day a man of Wallace's description has been to the hospital. The visitor hasn't been caught on the security camera because the camera is broken according to Jon. Silas discovers that Larry's house is now a crime scene and he doesn't have access anymore. One evening at the hospital Silas sees a person but doesn't manage to catch up with. Silas helps Mrs Ott who is lying in her own feces after a discussion with Brenda. He finally forces one of the male nurses to clean Mrs Ott and the bed sheets. He hopes to find out the truth about his mother, but Mrs. Ott is too confused. There are a few moments when she remembers Silas, but most of the time she is in her own world. Angie finds out that Silas dated Cindy Walker. Silas remembers how Cindy became his girlfriend. One day when they were walking along a street a white man in a car slowed down and asked if Silas was bothering her. They said, "mind your own business, doofus". Nobody should find out about their relationship. But it seemed that Silas took their relationship more seriously than Cindy did. Silas's mother tried to make him break things off with Cindy. Angie has been listening carefully to his story. Silas says he had no idea that Larry would be the one who drove Cindy to their agreed meeting place, and that Cindy persuaded him do so by saying she was pregnant. Cindy ran away before Silas could stop her. He went away to live in Oxford, and he justified his actions at that time by being young and not fully aware of the grave consequences for Larry. - It is only now that he can admit his guilt. His relationship with Angie has become strained since he has told her the truth. If Larry dies it will make things far easier for Silas. He realizes that he lacks the courage to do the right thing. While he is thinking about this, his phone rings. Jon from the hospital is calling to tell him that Larry has woken up. Chapter 11- Larry has won up in hospital and has to face accusation from the police Larry has woken up in hospital and has to face accusations from the police and is perplexed. He has been dreaming about himself and Silas sitting in the trees, then he sees himself with Wallace. He dreams of the evening in the haunted house when he was wearing his zombie mask. The doctor checks whether Larry remembers anything. Larry's first thought is the missing girl. Larry finds out that he owes his life to Silas because he called the ambulance. The wrist restrains are a sign for Larry that he has not only been injured, but that he is also in trouble. He has a violent reaction when he hears what happened to Tina Rutherford. When Larry wakes up again, French and the sheriff are back. Larry wants to talk now, and the police stay in the hospital. He is surprised about the things Silas has been doing to help him. A friendship between Larry and Silas seems unlikely to French. Larry's refusal to sell the land where the cabin is, comes across as suspicious. French tries to convince Larry that he killed Tina Rutherford. He suggests that Larry kidnapped Tina for a bit of companionship, but she became frightened, and perhaps attempted to get away. Larry asks French if he thinks he committed the crimes and French says yes. A mask like Larry's mask makes an attacker anonymous taking away their guilt for the crime. French brings Larry to the point where he is ready to make a confession. Chapter 12- Silas admits his part in Cindy's disappearance - At the hospital, Silas hurries up to Larry's room, afraid that French has already persuaded him to confess. Silas tries to get a few minutes alone with Larry but French refuses. Silas confirms that he and Larry were friends and he confesses, that he was the boyfriend Cindy mentioned and met that night. Larry asks if Cindy is the reason he went away to Oxford and also wants to know whether Cindy's and presumably Silas's baby was a boy or a girl. Silas tells him Cindy wasn't pregnant after all. - After all these years, Larry finds out that Cindy must have been killed by her stepfather. Silas cannot honestly say he behaved like a friend towards Larry. Silas tells French everything about him and Larry, except that they are half-brothers. French advises him not to confess anything. Back in 1982 when Cindy disappeared, he should have come out with the truth. It might have been possible to convict Cecil Walker for the crime. Now however, too much time has passed, and Cecil is dead anyway. For French, Larry's innocence in the Walker case does not prove his innocence in the Rutherford case. It is hard for Silas to talk to Larry now that he knows the truth. - Larry cannot forgive Silas for the things he did in the past, twenty-five years ago. Silas gets drunk to forget the events of the day. In the bar, he meets Irina, the woman with the snake in the mailbox. She tells him, that her roommate Evelyn has had a strange relationship with a man named Wallace Stringfellow. He had a lot of snakes and guns at home. Irina invites Silas to come home with her, but he resists the temptation to sleep with her. Chapter 13- Larry realizes who killed Tina Rutherford and decides to tell French Alone in his hospital room, switching between the different television channels, Larry's head is full of memories. He thinks about all the times his mailbox has been destroyed by teenagers, riding past and knocking it down with a baseball bat. He is tired, not just physically, but generally tired of all the things that have been done to him since Cindy went missing. The day of his date with Cindy was the last time Larry and his parents were happy. Larry has lost his trust in Silas after the day's revelations. Wallace seemed to be taking refuge on Larry's porch. Wallace liked to think of himself as someone who didn't have to obey the law. Larry wanted to give him a chance to find something he was good at, just as he was given one. He questions whether any of the friendships in his life have been genuine. He understands that the innocent world he grew up in has disappeared. The evidence of Wallace's guilt becomes clear to Larry. Larry remembers reading about a way to make mailboxes stronger, so that they cannot be destroyed by vandals, and decides to do this when he leaves the hospital. He is tired of being a victim. Chapter 14- Silas goes to Wallace Stringfellow's house to confront him Silas wakes up the next morning with a terrible hangover, but still just about in time for work. He doesn't remember everything about the previous evening but is relieved that he woke up in his own bed. Angie has left him two messages during the evening, asking where he was. The alcohol has helped to rise his guilty conscience. Silas realizes he has never taken responsibility for his past actions. The media will make Larry's life more miserable than ever. Someone has returned to Larry's yard since the police had last been there. - Silas examines the tire tracks and decides to drive to Wallace Stringfellow's house to pay him a visit. There is a fierce guard dog like the one Wallace described to Larry. Silas does manage to check the tire tracks before Wallace comes out. There are no signs of drugtaking inside the house. Larry's zombie mask is on the shelf. Silas has to fight off the dog that Wallace released on him. He finally manages to shoot the dog. He shoots Wallace in the leg, but he escapes into the forest. Silas is left lying on the ground, injured and trying to stay conscious. He manages to drag himself into the house to look for a phone, but only finds the base unit. Still bleeding heavily, he stumbles and falls over a table, knocking over one of the aquariums. It breaks and a rattlesnake escapes. He starts to feel very cold and is no longer able to stand but can only watch as the snake slides past. Chapter 15- Larry tells French about his relationship with Wallace; French now also believes in Larry's innocence - The next morning, when Larry asks, he is told that French is not available to talk to him. Since his wrists are still restrained, he asks the nurse to put the copy of "Night Shift" into his hand so that he can read. In the afternoon, he speaks to Skip, the deputy guarding his door, again, wanting to know when he will be able to meet French: "I got something he'll want to hear." However, Skip tells him that another crime has been committed and that French is investigating that. Larry realizes it must have been Wallace who attacked Silas. Larry is finally able to see French in person and to tell him what he knows. The injuries to Silas's arm may be permanent. Larry sees that he befriended Wallace because there was nobody else. He tells French that Wallace must have killed Tina Rutherford. Larry deliberately did not tell Silas about Wallace. He also thinks about Wallace and wonders whether, in some way, he himself is responsible for Tina Rutherford's death. - He realizes that, in a twisted way, Wallace admired him and wanted to copy what he thought Larry had done to Cindy. Larry now regrets "sending him home that night instead of understanding". He also wonders what might have been different if he had spoken to Silas a couple of days ago instead of ignoring him. Perhaps Wallace would still be alive, and Silas would not have been injured. While Larry is still thinking about all of this, another patient is wheeled into the room in a bed. It is Silas Chapter 16 Larry and Silas share a hospital room, giving Silas the opportunity to reveal that they are half brothers Silas wakes up on his back in the bed next to Larry's. Not noticing that Silas is awake, Larry is once again clicking through the channels on the television. In Silas's imagination, this could have been reality for the two of them, that they could have been "normal brothers all the years of their rearing, both black or both white, sleeping side by side in matching twin beds". He is lucky not to have been more seriously injured. Silas could have let Larry feel included on the one evening he felt he belonged. Wallace killed himself before the police could arrest him. At first, Larry does not seem prepared to listen to Silas. It is not easy for Silas to tell Larry about their father. In a way Larry guessed the truth. Carl preferred a son like Silas to one like Larry. For Alice, accepting the coat meant sacrificing her dignity. It is hard to say who was worse off: Larry growing up with a father like Carl or Silas growing up without one. Chapter 17- Larry is still refusing to talk to Silas Unlike Larry, Silas has a lot of visitors while he is in hospital. Angie has forgiven Silas, relieved that he is okay. She shows sympathy for Larry. She offers him a way to start going to church again. Silas gets a lot of praise for his actions. French turns up, smartly dressed in a shirt instead of his usual T-shirt. He stands at the end of the curtain between the beds so that he can see both patients at the same time. He tells Silas that the attractive anchor woman from the news wants to talk to him, but Silas asks him to release Larry from the restraints before he does anything else. - - He does so with an apology. Larry rubs his sore wrists and starts watching TV again. French pulls the curtain back, asking Larry to switch off the television as he wants to talk to the two of them. There is now little doubt that Wallace shot Larry. Silas and Larry have become local celebrities. Chapter 18- Silas starts trying to make amends for the way he has treated Larry Angie drives Silas to the town hall. He is still in a lot of pain and feeling very tired, but he is happy to have left the hospital. Earlier that day, he has given an interview to Shannon, the local police reporter who has been trying to reach him for days. He wants her to have exclusive rights to the story, rather than one of the big networks like CNN. She asks if Larry will confirm the story, but Silas says she will have to ask him herself. At first it is not clear what the mayor wants to tell him. Silas is going to be rewarded rather than punished. He is not very comfortable with going to visit Larry but feels that he should do so. Silas tries to bring his friendship with Larry back to life. Since no one else has punished him, Silas is punishing himself. Nobody knows what really happened at the Walker place. Silas wants Larry to have a fresh start when he gets out of the hospital. Silas gives back the rifle. A part of hope is Angie. Chapter 19- Silas and Larry make the first steps towards rekindling their friendship Larry does not feel he owes it to Silas to talk to him. Five days after Silas was discharged, the doctor examines Larry and tells him his wounds are healing well. He should, however, take better care of himself, eat more healthily and get more exercise. The doctor gives him permission to leave his room and walk around the hospital corridors. He is finally allowed to leave the hospital room. He finds it hard to believe his ordeal is over. Larry leaves the hospital without telling anyone. He wants to walk to his shop where he will be safe. He does not know if he will ever escape his reputation as Scary Larry. Silas sets off in his Jeep to look for Larry. Larry allows Silas to drive him home. The crime committed at the Walker place is starting to fade to memories. Larry walks slowly towards his house, then stops and turns. He tells Silas he can bring the Jeep over to the house tomorrow and he will take a look at it there. Silas says he will. With difficulty, Larry climbs the steps to his porch and lets himself into the house. He is completely astonished when he discovers that his house has been cleaned and polished. There are flowers on the table, a basket of fruit and scented candles in the room. Angie and Silas have put food in the refrigerator and had satellite television installed. Silas has even found a way to drive the tractor with one hand and has been able to move the chickens around onto fresh grass. He has collected the eggs for Larry, too. Silas drives away again through the "country dark", so different from the bright lights of the city. Silas feels at home here now. In his house, having sat down for a while, Larry gets up and discovers the rifle in the gun cabinet. Slowly, he walks through the house, switching off the lights, and gets into bed. His last thought before falling asleep is that he will have to call Silas in the morning and tell him to buy a carburetor kit so that he can repair the Jeep. Larry As a child: • First goes to a school in Fulsom, but then is bussed to a predominantly black school in Chabot Outcast; misfit at school; teased by black and white kids, doesn't have any friends Is weak(chubby, allergies, unfit...) and helpless, passive, doesn't defend himself verbally and physically . . . Never really had anyone to talk to or share things with before he was friends with Silas • Tried to catch attention of other kids by bringing snakes to school or wearing zombie mask at school -> gets admiration at first and gets an invitation to a halloween party and hopes that something will change but people ignored him straight after his performance and nothing changed As an adult • white, 41 years old Single; a loner; doesn't seem to have friends or acquaintances Shunned by the society; teenagers harass him by throwing water bottles and firecrackers at his house • ostracized by the community because he took Cindy Walker to a movie and she went missing living alone in his parents house - in isolation from rest of society in Amos, small town in Mississippi- nearest neighbors live a mile away; no shops nearby His dad is dead; his mum lives in a home for elderly people (dementia) He regularly visits her He is a mechanic "but only in theory" who has taken his father's repair shop; doesn't get a lot of costumers He cares about his mothers chickens -> careful, talks nicely to them (like friends) and constructed a movable cage for them (good weather) He loves to read crime fictions and horror stories with his favorite author being Stephen King • He is a suspect of the police for supposedly having murdered Cindy Walker and Tina Rutherford- Is not allowed to own a gun Doesn't mind dying (attack of the monster)- no enjoyment of life anymore Does not have cable TV/ answering machine or computer French calls him a ,,Frozen in 1960s kind of character", also Larrys tools are old fashioned ● • . . . He has unusual hobbies for boys (reading, spending time in the nature) More resembles his uncle than his father, has a lot of ,,feminine" features Used to stutter . . Does not drink alcohol Joined army as a teen,Likes the anonymity of army life -> becomes fit, loses weight and is busy but still prefers to be alone instead of socializing with the other soldiers Spends as less time as possible at home because parents became strange Silas Jones Childhood: Black kid going to a predominantly black school Lives with his mother and doesn't know who his father is . Heś good with girls and popular ● Is athletic and play's baseball (called 32) . • Now lives in a small cabin in the woods without basic utilities; poor conditions without electricity and running water Is not understood by his mother because he has had an easy life up until now • In Chicago: Oliver (Bf of Alice) never liked Silas and ignored him all the time (no replacement for a father) • thinks that a bad father would have been better than no father at all (e.g. cutting grass and Larry got praised for it. He thinks about all the things he could have had like a warm place to live, land, luxuries etc... he is jealous of Larry Takes risks, e.g. when he defends Cindy Walker against her father • But then leaves her alone because he does not want to risk meeting Cecil on this occasion, she was killed . Does not want to give up his successful life and career so he stays silent As an adult ● ● His past is a burden he has had to carry for so many years and yet he is not always honest about it • Admitts his guilt and takes responsibility . When he was thirteen, his comfortable life in Chicago changed forever (always had hot food, Tv and own room) . In the process of finding the real killer he nearly gets killed himself but accepts the pain in form as a punishment Tries to connect with ina ● Alice Jones • Had an affair with carl Ott, Silas loving mother Takes Silas to Mississippi to start a new life As a black women, options are limited . ● Doesn't want anyone to know that he used to be friends with Silas Finds out that carl is his father and realizes whatnots better that he had no father Difficult relationship with his mother; she never told him the truth. He admits to himself that he has treated her badly ● ● Attractive to man, many of whom use her Works hard (2 jobs) and additional cleaning • Is afraid of the repercussions of Silas's relationship with Cindy, because she had a similar experience herself Was irritated by Silas- doesn't understand what heś going through, may have had a harder life than him • Acts differently around white people (fake smile, very polite...) Had sacrificed everything for him, sent him money every week so he didn't have to work and can focus on classes After they moved to Cabot she never laughed again Has a lot of dignity and only accepts carls and Inas help out of necessity • Pretends she did not care but missed her son terribly when he was away Carl Ott • Has never liked his son, shows no love, support Would like Larry to be different, more manly Taught Larry how to shoot and fish, wants to limit the time he spends reading by making him cut the grass, reading makes him a ,,momma's boy" Treats Silas and Larry sardistic ● He is an uncaring husband, doesn't spend much time with his wife, work>family -> Does not care that Ina is humiliated by Alice's presence and would take the chance to get rid of ina and Larry Treats Alice badly -> got her pregnant and then sent her away, gives her the cabin and maybe a car but des not care more than this Will never acknowledge that Silas is his son and pretends not to recognize him Strong domineering personality Car mechanic and owner of Automotive car repair shop ● When not at work, he spends time drinking beer or infant of the TV • Alcohol problem, especially after Cindy walker case; smokes; people avoid his shop, which was once very important to him, meeting friends, being the center of attention -> Dies while crashing car while drunk Cecil Walker Grew up in poverty friend of the ott family, carl knows him since childhood Drinks a lot of beer . ● ● • Kills his daughter while drunk and has an easy scapegoat in Larry • Became ill and died of cancer, cannot make up for the fact that L. Was punished for his crime Ina Jean Ott Leads a simple life, taking care of her family Housewife who is very religious (prays for Larry, wants Carl to go to church) Loves and protects her son and wants him to be happy Her treatment for Alice is cold and unforgiving, suspicious of C&A Blames Alice for the affair Suffers from dementia and the only thing she remembers are her chickens ● Is excited about Larry's date and wants to help him Does not know what life is like for Larry Named her chickens after former first ladies . . ● Step-Father of Cindy Walker Abuses his daughter (e.g.pulls on Cindy's towel until she is half-naked, threw fireworks at Cindy) has a cruel streak Takes control of Cindy's life and wants to hav sex with her, is jealous of her friends . ● Cindy Walker Pretty and popular Lives close to the Ott's house • Cool kid who smokes Her step father abuses her • Triest stand up to her step- father Dreams of escaping the small town with Silas and is devastated when he refuses to run away with her. -> Runs away and gets killed by father • Larry is her victim: She forces him into the situation that leads to his being ostracized . ● . Wallace Stringfellow Fascinated by Larry . Commits a ,,copycat murder" in honor of his hero • Several sick fantasies e.g. raping and killing a girl Racist and inappropriately a lot of swear words Sudden changes-> does not want to loose Larry then kills him Morton Morrisette (M&M) • Dead drug dealer Probably murdered by Wallace Stringfellow Body found in the swamps by Silas • School friend of Silas, used to play baseball together Tina Rutherford • Rich white girl Disappears at the beginning of the story Raped and killed by W.S. Buried in cabin where S.&A. Lived ● ● • . Her disappearance bears a certain resemblance to the disappearance of Cindy Walker over 20 years ago Daughter of the local mill owner