Summary

Scott calls Titus and tells him that the town will host a vigil for Spearman that evening. Titus, thinking of the material on Spearman’s phone, notes that “tonight was the end of innocence for a whole generation of Charon County citizens” (69).

Titus visits Gilby’s, a local restaurant, for dinner. Several citizens, including Cole Marshall and Royce Lazare, opine to Titus about Latrell’s death. At home, Titus spends time with his father and Darlene. He notes that Albert “had taken up gardening in place of carousing and drinking after [Titus’] mother had passed” (78). Darlene, having heard rumors about the police presence at Spearman’s house, asks Titus about the case.

The next morning, Titus considers his desire for intense, sometimes aggressive sexual encounters—a desire that Darlene, unlike Kellie, does not fulfill. Titus tells his deputies (Davy, Steve, Carla, Douglas, and...