Chapter 8 Summary

Shadow Moon and Mr. Ibis are sitting and talking in a restaurant near the funeral home. Ibis tells Shadow that Mr. Jacquel has dominion over the dead, and Ibis has dominion over words. He tells Shadow the history of the funeral parlor and that they came there from Egypt. Ibis tells him many groups had come to America before Columbus. They go back to the funeral parlor, where Jacquel is doing an autopsy on a teenage girl. Shadow watches the autopsy, and when it is finished, Ibis and Jacquel ask him to stay. The three sit and drink a beer at the kitchen table. A brown cat coming and rubs against Shadow, who pets it.

Shadow goes upstairs to get ready for bed. In the bathroom, he thinks about killing himself. The cat comes in the bathroom, and shadow changes his mind. The...