Summary

This chapter recalls the actions and thoughts of Darlene during Nat’s disappearance. Darlene thought that it was entirely possible that Nat’s disappearance was due to his political opponents. Sparkplug spoke to her, telling her that the police were corrupt and that it was no use speaking to the police.

The narrator then tells the reader exactly what happened on the night Nat disappeared. Darlene put on tight shoes that gave her a migraine, so she asked Nat to go down to the store and buy her Tylenol. The next morning, when Nat did not come back, Darlene asked around. Sparkplug told her that he was in jail for vagrancy that night, and he did not see Nat at the jail. Some women blocked Darlene's path and tried to distract her. She eventually got past them and noticed smoke coming from the...