Summary

In Chapter 23, Cowney cries for awhile, grieving for Lishie but also crying for his father and Essie, as well as in self-pity. He realizes his father may have cried like this before he killed himself. He goes to Room 447 and discovers the military has torn it apart, apparently having briefly planned to make it into an office. He finds two of the dominoes and realizes they are “worthless.”

In Chapter 24, Cowney goes about his business. One evening, he and Lee have dinner in town. The waitress refuses to fill Cowney's glass but fills Lee's several times. Though Cowney does not talk about Peter, Lee has come to realize that someone had “fouled up” with regard to the missing girl, and that “Someone else in charge made sure to cover it up” (215). (Peter was dismissed from the military but Cowney knows he will not...