Summary

One day, Linda discovered that the telescope was pointed directly at her cabin. Her first thought was of the tarp that covered their doorway. She set their dogs free of their chains and heard the ice crackling under their weight, indicating the lake would soon thaw.

When she was walking home from the bus stop one day, Linda encountered the mother and son on the road. The mother, Patra, was working on her bicycle chain while Paul was collecting leaves and putting them in his backpack. Patra began to talk, saying that she was a terrible driver and that her husband, Leo, did not “trust me with the car” (Location 404). Linda remembers being asked during “the trial” (Location 431) when she became aware that there was something wrong with Paul. From the first meeting, she noticed he had a “breathy” way of talking and...