Summary

Chapter 28. The explosion during Houdini’s show is revealed as coming from the Emerald Isle Firehouse. Two volunteers are hospitalized and four others die; some of the firemen appear to have died from buckshot rather than fire or the explosion. When the New York City Police Department reconstructs the events, they discover six firemen had been playing poker when the alarm rang. They reacted quickly, as they are trained to do, setting off into the road where they were met by shotgun fire. Three died immediately. The fourth died when the engine fell on him. Father hears the explosion and initially assumes his fireworks plant is the cause. The newspapers identify the bomber as a black man demanding to know the location of Willie Conklin. Father blames the Mother for bringing Coalhouse Walker into their lives; Mother’s Younger Brother reminds Father Coalhouse is the...