Summary

Pages 135 to 164 -- Julia's father took her to Rudy Molinaro's house so she could interview him for her speech on environmental issues. She learned Rudy's life story, how he had a job as an electrician, a girlfriend, and his own apartment in Royston, but then his dad died of a heart attack and he had to move back home to take care of his diabetic mother. He got Bessie the German Shepherd and began working odd jobs, including his current job as a "security guard-cum-maintenance" worker for the Land Association, whose holdings included the cemetery, the quarry, and the asylum.

Rudy's mother died of a stroke in 2010, and the storm destroyed his house a few months later. He had been playing poker in Royston during the storm, and Bessie was with him, crying the whole time. He thought it was unusual, and came...