Summary

Chapter 24 opens with Jimmy expressing anger and incredulity that Maureen had burned down a church. Maureen insists that she “can’t get caught,” and Jimmy becomes exasperated and leaves “to reinforce what he could before she got mind to break it” (322, 323).

Jimmy hears from an acquaintance that his boat had been taken out to sea in January. Jimmy had not taken it out, so he considers the possibilities that this acquaintance was mistaken or that “one of Jimmy’s own had been moonlighting, and lying to him” (324). He also quickly considers the possibility that Tony had killed Tara, since Tony “knew where the boat was kept and where he’d been promised a watery grave. Tony Cusack had a set on Tara Duane” (324). “But Tara was a flighty fuck-up and Cusack a weeping fool,” so Jimmy partially discards the possibility...