3. Chase

Summary

• The chapter is set in 1969, with two ten-year-old boys, Benji Mason and Steve Long, exploring an old boggy area near an abandoned fire tower.
• They discover a dead body in the mud at the base of the tower, which they recognize as Chase Andrews, a well-known local man. They decide to report the find to the Sheriff despite their fear of being in trouble for being on prohibited grounds.
• The sheriff, Ed Jackson, is initially hesitant to investigate the death as it's located in the marshland, an area traditionally outside of his jurisdiction but he realizes the significance due to the victim's identity and agrees to inspect the location.
• Sheriff Ed Jackson and Dr. Vern Murphy, the local doctor, drive to the location with the boys, observing the crime scene and the victim. The cause of death appears to be a fall from the fire tower. Dr. Vern declares that the man must have been dead for at least ten hours.
• The Sheriff notes that there are no footprints near the body, and it is odd because usually, Chase's friends would accompany him, or he'd have a partner to make out. The lack of footprints prompts puzzlement—Sheriff and the doctor found no footprints, either leading towards or away from the body; the boys said that the footprints they found were theirs and they did not go near the body. They also did not find Chase's footprints making them question how Chase managed to reach the stairs without leaving any footprints behind.