Chapter Seven: Something Beautiful and Dangerous

Summary

• The chapter begins with the protagonist, Mia, and her friend John finding the entrance to a parking lot blocked due to a quarantine.
• Mia, determined to find her dad, moves the cones and runs into the parking lot despite the closure.
• She uses a family locator app to reach the exact spot where her dad's last location was recorded.
• A series of speculative hypotheses about her dad's whereabouts and actions ensues, with Mia suggesting possible scenarios involving an ambulance and first responders.
• Meanwhile, Mia spots a missing person flyer with her dad's photo, noting its differences from his current appearance, which could hinder recognition efforts.
• Mia encounters Susan, a mother from Eugene's therapy group, who shares information about seeing police cars but not an ambulance.
• They consider the possibility of the police transporting her dad directly to the hospital and decide to check there.
• A conversation with Susan implies that she knows some unfortunate news about Mia's family, which she quickly covers up, redirecting the conversation to the difficulties of special-needs families during the pandemic.
• After receiving frantic texts from their mother, Mia and John rush back home amidst growing concern and confusion over their father's whereabouts.
• Back in the car, Mia contemplates the sequence and timing of text messages and theorizes that Detective Janus might have been the one who texted her from her dad's phone.
• They receive confirmation from Detective Janus that she sent the text from her father's phone and that they could not unlock his phone.
• The chapter concludes with intense emotional scenes, including the siblings hugging and trying to stay strong for their family and the reunion with their visibly distressed mother at home.
• Mia reflects on the long-term impact of the current crisis and fears that the family may never fully recover from the trauma.