Chapter Twenty-four: Shitty in Real Life

Summary

• The protagonist reflects on how digital records from phones helped them deduce the timeline of Eugene's exposure to a virus.
• Eugene's detailed schedule is reconstructed, but a gap between 4:02 and 5:27 p.m. is noted as the potential exposure time for the virus.
• A therapy session with Anjeli is seen as the likely contact point for Eugene's exposure to COVID-19.
• The protagonist unlocks their phone after a call to the health department and checks for updates on their father's experiments and documents related to the case.
• Adam's notebook with passcode hints is analyzed, leading to speculation about the meaning of clues recorded for his phone passcode.
• The protagonist reviews experiments documented by their father involving them and their sibling with various scenarios affecting their happiness.
• References to "E" in the experiments spark curiosity, with the protagonist questioning if it relates to another family member.
• The scope of the experiments appears to expand beyond simple outings to more significant aspects of family life and decisions.
• A call reveals that Anjeli, the suspected contact for Eugene's COVID-19 exposure, is hospitalized but doing better, and no leads on the protagonist's missing father are found.
• The protagonist and their family unsuccessfully attempt to find Anjeli's partner in a hospital parking lot, driving the length of the lot with a sign asking for information.
• The chapter reflects on previous misinterpretations surrounding Anjeli and dad's research, revealing various biases and the emotional impact on the protagonist.
• The protagonist struggles with accepting the possibility that their father might no longer be alive, while also grappling with the emotions of anger versus grief.