Chapter 19

Summary

• The chapter begins with the protagonist, Leah, being warned away from a grisly crime scene by a female officer. Leah notices Kyle, seemingly a fellow officer, coordinating the scene.
• The scene is the aftermath of a car being pulled out of a lake, identified as belonging to Leah's missing roommate, Emmy.
• The victim in the car, only referred to as "he", is extracted from the car amid great discomfort from the officers on scene; Leah watches as his body is photographed, processed, bagged and removed.
• Both Leah and Kyle acknowledge, without speaking, that they were expecting to find Emmy in the trunk, but she wasn't there. Leah is reminded to go home.
• Back at school, Leah is confronted by Mitch about leaving during first period. Mitch seems to understand Leah's reason for leaving — thinking the car belonged to Emmy — and reminds Leah of procedure.
• Leah reassures a concerned Mitch that the town isn't suddenly dangerous, despite recent crimes. Mitch expresses concern over the rapid population growth and its potential impact on crime rates.
• Leah turns down an invitation from fellow teacher Kate Turner to go out, aware of an impending visit from Kyle to discuss the case. She stresses the importance of focusing on work.
• Finally, Leah encounters a student, Izzy Marone, who seems to be looking for gossip about the crime scene. Leah dismisses her and Izzy leaves, with Leah noticing a small folded piece of paper in Izzy's hand.