Chapter 21

Summary

• The narrator arrives early at Olive Garden, feeling nervous and contemplating disturbing thoughts and memories.
• Rodney enters, looking disheveled, and they order drinks and a meal, though the narrator is intent on staying clearheaded.
• The narrator confronts Rodney with a fabricated story about the police investigation regarding Mr. Black's death being tied to his will and Giselle not receiving anything.
• Rodney reacts with surprise and discomfort, revealing more than he intends to in his responses.
• Through careful dialogue, the narrator sows seeds of doubt and suspicion about Rodney's connections and knowledge of the case.
• Rodney becomes increasingly unsettled as the narrator recounts her interactions with the police and mentions that the detectives will sweep the Black suite again.
• The narrator deceptively implicates Rodney and his friend Juan Manuel in illegal activities, leading Rodney to panic.
• Rodney, desperate to hide evidence, asks the narrator to clean the suite before the police arrive to protect Juan Manuel from potential deportation.
• The narrator turns the tables on Rodney, suggesting he should clean the suite himself using her trolley.
• Rodney agrees to the plan, and they arrange for the narrator to sneak in and pass him the key.
• As they leave, the narrator makes Rodney pay for the meal, while subtly suggesting she is in control, much to Rodney's irritation.
• The chapter ends with the narrator feeling a sense of victory and anticipation about the culmination of her plans.