Chapter Nine: The Thing in the Shed. A Dangerous Place. 911. The Wallet. A Good Conversation.

Summary

• The narrator no longer needs to feed Radar, a dog, as Mr. Bowditch can do it himself.
• One morning, Radar begins to bark intensely at the shed in Mr. Bowditch's backyard, and the door appears to be moving slightly.
• Mr. Bowditch gets his gun and goes to investigate, telling the narrator to stay inside.
• There's a tense moment of waiting before two gunshots ring out from the shed.
• Mr. Bowditch emerges from the shed and is helped back inside by the narrator.
• Underneath Mr. Bowditch's bed, the narrator discovers his gun, a leather keyring, and a black wallet.
• While at school, the narrator gets a call from Mr. Bowditch stating he is having a heart attack and gives him instructions for what to do next.
• The narrator immediately calls 911 and rushes home, but finds that the ambulance has already left by the time he arrives.
• The narrator's father comforts him when he arrives home later.
• The narrator and his father discover some surprising forms of identification and money in Mr. Bowditch's wallet.
• Mr. Bowditch's funeral service is held and he is buried in a local cemetery.

• The narrator attends a funeral service for his father, where a number of friends and community members are in attendance. During the service, he reflects on the excitement that led to his father's death.
• After the service, the narrator, his father, and a lawyer named Leon Braddock have a conversation. Braddock reveals that the narrator's father left all of his property and assets to the narrator, including the family home and a significant piece of land.
• The narrator and his father are stunned as they begin to grasp the significance of the inheritance. The father mentions that the property alone will take care of the narrator's college expenses, provided they decide to sell it.
• The narrator considers the possibility of keeping the house instead of selling it. His father reminds him that the value is in the land, not the house itself.
• Upon returning home, the narrator finds that the house has been broken into and vandalized. However, he does not initially consider the possibility that the burglar might still be present.