Contents
Six
Overview
Seeking distance after refusing Trey’s plea, Cal spends the day fishing, then bonds with Lena while viewing her new litter and tentatively choosing a runt pup. Returning home, he finds his car’s tires deflated, likely Trey’s warning. News of a neighbor boy’s suicide deepens Cal’s unease, and strained calls to Alyssa and Donna leave him more isolated.
The chapter heightens tension around Trey and Brendan’s disappearance while anchoring Cal further in the community through Lena, contrasting tentative roots with rising threat.
Summary
Cal heads to the river to avoid dwelling on Trey’s plea about Brendan. The fishing is cold and unproductive, and memories of Alyssa surface, underscoring his wish for something simple to set him right.
On the road home, Cal meets Lena walking her dog and accepts an invitation to see a new litter. At Lena’s byre, he handles the runt, learns the story of Lena’s rescued beagles, and hears candidly about her past: selling the farm after her husband Sean’s death and choosing independent work at a stable. Lena offers Cal first pick of a pup; he tentatively favors the runt but asks for time.
Back home, Cal finds all four tires deflated. He suspects Trey intended a warning rather than real damage. Mart arrives with Kojak, trading banter and reporting that Darragh Flaherty, a local twenty-year-old, has hanged himself. Their talk about churchgoing and community hints Mart may have seen activity around Cal’s place.
Uneasy, Cal phones Alyssa, who sounds harried and evasive. Growing more anxious, he calls Donna. The conversation turns tense; Donna refuses to mediate or share details about Alyssa, challenging Cal to ask his daughter directly. Afterward, Cal drinks on the back steps, listens to music, and reflects on how far he has drifted from earlier family hopes.
Who Appears
- Cal HooperProtagonist; seeks distraction in fishing, bonds with Lena over pups, finds tires deflated, worries about Trey and Alyssa, argues with Donna.
- LenaLocal farmer-turned-stable worker; shows Cal her beagle pups, offers him first pick, shares frank history and independent outlook.
- Trey ReddyAbsent but suspected of deflating Cal’s tires to pressure him about Brendan.
- Mart LavinNeighbor; chats with Cal, reports Darragh Flaherty’s suicide, hints at community watchfulness.
- Alyssa HooperCal’s daughter; takes a brief, strained call, sounding overworked and distant.
- DonnaCal’s ex-wife; resists sharing information about Alyssa, reinforcing Cal’s isolation.
- Darragh FlahertyLocal young man reported by Mart to have died by suicide, heightening the chapter’s sense of peril.