Contents
Four
Overview
Trey returns, openly tests Cal about his police past, and secures permission to keep coming by to help with the desk. Over lunch, Trey admits he’s thirteen and skipping school, while Cal chooses pragmatism over policing. Later, Cal visits Noreen’s shop, meets Lena, and learns local context about the struggling Reddy family and absent father Johnny, hinting at broader social pressures around the hills.
Summary
On a clear day, Trey reappears while Cal restores his desk. Cal hands Trey sanding work; Trey accepts without hesitation, signaling growing trust. As they work, Trey confronts Cal with rumors that he was a cop who fled after a shooting. Cal opts for honesty: he’s retired, never shot anyone, and left because the job made him bone-weary amid public anger and policing turmoil.
Trey presses for details on Cal’s detective work, perking up at fugitive tracking methods. When lunch comes, Trey devours sandwiches, then asks to return and help with the entire restoration. He first lies about being sixteen, then admits he’s thirteen and skipping school. Cal, emphasizing he’s no longer a cop, doesn’t police him and agrees to let him come back, preferring Trey visible while he figures out the kid’s motives.
After cleaning up, Cal visits Noreen’s shop to learn more about Trey’s background. Noreen introduces her sister Lena. In a friendly exchange, Lena and Noreen sketch the local landscape: many families left, but Sheila Reddy remains, raising several kids in poverty after Johnny Reddy left for London chasing a dubious scheme. They imply the Reddy children can be trouble, though Lena is sympathetic to Sheila.
Noreen tries to match Cal with a puppy from Lena’s soon-to-whelp dog; Lena demurs for now. Cal stocks up on groceries, including milk, and leaves with fresh insight into local families and the pressures shaping kids like Trey.
Who Appears
- Cal HooperRetired Chicago cop restoring a desk; chooses candor about his past, feeds Trey, and agrees to let him return to help.
- TreyWary thirteen-year-old returns, helps sand wood, probes Cal’s police past, admits skipping school, and asks to keep coming.
- NoreenTalkative shopkeeper; introduces Lena, shares local gossip about the Reddys, and pushes Cal toward getting a puppy.
- LenaNoreen’s sister; widowed ex-farmer with a steady manner, offers grounded context on local families and her soon-to-whelp dog.
- Sheila ReddyLocal mother of several children, struggling with poverty since Johnny left; subject of village scrutiny and sympathy.
- Johnny ReddySheila’s absent partner; left for London chasing a dubious business idea, leaving the family behind.