Nine

That fall, the group spends time at The Briars watching Unsolved Mysteries. Van fixates on unsolved perpetrators while Donna rages at child predators, revealing their ideological split. Their banter broadens to politics—Van left, Donna right—and to missed voter registration, underscoring their twin dissonance.

Colin predicts investigators will use computers to catch the Unabomber and imagines machines predicting behavior. Arthur resists, while Gwen warns such tech can encode bias. Allie, inspired by data and prediction, admits she craves others’ secrets, including who desires her. Van flirts; Allie pushes past it to future anxieties.

Donna sketches everyone’s futures; Van mocks Arthur’s academic destiny and joking Oxford hauntings, which unsettles Gwen. Attention turns to Gwen’s uncertain path. As a townie still in high school, Gwen spends afternoons at The Briars, doing crosswords with Arthur and quietly fitting into the group’s routine.

In the kitchen and later before the TV, Arthur urges Gwen to consider Rackham, but she cites cost. She outlines realistic goals—EMT work for crisis steadiness or roles in criminal justice to aid the disadvantaged—contrasting with the others’ collegiate privilege. Arthur privately recalls his own education trust born of his father’s death, heightening his guilt.

Allie brightly suggests Gwen could one day be Arthur’s mother’s parole officer, unintentionally exposing that everyone knows about Erin’s imprisonment. Arthur first laughs, then breaks down, gasping and crying as the realization lands. Gwen soothes him; Donna and Allie join; Van offers rough solidarity; Colin pledges support. The group collectively embraces Arthur, deepening their bond.

As the moment eases, Gwen jokes about tunneling Erin out. Arthur steadies, sharing hope Erin will win parole within a year, perhaps sooner—while privately fearing the danger posed by Jayne’s world. The chapter closes with renewed unity and clarified emotional stakes around Erin’s fate.