Contents
Chapter 19
Overview
Bret drives to Palm Springs, confirms Susan is secretly with Robert, and confronts her at Las Casuelas. She begs him not to tell Thom; he agrees if she keeps his presence from Robert. Haunted by a beige van, Bret returns to his aunt’s house, where a prowler with a flashlight hunts for him. Terrified, he flees back to Los Angeles at dawn, newly linking the van—and the threat—to Robert.
Summary
Bret arrives in Palm Springs, remembering a carefree spring trip with Susan and Thom that contrasts with the present dread. He checks his aunt’s empty Toledo Avenue house, then drives to Susan’s grandparents’ nearby and spots her BMW alongside Robert’s Porsche, confirming his fears.
Following them into town, Bret watches Susan and Robert on an intimate date at Las Casuelas. When Susan heads to the restroom, Bret intercepts her in the foyer. She challenges his presence; he confronts her about hiding the relationship from Thom. Susan pleads with Bret not to tell Thom and declares her love for Bret as a way to sway him. Bret, anguished and furious at Robert, warns she’s in danger and finally promises secrecy if she does not tell Robert she saw him.
Shaken, Bret drives back toward Toledo and thinks a beige van is following him, recalling prior sightings linked to unnerving events. The van passes by, but the association leaves him rattled and sleepless.
In the early morning, power and phone service in the house go dead while the neighborhood remains lit. A prowler shines a flashlight through the glass, sweeping the living room and master bedroom, seemingly searching for an occupant. As the beam taps the bedroom door, Bret, in panic, shouts Robert’s name; the light immediately vanishes.
After minutes that feel endless, Bret grabs his keys and backpack and bolts, driving back to Los Angeles at dawn in only a T-shirt and underwear. He leaves convinced the beige van and the night’s terror are somehow connected to Robert, though he lacks proof.
Who Appears
- BretNarrator; tracks Susan and Robert to Palm Springs, confronts Susan, then endures a terrifying nocturnal intruder before fleeing back to L.A.
- Susan ReynoldsSecretly with Robert in Palm Springs; pleads with Bret not to tell Thom and agrees not to tell Robert she saw Bret.
- Robert MallorySeen dating Susan at Las Casuelas; Bret increasingly associates him with menace and the mysterious beige van.
- Unknown intruderProwls the patio with a flashlight, cuts power/phone, appears to search for Bret before disappearing.
- Restaurant hostessWitnesses Bret and Susan’s tense exchange in Las Casuelas’ foyer.
- Bartender at Las CasuelasServes Bret while he observes Susan and Robert in the cantina.