Contents
Chapter 21
Overview
Shattered by the torture tape, Bret self-medicates and preserves a social façade with Susan, Debbie, and Robert. After school he tails Robert to Century Towers, where Ryan also arrives, triggering jealousy and fear. Bret senses surveillance, suspects a break-in at home, finds his dog injured, and receives silent late-night calls—escalating menace and paranoia.
Summary
Reeling from the cassette of Matt’s torture, Bret resists taking it to the police or the Kellners and instead buys weed and Quaaludes from Jeff Taylor to blunt his panic. He sleeps dreamlessly, deciding to keep the tape close and hidden.
On Monday at school, Bret maintains a careful façade with Susan and Debbie, refusing to acknowledge Palm Springs. He apologizes to Ryan for past drama and they plan a movie for the next day. At PE, Bret joins Susan, Debbie, and Robert, forcing normalcy while silently fixating on Robert’s likely role in Matt’s death, and pointedly asks Robert about being in Palm Springs.
After school, Bret tails Robert from Benedict Canyon to Century Towers. While debating leaving, Bret sees Ryan arrive at the same tower, which ignites jealousy and dread about Ryan’s vulnerability to Robert. Bret also spots the same beige van that followed him in Palm Springs cruising past, intensifying his sense of being watched.
Back home on Mulholland, high and unsteady, Bret hears the garage door open and arms himself with a butcher knife. He finds the door half-open but no intruder. Realizing his dog Shingy is missing, Bret searches outside and Shingy limps back from the canyon with a bleeding paw. Bret tends him as best he can and returns to his room.
The night ends in a Quaalude haze. Bret completes homework while the phone rings repeatedly at late hours with no one speaking, further suggesting he is being targeted, even as the drugs numb his fear.
Who Appears
- Bret EllisNarrator; hides Matt’s torture tape, self-medicates, maintains a façade at school, tails Robert, sees Ryan at Century Towers, suspects surveillance, and faces ominous home incidents.
- Robert MalloryNew senior; likely linked to Matt’s torture. Acts casual with Susan and Debbie, visits Benedict Canyon house, then Century Towers.
- Ryan VaughnObject of Bret’s desire; accepts movie plan for tomorrow, later arrives at Century Towers where Robert went, heightening Bret’s fear and jealousy.
- Susan ReynoldsMaintains a polite façade with Bret; quietly aligned with Robert; admits Palm Springs trip while obscuring details.
- Debbie SchafferChats about parties and weekend; probes Bret about his weekend, helps sustain the group’s polite pantomime.
- Jeff TaylorSupplies Bret with weed and Quaaludes in Malibu, enabling Bret’s numbed state.
- ShingyBret’s dog; disappears during a suspected intrusion and returns limping with a bleeding paw.
- RosaHousekeeper; briefly appears in the morning and is absent when strange events occur that night.
- Mr. RobbinsEnglish teacher who calls on Bret to take his seat, framing Bret’s attempt at normalcy.
- Thom WrightAbsent friend; his absence weighs on Bret, highlighting shifting loyalties around Susan and Robert.