Contents
Chapter 29
Overview
Bret reels after Debbie’s frantic call and wakes to find his dog missing and ominous items arranged in his room. At school, Debbie’s disappearance becomes official gossip. At home, Terry reveals Liz had them followed and photographed; Liz and Steven warn Bret. That night, Robert confronts Bret, denies involvement, and a charged encounter collapses into rejection, deepening Bret’s isolation and paranoia.
Summary
Shaken by Debbie’s late-night screams, Bret sedates himself with a Quaalude and hides in his mother’s closet. At dawn he discovers his dog, Shingy, missing and Matt’s jockey shorts and a cassette placed on his bed. He assumes Rosa might have laid them out, but the lit house and his dread suggest otherwise.
At school, Steven Reinhardt’s message confirms Debbie has vanished from Stone Canyon amid blood by the pool and driveway. Susan, strained and panicked, questions Bret, who admits Debbie called incoherently. Rumors swirl as girls are questioned by Croft with Liz on speakerphone. Robert keeps to Susan; Thom’s absence pushes Bret to leave.
Back home, Rosa denies touching Bret’s drawers or leaving lights on. Terry calls from Cedars and reveals Liz had him tailed in October; someone photographed Bret and Terry at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Liz seizes the phone, condemns Bret, and Steven warns him to stop calling.
As evening falls, Bret locks down the house and tries to sleep. Robert arrives, calling to be let in. Inside the kitchen and then Bret’s room, they argue: Bret accuses Robert of ties to the Trawler and Debbie’s disappearance; Robert deflects, questions stalkers who follow him, and denies leaving any tape.
The confrontation turns physical: Robert initiates a kiss and grinding, but when Bret becomes aroused and Robert does not, Robert abruptly recoils, mutters “faggot,” and leaves. Overwhelmed, Bret ejaculates alone and breaks down sobbing, more isolated than ever.
Who Appears
- BretNarrator; sedates himself, discovers ominous items, learns of surveillance photos, is warned by Liz/Steven, confronts Robert, experiences a fraught sexual-rejection scene, ends in despair.
- Robert MalloryArrives at Bret’s, denies Trawler ties, challenges Bret’s accusations, initiates and then rejects intimacy, leaving Bret humiliated.
- Debbie SchafferMissing after a bloody incident at home; her call unravels Bret. Central absence drives school panic and investigation.
- Terry SchafferCalls from Cedars; reveals Liz had him tailed and Bret photographed with him; tries to take blame before Liz intervenes.
- Liz SchafferSeizes Terry’s phone, condemns Bret, and—via Steven—warns him off after admitting surveillance exposed the hotel photos.
- Steven ReinhardtCalls about Debbie’s disappearance and later warns Bret to stop calling after Liz confronts him at Cedars.
- Susan ReynoldsTells Bret Debbie is missing; admits she’s with Robert; shows strain as rumors and fear spread.
- RosaHousekeeper; denies arranging items or leaving lights on, deepening Bret’s sense of intrusion.
- Thom WrightAbsent from school, prompting Bret to leave; his nonappearance signals rising tension.
- ShingyBret’s missing dog; absence heightens Bret’s dread and isolation.