Contents
Chapter 12
Overview
Elsie spots a menacing stranger searching Kenny Lane for a woman named Roxanne who has a young daughter. Persephone hides inside the targeted house as Elsie and Peter stall the man, who introduces himself as Shane, until he leaves. The encounter raises fears and suggests Persephone may be concealing her identity.
Summary
Elsie tries to shake Persephone when she notices a well-dressed, ominous man loitering at the mouth of Kenny Lane. He fits the stereotype of trouble, heightening Elsie’s unease since neighbors may know her secret. As he advances, Persephone slips into the neighboring rental and hides.
When the man asks for Roxanne, Elsie denies anyone by that name lives there and lists the street’s residents, omitting the rental occupants. Peter watches from his porch, ready to intervene.
The man describes Roxanne as a young woman with a six-year-old daughter. Elsie again insists there are no children on the street. Persephone peeks from the window, clearly avoiding notice.
Peter steps in to support Elsie, warning the man that the nearby police could arrive quickly. Joan returns to the lane with a younger man, adding to the audience and tension.
Before leaving, the stranger identifies himself indirectly, saying to tell Roxanne that Shane is looking for her. Elsie and Peter trail him to ensure he’s gone, then note that Persephone has vanished from the window, deepening suspicions that Persephone may, in fact, be Roxanne—or connected to her—and is hiding from Shane.
Who Appears
- Elsie Mabel FitzpatrickElderly narrator; confronts a suspicious man, denies knowing Roxanne, and helps protect Persephone by deflecting him.
- PersephoneHides inside the rental when a man searches for Roxanne; watches from the window, suggesting she may be linked to Roxanne.
- ShaneMenacing visitor seeking Roxanne, a young woman with a six-year-old; leaves after being challenged.
- PeterNeighbor who backs Elsie, warns about nearby police presence, and helps usher the stranger away.
- JoanNeighbor whose arrival with a younger man coincides with the stranger’s decision to leave.
- RoxanneWoman sought by Shane; identity unclear, possibly connected to Persephone and the rental house.