Chapter 70: Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Notice
This analysis contains spoilers for Chapter 70 of All the Colors of the Dark. Read on only after you’ve finished the chapter.
Summary
Patch borrows art books from the Pecaut library and studies them on cross‑county buses. He takes the 74 to Lewisville, where he tapes a missing‑person poster to streetlamps—a drawing he adjusted, lightening the girl’s hair and softening her jaw—and an irritated cop relents at the image. Together with Saint, he rides the 50 to Le Masco, then three more buses to Afton, knocking on doors to blank stares. He travels alone to Saddlers Clay, Lenard Creek, Newton Bale, and other colonies, shading a map so filled he can barely unfold it. Bus driver Norma reproaches him for the worry her granddaughter endures and for the girl’s skipped school, warning that the heartaches will come. She drops Patch at Loess Hills, promises to return at four despite the bus route. In Darby Falls, Patch visits Richie Montrose, a drunken ex‑cop whose daughter Callie may have been held with him. Richie allows him upstairs to Callie’s pink bedroom. Patch studies a framed photograph, tries to recognize her face, and wonders if he would recall her. Downstairs, a record player spins the bass‑baritone of Johnny Cash, and Patch stands in the doorway, listening.
Key Events
- Patch takes modern art books from the Pecaut library and studies them on buses.
- He rides the 74 to Lewisville, posts his drawing‑adjustment of the missing girl, and a cop’s anger fades at the artwork.
- With Saint, he travels the 50 to Le Masco and three buses to Afton, facing indifference.
- Patch visits a dozen small towns alone, shading a vast map.
- Norma tells Patch her granddaughter didn’t sleep while he was gone and skipped school; she warns him about breaking the girl’s heart.
- Norma drops Patch at Loess Hills and insists she will pick him up at four, overriding the bus company’s route.
- Patch calls on Richie Montrose, who admits Patch is the kid who keeps phoning him.
- Richie says he must hope Patch is wrong about being held with Callie.
- Patch examines Callie’s bedroom: pink drapes, a framed photo, and posters of Bowie and Hendrix.
- He stares at the photograph and wonders if he would remember her skin, hair, or sweat.
- Downstairs, Johnny Cash plays on an old record player while Richie slumps in a chair.
Character Development
- Patch: His obsessive search grows deeper; he studies art to refine the poster likeness and soften hostile strangers. The encounter in Callie’s room forces him to confront the limits of his sensory memory—he cannot be sure if he would recognize her. The Johnny Cash song seems to trigger something long‑dormant, hinting at a personal connection to the same music Grace loved.
- Norma: A fiercely protective grandmother who breaks rules for Patch’s sake. Her blunt warning about her granddaughter’s vulnerability underscores the emotional cost of Patch’s quest on those who care about him.
- Richie Montrose: A shattered father, once proud as a cop, now reduced to a tower of beer cans and a slumped, unseeing gaze. His one remaining hope rests on the belief that his daughter was not taken by the same monster—a hope Patch threatens.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Relentless Search: The bus routes, the shaded map, and the multitude of towns illustrate Patch’s refusal to give up, even when locals offer nothing but blank stares or hostility.
- Art as Persuasion and Bridge: Patch’s adjusted drawing turns an angry cop into a sympathetic observer, showing how art can unlock empathy and open doors that logic cannot.
- Memory and Recognition: Standing in Callie’s room, Patch confronts the terrifying possibility that he may not be able to recognize a girl he might have been held with, making the search feel impossibly fragile.
- Johnny Cash as a Musical Clue: The bass‑baritone voice that fills Richie Montrose’s house may be the same music Grace once described, transforming a routine visit into a charged, emotional crossroads. The record player spinning while the father is defeated hints at a household frozen in grief, with the song as a bridge to the past.
- The Broken Protector: Richie’s uniform laid over a chair, badge and hat on the floor, and his listless drunkenness paint a portrait of a man hollowed out by loss—a mirror to what Patch might become if he never finds Grace.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter pushes Patch’s investigation beyond Monta Clare and into the homes of other missing girls, raising the stakes of his personal mission. Richie Montrose is the first father of a potential fellow victim whom Patch meets directly, and the encounter is weighted with guilt, denial, and the faintest glimmer of a lead. The Johnny Cash record that closes the scene transforms the visit from a dead end into a resonant, possibly breakthrough moment: if Cash’s music ties Grace and Callie together, Patch may finally have a tangible thread to follow. Norma’s warning about her granddaughter also plants a seed of future heartbreak, reminding the reader that Patch’s single‑mindedness leaves little room for the living who love him.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Patch change the features of the girl on his poster in Lewisville?
He lightens her hair and softens her jaw to keep the drawing approachable and perhaps to spark recognition without triggering suspicion. The subtle change softens an angry cop on sight, demonstrating how careful artistry can disarm hostility and invite cooperation. -
What does Norma’s conversation about her granddaughter reveal about the price of Patch’s search?
Norma tells Patch that her granddaughter didn’t sleep while he was away and skipped school out of worry, then warns that being all heart makes a person easy to break. Patch’s acknowledgment shows he recognizes the cost, but Norma’s doubt suggests he does not fully appreciate how his obsession chips away at those closest to him. -
What is the significance of the Johnny Cash record playing in Richie Montrose’s house?
The bass‑baritone of Johnny Cash is a sensory trigger that may connect Callie and Grace. If Grace once spoke of loving that voice, the music confirms Patch’s suspicion that the two girls were victims of the same person and brings his personal loss and Richie’s tragedy into sudden, silent alignment.