Chapter 18: The Second Body and the Lightning Stone
Spoiler Notice: This chapter summary and analysis reveals key events and plot points from Chapter 18 of Badlands by Douglas Preston. Read at your own risk if you haven’t finished the chapter.
Summary
Corrie Swanson and Sheriff Homer Watts drive a heavy-duty pickup hauling a horse trailer toward a wilderness area near Pierre’s Ruins, a remote archaeological site. A second body has been spotted from a helicopter, and the only way to reach it is on horseback. Watts chooses a trailhead that avoids an impassable road and unloads the horses. Corrie, wary of the large animals, mounts a calm paint named Jackaroo while Watts rides Chaco and leads a pack horse.
As they ride through a labyrinth of hoodoos and sandstone formations, Watts explains the concept of “desert death”—a little-studied medical phenomenon covering hypothermia, hyperthermia, dehydration, envenomation, and other fatal hazards. He recounts two prior cases he handled, neither of them homicides, and recalls his father’s stories of mysterious bones found in the desert. Corrie shares her unease about Molly Vine’s death: the victim knew the desert yet walked into it without water, shedding her clothes, behavior that could signal suicide or heatstroke-induced delusion.
After navigating with a paper map, Watts points out the mesa with its prehistoric ruins and the surrounding cone-shaped hills. As they approach a black rock spire similar to the one where Molly Vine’s remains were discovered, Corrie sees coyotes scrapping over the corpse. One runs off with a human hand. She fires her handgun, missing as Jackaroo startles; Watts calmly shoots both coyotes to preserve the evidence. Dismounting, they approach the body. It lies in a fetal position at the base of the rock finger, one remaining hand clutching a lightning stone—a luminous green stone—while a second stone rests in the dust nearby. The grim mirror of the first victim’s arrangement deepens the mystery.
Key Events
- Corrie and Watts drive the pickup and trailer to a trailhead, then saddle up the horses for the ride into the wilderness.
- Watts explains “desert death” and his personal experience with two earlier desert fatalities, none of them murder.
- The pair ride through a disorienting landscape of hoodoos and sandstone, crossing a dry wash and climbing an embankment.
- They arrive at Pierre’s Ruins and spot coyotes tearing at the second corpse.
- Corrie fires wildly and misses; Watts shoots and kills both coyotes to recover remains.
- The body is discovered in a fetal position, holding one lightning stone with a second stone nearby—identical in character to the stones found with Molly Vine.
Character Development
Corrie Swanson: Although an FBI agent, she feels out of her element on horseback and in remote desert terrain. Her embarrassment at not having researched the ruins and her panicked shooting reveal insecurity, yet she remains resolute. Her personal relationship with Watts is new and she is still learning to navigate it alongside work. Sheriff Homer Watts: He emerges as a calm, old-fashioned, and deeply competent figure. He navigates without GPS, handles the horses gently, and shoots with deadly accuracy when required. His kindness toward Corrie’s mistakes—praising her for trying to shoot from a horse and explaining “ground tying”—underscores a supportive, non-judgmental partnership.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The lightning stone: A glowing green rock placed in the victim’s hand and near the body. Its recurrence transforms it into a ritualistic signature, hinting at a serial killer or a patterned act.
- Desert death: Watts’s explanation emphasizes how the wilderness can erase cause of death, turning murder into a mystery. The landscape itself becomes a collaborator in the crime.
- Mirrored postures: The fetal position at the base of a rock spire, arms outstretched, repeats the first body’s positioning, reinforcing the sense of deliberate staging.
- Isolation and disorientation: The labyrinthine hoodoos and Corrie’s loss of direction mirror the psychological disorientation of the investigation.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter confirms that Molly Vine’s death was not an isolated tragedy. The discovery of a second body with a lightning stone establishes a pattern that pushes the case from suspicious suicide to possible serial murder. It forces Corrie to confront the scale and ritualistic nature of the killings, raising the stakes for the entire investigation. On a personal level, the chapter solidifies the working dynamic between Corrie and Watts, blending their professional partnership with a budding romance. The remote setting and the encounter with the coyotes also illustrate the harsh realities of crime-scene preservation in the desert, a recurring practical challenge.
Study Questions and Answers
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What is significant about the lightning stone found on the second body?
The lightning stone mirrors the one discovered with Molly Vine, strongly suggesting a ritualistic or signature element linking the two deaths and pointing toward a serial offender rather than an isolated event. -
How does Sheriff Watts’s knowledge of “desert death” help Corrie understand the case?
Watts explains that desert environments can rapidly obscure the cause of death—dehydration, heatstroke, and animal scavenging can all make a murder look like an accident or suicide. This insight explains why the perpetrator might have chosen such a remote dump site and why the investigation relies heavily on circumstantial and forensic details like the lightning stone. -
Why is Corrie’s reaction to the coyotes and her missed shot important for her character?
Her instinct to fire even while mounted on an unfamiliar horse shows her determination but also her lack of field experience. Watts’s gentle handling of the situation—remarking that even hunting horses are used to gunfire—demonstrates his supportive nature and strengthens their bond, illustrating how their relationship is developing alongside the case.