Chapter 21: Corrie Swanson Visits Horace Driver
Spoiler Warning
This page discloses the full plot of Chapter 21 of Badlands. Read further only after you have finished the chapter.
Summary
Corrie Swanson drives to Bernalillo, New Mexico, to interview Horace Driver, the father of the recently identified victim Mandy Driver. She had given him two days to process the news before visiting. Horace, a lean man in his sixties with intense eyes, welcomes her into his immaculate apartment decorated with his late wife’s watercolors and family photos featuring Mandy.
After expressing condolences, Corrie reveals, in confidence, that Mandy is the second woman found naked in the desert, holding green rocks, after Molly Vine. Horace explodes, immediately blaming a former professor named Oskarbi. He describes Oskarbi as a manipulative narcissist who slept with students, filled Mandy’s head with mystical nonsense about his “sacred” book, promised her an academic career, and then disappeared, shattering her dreams. Horace claims he saw through Oskarbi from the start. Despite his warnings, Mandy was devoted to the professor, and after he vanished she settled for a contract archaeology job at Geo Solutions, the same fracking equipment supplier where Horace works.
Corrie’s private disapproval of fracking slips into her tone, and Horace catches it. He grows incensed, defending his manual labor and accusing her of hypocrisy. The interview sours further when Corrie asks about Gallina archaeology. Horace reveals that Mandy did fieldwork in the Gallina area with Oskarbi years earlier, and that Geo hired her precisely because of that knowledge to map archaeological sites before fracking leases expand there. When Corrie poses the possibility that Mandy might have acted voluntarily, Horace stands up and ends the conversation, insisting that someone forced his daughter into the desert and murdered her.
Key Events
- Corrie arrives in Bernalillo and meets Horace Driver in his apartment.
- She confidentially discloses that Mandy’s death mirrors that of Molly Vine, the earlier victim.
- Horace erupts with accusations against Professor Oskarbi, alleging he was a manipulative predator who derailed Mandy’s life.
- Corrie inadvertently signals her aversion to fracking, triggering a heated confrontation with Horace.
- Horace reveals Mandy’s job entailed mapping archaeological sites for Geo Solutions’ fracking expansion into the Gallina area—a role she hated.
- When Corrie entertains the theory that Mandy might have stripped and walked voluntarily, Horace abruptly ends the interview, asserting it was murder.
Character Development
- Corrie Swanson: Shows investigative thoroughness by traveling to Bernalillo to interview the next of kin. Her nervousness around Horace and her misstep over fracking reveal a still-developing ability to mask personal biases in tense situations. She is increasingly convinced the two deaths are linked but must navigate a hostile witness.
- Horace Driver: Introduced as a grieving yet fiercely protective father. His stoicism shatters into a torrent of blame aimed at Oskarbi. His pride in manual labor and resentment toward perceived elitism add complexity to his character, making him both sympathetic and volatile. His insistence that Mandy would never harm herself plants a clear alternative theory: foul play.
- Mandy Driver (posthumous): The chapter fleshes her out as a brilliant student whose academic ambition was crushed by Oskarbi’s abandonment, leading her into a job she despised. Her Gallina fieldwork experience emerges as a crucial link to the archaeological sites where the bodies were found.
- Oskarbi (off-page): Though unseen, he looms large. Horace’s description paints him as a typical predatory academic: a charismatic, drug-using, boundary-crossing professor who wrote a “sacred” text and promised a sequel, exploiting student devotion.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Grief and Blame: Horace’s immediate targeting of Oskarbi channels raw parental grief into a quest for a villain, a motif that will likely shape the investigation.
- Manipulation and Broken Dreams: The theme of academic predation and the shattering of youthful ambition surfaces powerfully through Horace’s account.
- Economic versus Environmental Values: The clash over fracking symbolizes a broader cultural divide. Horace’s defense of his blue-collar livelihood collides with Corrie’s unspoken environmental qualms, exposing class tensions.
- Gallina Artifacts as Clues: The repeated mention of the green Gallina rocks and Mandy’s fieldwork in that region reinforces the motif of ancient archaeology entangled with modern crime.
- The Failed System: Horace’s rage at local law enforcement’s inaction underlines the theme of institutional letdown, contrasting with the FBI’s belated involvement.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 21 deepens the mystery by linking Mandy Driver and Molly Vine not only through cause of death but through the shadowy figure of Professor Oskarbi. It provides Mandy’s backstory—her academic passion, her work with fracking archaeology, and her connection to the Gallina region—which aligns the physical evidence with a personal history. Horace Driver’s explosive testimony introduces Oskarbi as a potential suspect or pivotal character and sets up a narrative conflict between Corrie’s procedural approach and a grieving father’s demand for justice. The fracking tension also plants seeds for future conflicts with Geo Solutions and the local economy. The chapter ends on a powerful note of doubt: was this suicide, accident, or murder? Horace’s certainty that Mandy was forced tips the reader toward foul play, steering the investigation in a new direction.
Study Questions and Answers
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How does Horace Driver’s account of Professor Oskarbi shape the reader’s perception of Mandy’s death?
Horace portrays Oskarbi as a charming predator who systematically damaged students. By blaming Oskarbi for Mandy’s shattered dreams, Horace suggests a long-term psychological wound that could have made her vulnerable. Yet the gap of twelve years since Oskarbi left raises questions about how directly he connects to the two deaths. Horace’s certainty forces Corrie—and the reader—to consider whether someone else, perhaps connected to Oskarbi’s manipulations, is responsible. -
What does the confrontation over fracking reveal about Corrie’s character and the larger investigative challenges?
Corrie’s inability to mask her discomfort around fracking shows she is still learning to navigate emotionally charged cultural divides. Horace’s sharp retort highlights how personal judgments can derail an interview, especially when witnesses feel stereotyped. This moment hints that future interactions with Geo Solutions or others in the oil industry may be combative, requiring Corrie to refine her neutrality. -
Why might Mandy Driver’s employment as a contract archaeologist for fracking operations be significant to the case?
Mandy’s job directly involved surveying archaeological sites in the San Juan Basin and Gallina area—the same region where two bodies were found with Gallina artifacts. Horace states that Geo hired her specifically because she knew the Gallina archaeology from her time with Oskarbi. This creates a direct link between her professional life and the crime scenes, suggesting that the murder may be tied to her work or the company’s fracking expansion, rather than simply a random act.