Blood Like Mine Chapter 42: Guthrie’s Secret & Rebecca’s First Hunt

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Moonflower wakes in a spare bedroom at Guthrie’s house after feeding from the bags of blood her mother provided. She explores the house, finds a password-protected laptop, and turns on the television, settling on a Friends rerun. Guthrie arrives home from his nursing shift, frustrated by barking dogs. He tells Moonflower that she and her mother cannot stay beyond tomorrow because law enforcement pressure is too great. When Moonflower asks why he helps them, Guthrie recounts the story of his own mother: she was attacked and infected, refused to ever hurt a human being, and slowly starved to death while chained in the basement. He explains that animal blood is insufficient; only human blood sustains the infected. He says he now helps such people because it is not their fault. He estimates there are about a dozen infected he knows of, most trying to do minimal harm, but some enjoy killing. Moonflower asks if she is one of the good ones, and Guthrie confirms it.

The chapter then shifts to a handwritten journal entry by Rebecca Carter. She describes how she and Moonflower abandoned slow public trapping of predators in favor of online lures. Rebecca creates fake teen profiles on Myspace and Facebook to attract grown men pretending to be boys. She identifies a man named Walter Chesney (online alias “Barry Tucker,” claiming to be fifteen). After a week of messages, they arrange a meeting at an ice rink in South Lake Tahoe. Rebecca follows Chesney’s car to a secluded lake shore. She confronts him with a hunting knife, and after he attacks her, she subdues him, cuts him, and forces him to confess his intent to hurt Moonflower. She finds his trunk lined with plastic sheeting, gloves, a gun, and cable ties—evidence of a serial predator. In a rage, Rebecca stabs his hand, kicks him, and then cuts his throat so Moonflower can feed. She severs his spinal cord to prevent resurrection. She writes that she is glad she killed him.

Key Events

Moonflower wakes and explores Guthrie’s house alone while her mother sleeps.
Guthrie arrives home and warns that they must leave the next day because of police and federal attention.
Moonflower asks why Guthrie risks helping them; he shares his mother’s story of infection, refusal to harm humans, and slow starvation.
Guthrie explains the infected community: about a dozen known to him, some “good” like Moonflower, others predatory.
Rebecca’s journal recounts the first kill: luring predator Walter Chesney with an online decoy profile.
Rebecca attacks Chesney in a remote area, discovers his murder kit, and kills him in a fit of rage.
Moonflower feeds from Chesney’s corpse, and Rebecca severs his spinal cord to ensure permanent death.

Character Development

Moonflower shows curiosity and detachment; she studies the house and TV with innocent wonder. Her direct question “Am I one of the good ones?” reveals her moral self-awareness and need for validation.
Guthrie is revealed as a traumatized caregiver. His mother’s slow death forged his conviction to help the infected. His emotional vulnerability when recounting her suffering humanizes him and explains his risk tolerance.
Rebecca Carter (via journal) emerges as a methodical, ferocious protector. Her shift from cautious public traps to sophisticated online hunting demonstrates growing ruthlessness. Her cold statement “I’m glad I did it” shows she has fully embraced killing predators to survive.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Choice and Moral Identity – Guthrie’s mother chose starvation over harming others; Walter Chesney chose predation; Moonflower asks to be categorized as “good.” The chapter frames infection as a condition that tests moral character.
Predator vs. Prey Reversal – Rebecca’s journal inverts the power dynamic: predatory men are lured, trapped, and killed by the women they intended to victimize. The trunk lined with plastic sheeting symbolizes Chesney’s predatory intent now turned against him.
Online Lure as a Trap – The internet becomes a hunting ground where Rebecca uses false identities to bait real predators, highlighting how technology enables both predation and counter-predation.
Motherhood as Ferocity – Rebecca’s rage when she sees Chesney’s preparations shows maternal protectiveness overriding all restraint. Moonflower’s need to feed is met by her mother’s violence.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 42 is pivotal because it provides the backstory for both Guthrie’s motivations and the origin of Rebecca’s active predation. Guthrie’s narrative establishes the rules of the infected world—how the condition spreads, the inadequacy of animal blood, the rarity of ethical infected people—and creates a moral framework for judging characters. The journal entry shows Rebecca’s first deliberate kill, transforming her from a reactive survivor to a proactive hunter. It also reveals the pair’s method for obtaining blood: luring and killing child predators, thus justifying their actions while deepening the novel’s dark moral ambiguity. The chapter sets up the tension between survival and humanity that will drive the rest of the story.

Study Questions & Answers

1. Why does Guthrie help infected people like Moonflower?
Guthrie’s mother was infected after a neighbor’s attack. She refused to hurt humans and starved to death over three months while chained in the basement. Guthrie watched her suffer and now supports infected individuals because he believes they did not choose their condition.

2. What is the significance of the online lure method Rebecca describes in her journal?
It marks a shift from risky public traps to safer, more efficient digital hunting. Rebecca can screen predators remotely, avoid witness detection, and control the environment. The method also reveals her willingness to exploit the same predatory networks she opposes.

3. How does Walter Chesney’s death reflect Rebecca’s character development?
Chesney was intended to be a “dry run” — a non-lethal lesson. But when Rebecca sees his evidence kit, her rage ignites and she kills him. This shows she is capable of lethal violence when triggered by evidence of a predator’s history, and she feels no remorse afterward. It solidifies her role as a protector who has become a killer.

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