Later Chapter 23 (Chapter 20): Jamie Reunites with Liz Dutton

⚠️ 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

More than a year after Liz Dutton’s betrayal of Jamie’s mother, Jamie has moved on. The literary agency is stable again thanks to the success of Regis Thomas’s book and new clients, and Jamie’s mother has stopped drinking. Jamie is now in middle school, a mixed experience with the perk of early dismissal for student athletes. One afternoon, while heading home early, Liz Dutton calls out to him. She is waiting in her personal car, wearing a blazer with an NYPD badge and carrying a gun in her shoulder holster. Jamie is wary and tries to ignore her, but she begs him to talk. She explains she needs his ability—the power he has to see and interact with the dead. Jamie reluctantly gets into her car, despite knowing his mother would be angry. Liz promises to try to get him home by five and then tells him what the urgent matter is about.

Key Events

Jamie recalls the year since Liz Dutton disappeared from his life; he got over missing her by remembering how she wronged his mother.
The agency recovers financially, and Jamie’s mother stops drinking and buys new clothes.
Jamie is now in middle school and qualifies for early dismissal as a former JV basketball player.
Liz Dutton approaches Jamie outside his school, waiting in her personal vehicle with a visible gun.
She asks Jamie to “take a ride” with her, pleading for his help.
After reminding him that she helped his mother when Regis Thomas died, Jamie agrees and gets in the car.
Liz reveals that the trip is urgent and involves Central Park and possibly other locations.

Character Development

Jamie Conklin: Still affected by his previous traumatic encounters with the dead, but now old enough to make independent choices. He is torn between loyalty to his mother and a sense of obligation to Liz. His decision to get in the car shows both his compassion and his vulnerability to adult pleading.
Liz Dutton: Returns after a long absence, desperate and changed. She drops her usual tough-cop facade to beg, revealing how much she needs Jamie’s unique ability. Her gun is now loaded, suggesting she is on active duty or facing real danger.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Adult manipulation: Liz uses emotional blackmail (“I helped your mother”) and guilt to override Jamie’s better judgment. The power imbalance between a grown officer and a middle-schooler is stark.
Burden of hidden talent: Jamie’s gift makes him a target. Even when he tries to live a normal life, the past pulls him back into supernatural and criminal situations.
Parental protection and its limits: Jamie’s mother has rebuilt their life, but she cannot shield him from people like Liz who know his secret.
Loaded gun: The holstered pistol, once empty, is now filled—a concrete symbol that the stakes have risen and this encounter is not a routine favor.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks the return of a major character and reignites the central plot tension. After a period of relative peace, Jamie is pulled back into the world of the dead. Liz’s desperation indicates that the case she wants Jamie to help with is serious and probably dangerous. The chapter sets up the next sequence of events, where Jamie will have to use his power again, likely with life-or-death consequences. It also deepens Jamie’s internal conflict: he knows he should say no, but his sense of duty—and the memory of past favors—compels him to help.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Jamie initially refuse to talk to Liz Dutton?
Jamie refuses because he remembers how Liz betrayed his mother. He also knows his mother would be angry if she knew he was associating with Liz.

2. What does Liz do to persuade Jamie to get into her car?
Liz reminds Jamie that she helped his mother on the day Regis Thomas died, and she appeals to his sense of fairness. She also sounds genuinely regretful, which makes Jamie feel sorry for her.

3. What is significant about Liz’s gun being loaded in this chapter?
Earlier in the novel, Liz carried an empty gun as a bluff. Now it holds bullets, indicating she is on a real assignment and possibly in physical danger. The loaded weapon raises the stakes for whatever mission she is about to involve Jamie in.