Chapter summaries More Than You'll Ever Know Katie Gutierrez

Cassie, 2017 — Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens with Cassie standing in Lore's driveway in Laredo, preparing for the four-hour drive back to Austin. The two women agree to continue their conversations by phone at six o'clock in the evenings. Before Cassie departs, Lore surprises her by tracing the sign of the cross on her forehead and murmuring a Spanish blessing, wishing her safety. Cassie is unexpectedly moved by the gesture.

Back in Austin, Cassie and Duke share a late dinner of grilled cheese and brisket sandwiches with wine. Cassie reflects on her avoidance of alcohol in college, which she connects to watching her father drink and the fear that she might carry his addictive tendencies. She wonders whether her father's drinking, like Lore and Andres's fateful dance, began as something that was just enough before becoming too much.

After dinner, as the couple becomes intimate, Cassie blurts out a question: does Duke find it strange that he has never met her family? Duke admits he once wondered if it meant Cassie wasn't sure about their relationship, but says it's now simply just her. His answer opens a wave of sadness in Cassie. She thinks of Lore's warm descriptions of family Sunday lunches and contrasts them with her own fractured family. She recalls leaving Enid, spending holidays with a roommate's family, and returning to find that her young brother Andrew no longer remembered her. She remembers checking Andrew's body for signs of abuse during a summer visit, finding none, and leaving again—still haunted by the inadequacy of that reassurance.

Cassie tells Duke she misses Andrew and feels like a terrible sister for not returning his call. Duke comforts her, attributing the distance to their age difference.

Over the next six weeks, Cassie and Lore settle into a rhythm of regular phone conversations. Lore asks increasingly personal questions about Cassie's relationship with Duke, her sex life, her fidelity, and her father. Cassie reflects that their mutual interrogation has become a kind of addiction—an experiment in how much honesty they can demand from each other.

In early September, Mateo Rivera finally returns Cassie's call. He initially suggests meeting at a restaurant near Schertz, but calls back to ask Cassie to come to his veterinary clinic instead, because a couple's dog has been hit by a car. Cassie drives two hours through rush-hour traffic to reach the clinic in northeast San Antonio.

At the clinic, Cassie observes Mateo's gentle handling of a grieving couple saying goodbye to their dying dog. He refuses to charge them for the euthanasia, telling Cassie that people shouldn't have to pay for that kindness. The receptionist, Maggie, speaks warmly of Mateo, and Cassie notices the young woman's obvious crush.

In his office, Mateo is direct: he opposes the book project and doesn't trust reporters. He attempts to offer Cassie financial help to abandon the project—an offer Cassie recognizes as a bribe and refuses, turning on her recorder. She points out that Lore is a grown woman capable of making her own choices, and that Mateo's offer would undermine her autonomy.

Mateo describes how the events destroyed his family, though they eventually came back together. He discusses his strained relationship with his father, saying they struggle to find points of connection. He asks Cassie to think of his nephews, who will one day learn the story. Cassie argues that they'll find out anyway, and that at least they'll hear it in their grandmother's words. Mateo counters that they'll hear it in Cassie's words instead.

The chapter ends with Mateo's implicit acknowledgment that the book will be Cassie's telling, not Lore's—a pointed reminder of the power dynamics in true crime storytelling.

Key Events

  • Lore blesses Cassie before she leaves Laredo, and they agree to regular phone calls.

  • Cassie and Duke discuss why Duke has never met her family; Cassie reflects on her estrangement from her brother Andrew.

  • Cassie and Lore develop a routine of intimate, probing phone conversations over six weeks.

  • Mateo Rivera returns Cassie's call and agrees to meet her at his veterinary clinic.

  • Mateo attempts to bribe Cassie to abandon the book; she refuses and records the exchange.

  • Mateo describes the destruction of his family and his strained relationship with his father.

  • Mateo asks Cassie to consider his nephews; Cassie insists the story will come out regardless.

Character Development

Cassie — This chapter deepens Cassie's internal conflict. Her fear of inherited addiction parallels her fear of inheriting her family's patterns of secrecy and abandonment. Her guilt about Andrew reveals a wound she has carried since leaving Enid. Her observation that intimacy is easier with strangers than with Duke—because with Duke she has everything to lose—explains why she gravitates toward Lore's story.

Mateo Rivera — Introduced as an antagonist to Cassie's project, Mateo reveals layers of complexity. His compassion for grieving pet owners shows his capacity for empathy. His attempt to bribe Cassie stems from a desire to protect his family, not malice. His admission that he has mostly forgiven his mother, and his strained relationship with his father, show a man caught between loyalty and pain.

Duke — Though a minor presence, Duke's acceptance of Cassie's family absence highlights both his patience and the emotional distance Cassie maintains from him.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Inherited addiction and family patterns — Cassie's fear of alcohol mirrors her fear of repeating her father's failures. She wonders if her drinking started the way his did—as something that was just enough before becoming too much.

Intimacy with strangers — Cassie reflects that it's easier to expose herself to Lore than to Duke. This paradox—that vulnerability is safer with someone who has nothing to lose—explains her attraction to Lore's story.

Confession as addiction — Cassie and Lore's mutual interrogation becomes its own kind of addiction, an experiment in how much honesty they can demand.

The scavenger metaphor — Mateo accuses Cassie of scavenging his family's story for her own gain. Cassie initially recoils, then reconsiders: maybe she is a vulture, seeing beginnings where others see endings.

Leaving as escape — Mateo's observation that sometimes you just have to leave resonates with Cassie, who left Enid and her brother behind. Both characters have used distance as survival.

Compassion for pet loss — Mateo's refusal to charge for euthanasia reveals his character and provides a counterpoint to his hard stance on the book.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter introduces Mateo Rivera as a significant voice of opposition to Cassie's project, complicating the moral landscape of the book. It also deepens Cassie's personal backstory—her estrangement from Andrew, her fear of inherited addiction, her comfort with strangers—making her investment in Lore's story more understandable. The chapter raises questions about who owns a family's story, whether a journalist's pursuit of truth can justify the pain it causes, and whether Cassie's telling can ever truly be Lore's words.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Cassie find it easier to be intimate with strangers like Lore than with Duke?

Cassie reflects that with strangers there's nothing to lose by exposing yourself, while with Duke she has everything to lose. Her relationship with Duke is real and consequential, so vulnerability carries risk. With Lore, the stakes are lower—Lore doesn't know her family, her past, or her patterns, so Cassie can reveal herself without fear of judgment or consequence.

2. What does Mateo's attempt to bribe Cassie reveal about his character and his family's situation?

Mateo's offer reveals both his desperation to protect his family from further pain and his belief that money can solve problems. His refusal to tell Lore about the offer suggests he doesn't trust his mother's judgment—or doesn't want to be seen as trying to control her. His later admission that he has mostly forgiven his mother shows a man torn between love and resentment.

3. How does the chapter use the scavenger/vulture metaphor to explore journalistic ethics?

Mateo accuses Cassie of scavenging his family's story for her own gain. Cassie initially recoils from the image, then reconsiders: crime writers see beginnings where others see endings. The metaphor raises questions about whether true crime storytelling is exploitation or illumination—and whether Cassie's book can truly serve Lore's interests while also serving Cassie's career.

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