Never Flinch Chapter 18 Summary – Holly Closes In on Christopher Stewart

Spoiler Notice: This section contains details from Chapter 18 of Never Flinch. Read only after finishing the chapter.

Summary

Holly Gibney watches a video Jerome sent showing Barbara Brady singing with Sista Bessie and the Dixie Crystals; she is delighted for Barbara. Jerome arrives with two photos of Christopher Stewart: one from a court hearing in Rawcliffe, Pennsylvania, and a clearer shot from Kate McKay’s lecture at the Macbride in Iowa City. In the Macbride photo, Stewart has his hand up during Kate’s request that men who have had an abortion keep their hands raised. Holly realizes Stewart is the stalker.

Kate joins them, confirms she remembers Stewart blushing after her joke. Corrie Anderson identifies Stewart as the person who threw bleach in her face. Holly wants to go public with the photo, but Kate refuses, fearing cancellation by politicians. They agree to circulate the picture to venue staff and police.

Jerome takes copies to Dingley Park, where Detective Tom Atta agrees to help. He also observes Izzy Jaynes struggling with pitches during a softball practice.

Holly calls Deacon Andrew Fallowes at Real Christ Holy Church. When she asks about Stewart, Fallowes mispronounces her name and calls Kate a “baby killer.” Holly warns him that Stewart’s actions will lead back to the church. Fallowes denies knowledge but lies.

Fallowes calls Stewart on a burner phone, ordering him to break off the mission. Stewart refuses, demands Fallowes find five abandoned buildings near the Garden City Plaza Hotel where he can hide his sister. He threatens to implicate the church if Fallowes refuses.

Chris becomes Chrissy, dons a lavender pantsuit and black wig, and leaves his hotel, heading to Dingley Park to wait for Fallowes’s call.

Kate holds a press conference. Buckeye Brandon questions why the police proceed with the softball game given the stalker and serial killer; Kate deflects. The conference ends with Kate refusing to justify the risk, saying security will be sufficient.

Holly discusses the Surrogate Juror case with Izzy, who updates that the killer’s car might be a Toyota Corolla or Avalon and that Alan Duffrey had no close friends. Holly senses the killer acts from guilt.

Tom Atta calls Holly, reporting that a town clerk revealed Stewart was caught wearing girls’ clothes as a child and the church prayed it away. Holly reflects that the church’s treatment might have shaped Stewart’s obsession.

Key Events

Jerome delivers photos of Christopher Stewart from Rawcliffe and Iowa City.
Corrie identifies Stewart as the person who attacked her with bleach.
Holly confronts Deacon Fallowes, who defends Stewart as a “fine young man” and calls Kate a “baby killer.”
Stewart refuses Fallowes’s order to abort his mission and demands help finding abandoned hideouts.
Stewart transforms into Chrissy (lavender suit, black wig) and leaves the hotel.
Kate’s press conference includes pointed exchanges with Buckeye Brandon.
Tom Atta learns from a town clerk that Stewart was disciplined for cross-dressing as a child.

Character Development

Holly Gibney demonstrates growing assertiveness: she calls Fallowes directly, issues a threat about “hell to pay,” and later senses that the Surrogate Juror killer acts from guilt. Her “crazy intuitions” sharpen.
Christopher Stewart / Chrissy reveals a split identity: when facing danger, he becomes Chrissy, using a feminine disguise. His anger at the church’s hypocrisy fuels his determination to kill Kate on his own terms.
Deacon Andrew Fallowes shows moral cowardice: he lies to Holly, tries to control Stewart, but when Stewart threatens to expose the church, he complies. His voice betrays panic.
Kate McKay stays defiant but pragmatic: she refuses to go public with Stewart’s photo, prioritizing her tour and freedom to speak over personal safety.
Jerome Robinson continues as a capable ally: he brings evidence, makes copies, and coordinates with police.
Izzy Jaynes reveals a softer side: she enjoys the softball practice and confides her pitching secrets to Holly.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Duality and disguise: Stewart’s transformation into Chrissy (lavender suit, wig) symbolizes his fractured identity – part man, part “female impersonator.” The church’s attempt to “pray away” his cross-dressing foreshadows his violent rebellion.
Bait and consequence: Holly coldly notes that the police might see Kate as bait; Kate herself acknowledges that every stage appearance risks attack. The theme of using a target as bait recurs.
Institutional complicity: Fallowes’s initial denial and later reluctant help show how the church protects its members even when they commit crimes. The “deep state” paranoia justifies extreme action.
Performance vs. reality: Kate’s press conference is a performance that controls narrative; Stewart’s disguise is a performance that hides his true intent. The softball game is a performance of normalcy amid crisis.
Guilt and vendetta: Holly speculates that the Surrogate Juror killer acts from guilt, not just revenge. Duffrey’s case suggests unresolved feelings drive violence.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks a turning point: Holly identifies the stalker and forces a confrontation with the church that enabled him. Stewart’s refusal to stop and his explicit threat to blame Fallowes escalate the stakes. The press conference shows Kate’s vulnerability and her insistence on controlling the message. The dual plotlines – Stewart’s progress and the Surrogate Juror investigation – converge thematically around the question of who is truly responsible for violence.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Kate refuse to let Holly release Stewart’s photo to the press or social media? Kate fears that publicizing the stalker could give political opponents an excuse to cancel her remaining appearances, as happened in Toledo. She prioritizes her ability to speak over immediate safety.

2. How does Stewart’s backstory (church discipline for cross-dressing) connect to his obsession with Kate? The church “prayed away” his feminine behavior, but he hasn’t solved that conflict. By killing Kate – a symbol of women’s choice and bodily autonomy – he tries to prove his loyalty to the church’s ideology while also expressing rage at the institution that rejected his true self.

3. What does Holly’s intuition about the Surrogate Juror killer reveal about her investigative method? She senses the killer acts from guilt rather than pure hatred. This insight – that someone who “cared enough” to start a vendetta might feel responsible for the trial’s outcome – leads her to suspect an unexpected motive, challenging the assumption that it’s a random madman.