Chapter 14 (Chapter 13): Gerald Boykins Under the Microscope

⚠️ Spoiler Notice

This summary and analysis covers Chapter 14 (Chapter 13) of Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman. If you have not read this chapter, please be aware that major plot points and investigative developments are discussed below.

Summary

Milo and Alex leave the Boykins residence after a tense interview with Gerald Boykins, a former gang member turned wealthy Brentwood homeowner. Boykins reacted strongly to Parmenter’s photo but remained calm when shown O’Brien’s picture. Milo suspects Boykins may have ordered both killings because the same .308 rifle was used, while Alex argues Boykins’s lack of reaction to O’Brien suggests he is not connected to that murder. Alex proposes alternative links—perhaps Parmenter and O’Brien antagonized the same person at separate events. Later, Alex researches Boykins’s daughter Keisha and learns she was homeschooled due to stomach troubles. He speculates that O’Brien may have assaulted Keisha, giving Boykins a motive. Milo receives a tip about a witness who knew O’Brien and schedules an interview for the next morning.

Key Events

Milo and Alex leave Boykins’s home; Walt Swanson reluctantly opens the gate.
Milo pulls over on Alpine Drive to process the interview; Alex explains that Boykins’s emotional reaction to Parmenter but not to O’Brien indicates O’Brien’s case is unrelated.
Milo counters that the same rifle links both victims, and Boykins’s hiring of a rent-a-cop suggests he still has criminal ties.
Alex offers two alternative theories: Parmenter and O’Brien angered a common person at separate events, or both were sex offenders and the sniper is a vigilante.
Milo reveals that Parmenter’s only online video shows a crude song titled “Fold Over Bitch,” hinting at misogynistic violence.
Alex researches Keisha Boykins and finds she left Brentwood School for homeschooling due to stomach troubles, yet her social media is cheerful.
Alex calls Milo to share the theory that O’Brien may have targeted Keisha, giving Gerald Boykins a motive.
Milo gets a call from Detective Moe Reed about a promising tip: a witness who knew O’Brien agrees to talk tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Character Development

Milo Sturgis: Remains skeptical of Alex’s alternative theories, clinging to the ballistic link and Boykins’s gang past. His frustration is visible in his restless body language. He is open to new evidence, however, as shown by his willingness to follow up on the O’Brien tip.
Alex Delaware: Plays the devil’s advocate, systematically challenging Milo’s assumptions. His psychological insight leads him to examine Boykins’s family life, especially Keisha’s homeschooling, as a possible motive. Alex’s research reflects his methodical, data-driven approach.
Gerald Boykins: Portrayed as a man who has tried to reinvent himself (Bach, Ivy League tutoring for his daughter) but whose past remains near the surface. His use of the gang term “milk” for murder and his hiring of a security guard betray a persistent threat mentality. The chapter deepens the ambiguity around his guilt.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

“Milk” as a code for murder: Boykins uses the Crip slang term, demonstrating that despite his wealth and cultured tastes, he still thinks in gang vernacular when pressured. It symbolizes the inescapability of his past.
Homeschooling as a shield: Keisha’s withdrawal from Brentwood School (ostensibly for stomach troubles) may actually protect her from the outside world—or hide a trauma. It reflects Gerald Boykins’s overprotectiveness and possible guilt.
The .308 Winchester: The shared murder weapon acts as a motif of impersonal, long-range violence, divorcing the killer from the act and making the motive seem abstract.
The idealised domestic facade: Boykins’s “pretty house, pretty wife, pretty child” contrasts with the brewing violence. The chapter questions how much of that facade is genuine and how much is a carefully constructed cover.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter pivots the investigation from a single plausible suspect (Boykins) to a more complex web of possibilities. Alex’s alternative theories force Milo—and the reader—to consider that Parmenter and O’Brien might be victims of a serial killer with a different agenda, or that two separate killers used the same rifle. The introduction of Keisha Boykins’s homeschooling adds a personal, protective dimension that could explain a father’s desperate act. The chapter also sets up the next investigative lead: the witness who knew O’Brien, promising a new thread in the case.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Alex believe Gerald Boykins is not involved in Paul O’Brien’s murder?
Alex points out that Boykins showed no reaction—not even a blink—when Milo showed him O’Brien’s photo. Given Boykins’s emotional volatility (as seen with Parmenter’s picture), hiding such a reaction would have been virtually impossible. This behavioral evidence undermines Milo’s theory that Boykins ordered both hits.
What alternative scenarios does Alex propose for the link between the two victims?
Alex suggests that Parmenter and O’Brien could have angered the same person at separate events, or that each was a sex offender who ran afoul of a vigilante sniper. He also considers the possibility of two different killers using the same weapon, though Milo dismisses that as unlikely.
How does Keisha Boykins’s homeschooling factor into the possible motive for Jamarcus Parmenter’s murder?
Alex learns that Keisha left Brentwood School due to “stomach troubles” yet maintains a cheerful online presence. He speculates that Paul O’Brien, known for assaulting women, may have targeted Keisha—perhaps while working as a bouncer at parties she attended. If so, Gerald Boykins would have had a powerful motive to eliminate anyone threatening his daughter’s safety, including Parmenter if he made inappropriate advances.