Chapter 36: The Oberlin Connection
Spoiler Warning
This chapter summary contains spoilers for Chapter 36 of Open Season. Read on only if you've finished the chapter.
Summary
Delaware searches for Michael Saucedo, the brother of victim Vicki Saucedo. He finds Michael J. Saucedo, an Oberlin College freshman with high honors in mathematics. The Ohio location triggers a memory of two unsolved .308 shootings Moe Reed had investigated: Leonard Wiebelhaus, shot 16 years ago in Vantage, Ohio, and Rainer Steckel, a school custodian killed six years later in Shelter Lake, Ohio. Steckel’s obituary notes he worked as a caretaker at Oberlin College.
On Michael’s Facebook page, Delaware reads that Michael credits math tutor Cameron Flick for his success. Delaware immediately recognizes Flick as the tutor he saw with Keisha Boykins during an unannounced visit. He then examines Errol Moffett’s memorial page and finds a condolence post signed “Cam F.” Further digging into Jarrod Sterling’s half‑siblings reveals that Rhiannon Sterling, an NYU student, also praises Flick as a major influence. Convinced that Cameron Flick is the killer, Delaware texts Milo Sturgis.
Key Events
- Delaware locates Michael J. Saucedo, a mathematics honors student at Oberlin College.
- He recalls Moe Reed’s two cold‑case .308 shootings in Ohio, both near Oberlin.
- Rainer Steckel’s job as a college custodian links the shootings to Oberlin.
- Michael Saucedo’s Facebook post credits math tutor Cameron Flick.
- Delaware recognizes Flick as the tutor he saw with Keisha Boykins.
- A condolence message from “Cam F” appears on Errol Moffett’s memorial page.
- Rhiannon Sterling, half‑sister of victim Jarrod Sterling, also credits Flick.
- Delaware texts Milo with the finding, calling it “important.”
Character Development
Alex Delaware shifts from passive confusion to active, focused excitement as he pieces together the clues. His investigative instincts sharpen, and he acts on his conviction by contacting Milo.
Cameron Flick emerges from a background figure to a prime suspect. Previously seen only as a tutor, he is now linked to multiple victims through social media and geographic coincidences.
Michael Saucedo, Rhiannon Sterling, and Rainer Steckel are minor characters whose connections to Oberlin and to Flick become crucial evidence.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Mathematics as Pattern Recognition: Delaware uses online searches and logical links the way a mathematician solves problems. The chapter repeatedly mentions “perseverance” and “solving” puzzles.
- Hidden Connections: The geographic proximity of the Ohio shootings to Oberlin, and the tutor’s ties to multiple victims, illustrate how seemingly unrelated data can form a coherent web.
- Professional Killer: The .308 caliber and the cold‑case status of the Ohio shootings suggest a practiced shooter who later brought his skills to Los Angeles.
Why This Chapter Matters
This is the chapter where the investigation pivots from scattered leads to a focused suspect. The discovery of Cameron Flick’s links to Keisha Boykins, Errol Moffett, and Jarrod Sterling’s family provides a unified theory of the murders. The chapter also validates the significance of Flick’s earlier appearance and ties the Los Angeles killings to a long‑standing criminal history in Ohio.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What piece of information first makes Delaware suspect Cameron Flick?
Answer: Delaware recognizes Flick as the math tutor he saw with Keisha Boykins when he and Milo visited her house. Later, he sees that Flick wrote a condolence message on Errol Moffett’s memorial page, confirming a personal connection.
2. How does the Oberlin College setting link the Ohio shootings to the Los Angeles murders?
Answer: Rainer Steckel, the second Ohio victim, was a caretaker at Oberlin College. Michael Saucedo and Rhiannon Sterling both studied at Oberlin or with Oberlin‑affiliated tutors. Cameron Flick graduated from Oberlin and tutored students there, creating a geographic and personal nexus.
3. Why does Delaware’s emotional state change from confusion to excitement in this chapter?
Answer: He moves from vague unease to a clear hypothesis. Each new piece of evidence (Michael’s Facebook post, the memorial page, Rhiannon’s praise) fits together like a solved equation, giving him the “aerobic boost” of a great run.