Chapter 6 Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes
⚠️ 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
On a quiet Sunday morning during spring break, Pepper arrives at the Humanities Building, expecting to be alone. She hears voices in the sociology department and follows the sound to Dr. Levin's office, where she finds the professor surrounded by a red lava lamp glow and a beaded curtain. Pepper announces herself, and Dr. Levin, who is listening to NPR, tells her to carry on.
Pepper settles into her lab to catalog a collection of six-thousand-year-old infant and juvenile remains. Her mind wanders to recent events: she helped Scott obtain a painting by Ula Frost that was unaccounted for in Ula's catalog. This painting gave Scott the leverage he needed to pressure Gordon into providing records, and Scott has since left for New York to research the client list. Pepper feels ambivalent about her role in the operation, but she is relieved that if Ula never turns up, she won't have to worry that her reluctance to get involved contributed to the outcome.
Tomorrow, Pepper plans to meet with a lawyer to sign an agreement that will free her and Ike from the cursed lien on their property. The alternative—hiring an attorney to fight the transfer of ownership—would cost far more than they can afford, based on the free consultation Ike arranged through the college's legal services. If she signs, they can sell the London property, fix the roof, replace the fridge, and buy a newer used car. She gives herself permission to forget about the mess for now.
Pepper checks her email, which is dominated by student excuses and late papers. She learns she was not selected for a research grant to collaborate on a collection of remains from North Carolina. The last email is from Jamie Marchand, who informs her that they arrested the boyfriend in the case she consulted on. They found what they believe is the murder weapon—a bloodstained rock wrapped in a scarf on a shelf in his closet. It could be months before a trial, but they got him.
As Pepper catalogs the tiny bones, her mind lingers on the image of the rock on the boyfriend's shelf, like a souvenir. She imagines alternate universes where the girl is still alive, or where the killer lived to a hundred with the rock always on his shelf. She is lining up a row of long bones the size of matchsticks when she hears footsteps in the hall. Two men stop at her door.
The men enter: Roscoe Larsen, a slight man with dark eyebrows, Andy Warhol hair, and a Scandinavian accent, wearing a shirt printed with tiny knives; and Christian Bruno, a broad man with a shiny bald head, horn-rimmed glasses, and an argyle sweater. They identify themselves as being from the Everett Group, a society of art collectors. They demand assurances that Pepper will deal with them regarding Ula Frost's work once she inherits it.
Pepper tries to herd them into the hall, but they hold their ground, blocking the doorway. Roscoe advances into her personal space, saying they are prepared to exceed any offer she may receive. Pepper's phone buzzes with texts from Ike, who is at the library reading new diaries from Wyoming, including one by a woman named Kit who joined a wagon train alone in Ohio. Kit is keeping a secret from everyone.
Dr. Levin appears in the hall, wearing a long, multicolored kaftan, and announces that security is coming. The men leave quickly, and a young Black man from campus security arrives. Dr. Levin offers him marigold tea, noting the moon is in the Sign of the Virgin.
Pepper returns the infant remains to their box with shaking hands. She texts Ike, who tells her Kit's diary reminded him of her. Pepper asks what the secret is, but Ike doesn't know yet. They exchange messages about Kit's journey, cholera, and buffalo chips. Pepper gathers her bag, locks the lab door, and asks Ike to keep texting her. She walks through the building, finding the stairs and halls clear. Outside, she sees a girl fixing a bike chain. In the faculty lot, there are two cars other than hers, and no one else around—the men seem to have disappeared into thin air. Ike texts her about the Oregon Trail, and Pepper confirms she is in the car.
Key Events
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Pepper finds Dr. Levin in her office on a Sunday morning and settles into her lab to catalog infant remains.
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Pepper recalls helping Scott obtain an unaccounted-for Ula Frost painting, which gave him leverage to get records from Gordon.
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Pepper plans to sign an agreement the next day to free her and Ike from the cursed lien.
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Pepper receives an email from Jamie Marchand about the arrest of a boyfriend in a case she consulted on; the murder weapon was a bloodstained rock.
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Roscoe Larsen and Christian Bruno of the Everett Group enter Pepper's lab and demand assurances that she will deal with them regarding Ula Frost's work.
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Dr. Levin interrupts, saying security is coming, and the men leave.
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A security officer arrives, and Pepper later departs, finding the men gone.
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Pepper texts with Ike, who is reading Kit's Oregon Trail diary and notes that Kit is keeping a secret.
Character Development
Pepper is shown in a state of heightened vulnerability throughout this chapter. She is alone in the building, cataloging the remains of infants, and her mind keeps returning to the image of the murder weapon—a rock on a shelf, like a souvenir. Her fear is palpable when the men enter her lab; she holds her phone as if it might protect her, and she wonders how many murder victims she has examined were holding their phones when they died. Her reliance on Ike's texts as a lifeline reveals her deep need for connection in moments of crisis. Her ambivalence about her role in Scott's operation shows her moral complexity—she is relieved she helped, but uncomfortable with the means.
Dr. Levin emerges as a quiet ally. She notices Pepper's distress and intervenes with a plausible excuse about security, allowing the men to leave without confrontation. Her offer of marigold tea and her comment about the moon in the Sign of the Virgin highlight her eccentric, nurturing nature.
Roscoe Larsen and Christian Bruno are introduced as intimidating, persistent figures. Roscoe is articulate and unnerving, with a tight smile and a willingness to invade Pepper's personal space. Christian is broad and mostly silent, his presence filling the doorway. Their refusal to leave until Dr. Levin intervenes underscores their determination and the threat they represent.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Secrecy and Hidden Truths: The chapter is saturated with secrets. Kit's diary contains a secret she is keeping from everyone on the wagon train, which Ike says reminded him of Pepper. Pepper herself is keeping secrets—from the men about the lawyer and the agreement, and from herself about her role in Scott's operation. The men's pursuit of Ula Frost's work suggests that Ula's art holds hidden truths about alternate universes.
Fear and Vulnerability: Pepper's fear is visceral and physical. She is alone, the building is empty, and the men block the doorway, trapping her. Her body is tense, and she cannot turn around when she first hears the footsteps. Her fear is compounded by her imagination—she thinks about murder victims holding phones, and about the rock on the boyfriend's shelf.
Mortality and Infant Remains: The infant and juvenile remains Pepper catalogs are a stark reminder of mortality. The bones are comingled, the babies buried together, and some are classified as prenatal. The small rocks mixed in with the bones—indistinguishable from infant bones to the untrained eye—echo the murder weapon, a rock wrapped in a scarf.
Alternate Universes: Pepper's thoughts about alternate universes—where the girl is still alive, or where the killer never gets caught—reinforce the novel's central conceit. Ula Frost's paintings supposedly depict people from other universes, and Pepper's imagination runs along the same lines.
The Murder Weapon as Souvenir: The bloodstained rock on the boyfriend's shelf is described as a souvenir, a keepsake of a violent act. This image haunts Pepper and connects to the broader theme of objects carrying meaning and memory.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter escalates the external threat to Pepper. The Everett Group's arrival in her lab transforms the abstract danger of Ula Frost's work into a concrete, personal confrontation. The men's demand for assurances—and their willingness to exceed any offer—signals that Pepper's inheritance is far more valuable and dangerous than she realized.
The chapter also deepens Pepper's characterization. Her fear, her ambivalence about her role in Scott's operation, and her reliance on Ike's texts reveal her vulnerability and her moral complexity. The parallel between Kit's secret and Pepper's situation suggests that Pepper, like Kit, is keeping secrets that could have consequences.
Finally, the chapter reinforces the novel's central themes of secrecy, mortality, and alternate universes. Pepper's imagination—dwelling on the murder weapon, the infant remains, and the possibility of other worlds—prepares the reader for the novel's exploration of Ula Frost's art and its implications.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Pepper feel ambivalent about her role in helping Scott obtain the Ula Frost painting?
Pepper is relieved that she helped Scott, because if Ula never turns up, she won't have to worry that her reluctance to get involved contributed to the outcome. However, she is uncomfortable with the means—diverting Ula's assistant so Scott could find the painting. Her ambivalence reflects her moral complexity and her unease with the deception involved.
2. How does the Everett Group's visit escalate the threat to Pepper?
The men's arrival in her lab transforms the abstract danger of Ula Frost's work into a concrete, personal confrontation. They demand assurances that she will deal with them, and Roscoe invades her personal space. Their refusal to leave until Dr. Levin intervenes underscores their determination and the seriousness of their interest in Ula's work.
3. What is the significance of Kit's diary in this chapter?
Kit's diary, which Ike is reading, contains a secret that Kit is keeping from everyone on the wagon train. Ike says the diary reminded him of Pepper, drawing a parallel between Kit's hidden truth and Pepper's situation. The diary also reinforces the novel's themes of secrecy and hidden truths, and it provides a counterpoint to Pepper's own experiences.
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