Chapter 12 Summary: 'Shitty Times Ahead for Some'
⚠️ 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 narrator pulls into the Red Hot Truck Stop just north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, off Highway 61. He appreciates the place because it's non-judgmental — no one comments on his pitbull, his sweatpants, or his Vancouver Grizzlies beanie. A young woman sells him fried catfish and onion rings and tells him the End Times are coming; he agrees, adding that they are coming for some.
He's in a lousy mood because of a recent baby drop-off. He'd passed an infant to a matron in a hospital parking lot — a woman with a conservative conspiracy-cult look, botoxed and sneering. The matron seemed to disapprove of the baby's appearance, and the narrator felt a flash of sorrow for the child's future. He wanted to grab the baby back but didn't. Though he's done hundreds of such drop-offs over the years, this one left him feeling lower than usual.
Back in his camper, he finishes the catfish and picks at crumbs. He reflects that he has standards — he's not the dirtiest hand in the country, and he considers baby merchants the worst. He regrets not saying something to the matron.
It's raining cold outside. He turns on space heaters. He's been driving for sixteen or seventeen hours but can't sleep. He shuffles cards and stares at the parking lot, where the tractors of semis seem to have faces — dumb-looking, bovine, but patient. He reflects that sometimes animals and machines look more human than people.
He hopes he didn't deliver the baby into bad hands. He brings out his Rider-Waite Tarot deck to try to convince himself. He recalls Mrs. Wetz, an eighty-year-old psychic in Margate, Florida, who held cash for Mafia people. He'd mow her lawn and trim foliage, and they'd sit on her screened porch drinking tea while she taught him the Tarot, describing cards like dolls with individual personalities. She also taught him Mah-jongg.
He shuffles the deck and lays out a three-card spread: Eight of Cups, Six of Pentacles reversed, and The Hanged Man. He notes this doesn't look good.
Before he can ponder the reading, one of his Walmart burner phones starts buzzing. Then another, then one in his jeans pocket. He realizes someone knows his location and has compromised his unregistered phones. He answers one. A young woman's voice asks if he's Davis Dowty — an old, old alias. She says she doesn't want to hurt him and asks him not to hang up.
Key Events
-
The narrator stops at the Red Hot Truck Stop north of Vicksburg, Mississippi
-
He reflects guiltily on a recent baby drop-off to a matron in a hospital parking lot
-
He eats fried catfish and onion rings; the cashier mentions the End Times
-
He recalls Mrs. Wetz, the Tarot teacher in Margate, Florida
-
He lays out a three-card Tarot spread: Eight of Cups, Six of Pentacles reversed, The Hanged Man
-
Multiple burner phones buzz simultaneously, revealing his location is compromised
-
He answers a call; a young woman uses the old alias Davis Dowty
-
She says she doesn't want to hurt him and asks him not to hang up
Character Development
The narrator reveals a rare moment of moral reflection in this chapter. His guilt over the baby drop-off shows that he has internal standards even within his criminal work. He distinguishes himself from baby merchants, suggesting he sees himself as a courier rather than a seller — a self-justification that doesn't fully ease his conscience. His regret at not speaking up to the matron shows a flicker of protective instinct toward the child.
His memory of Mrs. Wetz reveals a capacity for tenderness and mentorship. He learned Tarot from her with genuine appreciation, describing the cards as having individual personalities. This humanizes him and shows that his life isn't entirely transactional.
His reaction to the buzzing phones — jumping up, swatting his thigh — shows his paranoia and the constant threat he lives under. The realization that his burner phones are compromised is a serious blow to his sense of security.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
End Times prophecy: The cashier's comment about the End Times and the narrator's sardonic reply set a tone of apocalyptic dread that runs through the chapter.
Baby trafficking and moral self-justification: The narrator's guilt over the drop-off and his distinction from baby merchants reveals the moral compromises of his work.
Tarot divination: The three-card spread serves as a meditation tool and a way to seek reassurance. The cards — Eight of Cups (abandonment), Six of Pentacles reversed (imbalance), The Hanged Man (suspension) — foreshadow the chapter's events.
Surveillance and privacy compromise: The simultaneous buzzing of multiple burner phones signals that the narrator's anonymity has been breached.
False identity and aliases: The use of Davis Dowty, an old alias, suggests the narrator's past is catching up with him.
Guilt and self-disgust: The narrator's low mood and self-reproach permeate the chapter.
Human-machine blurring: The semis with faces in the parking lot — dumb-looking, bovine, but patient — reflect the narrator's observation that machines sometimes seem more human than people.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter escalates the central threat of the novel. The narrator's anonymity is shattered when multiple burner phones buzz simultaneously, indicating that someone has tracked his unregistered devices. The use of the old alias Davis Dowty suggests that whoever is calling has deep knowledge of his history, implying a long pursuit or a betrayal.
The chapter also deepens the narrator's characterization. His guilt over the baby drop-off and his memory of Mrs. Wetz reveal a moral complexity that complicates his role as a criminal. The Tarot reading adds a layer of fatalism — the cards suggest trouble ahead, and the chapter's ending delivers on that promise.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does the narrator's reaction to the baby drop-off reveal about his moral code, and how does he justify his role in the trafficking operation?
The narrator's reaction reveals that he operates with a moral hierarchy even within criminal work. He feels genuine disgust with himself after the drop-off, particularly because the matron seemed to disapprove of the baby. He distinguishes himself from baby merchants, implying he sees himself as a courier rather than a seller. This self-justification doesn't fully ease his conscience — he regrets not saying something and hopes the baby will be adopted by nice parents. His guilt suggests he's not fully desensitized, and his protective instinct toward the child shows a flicker of humanity.
2. How do the three Tarot cards (Eight of Cups, Six of Pentacles reversed, The Hanged Man) foreshadow the events and themes of the chapter?
The Eight of Cups typically represents walking away from something, abandonment, or emotional withdrawal — mirroring the narrator's forced abandonment of his anonymity. The Six of Pentacles reversed suggests imbalance, debt, or misuse of resources — reflecting the power imbalance in the phone call and the narrator's compromised position. The Hanged Man represents suspension, sacrifice, or a change in perspective — foreshadowing the narrator's suspended state of uncertainty at the chapter's end, caught between his old identity and the threat of exposure.
3. What does the simultaneous buzzing of multiple burner phones reveal about the narrator's situation, and why is the use of the alias Davis Dowty significant?
The simultaneous buzzing means someone has tracked his unregistered burner phones, compromising his privacy and anonymity. This is a serious escalation — the narrator's entire survival strategy depends on being untraceable. The use of Davis Dowty, an old alias, signals that whoever is calling has deep knowledge of his history, suggesting a long pursuit or a betrayal from someone close to him. It transforms the threat from abstract to immediate, and the young woman's claim that she doesn't want to hurt him only deepens the mystery.