Chapter 70 (Chapter 69) – “Hellhounds on Your Trail”
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This page contains detailed plot points from Chapter 70 of Southern Man. If you have not yet read the chapter, proceed with caution.
Summary
After finding every route to the hospital parking lot blocked by Jamaal’s enforcers or sheriff’s patrol cars, Ebony returns to the Seaver house on Hinton Avenue. Mrs. Seaver (Linda) greets her more warmly than before and explains she has called a trusted friend, Kara Mascagni, who can help Ebony find a long-term safe place. Inside the den, Ebony’s instincts scream that something is wrong. She recognizes Kara as a sheriff’s deputy—the same woman Shontae Reece was sent to when she tried to report her supervising officer. When Kara draws a small pistol and claims Ebony is a drug dealer, Ebony bolts. No bullet comes, but a siren wails, and Ebony runs through the white neighborhood feeling hunted.
Key Events
- Ebony abandons her plan to meet Sophie Dufort because all access points are blocked.
- She returns to the Seaver house, where Linda appears calmer and more prepared.
- Linda reveals she has called Kara Mascagni, described as a family connection and a person who works with troubled kids.
- In the den, Ebony’s suspicion grows as she notes Kara’s tense, athletic posture.
- Ebony identifies Kara as a deputy who failed to help Shontae Reece in the past.
- Kara pulls a pistol and accuses Ebony of being a drug dealer.
- Ebony escapes through the front door; a siren sounds as she runs.
Character Development
Ebony: Her survival instinct sharpens further. She learns to distrust even well-meaning adults and recognizes the pattern of institutional betrayal. Her panic is visceral, and her flight is driven by the memory of her great-uncle’s advice to “run like you got hellhounds on your trail.”
Mrs. Seaver (Linda): Initially presented as a grieving mother who wanted to help, Linda’s judgment proves flawed. She unknowingly brings a predator into her home. Her shock at Kara’s actions shows she was genuinely deceived but also that her attempt to intervene has backfired dangerously.
Kara Mascagni: A sheriff’s deputy who presents herself as a helper. Her quick draw and false accusation reveal that she is part of the system that threatens Ebony. Her past involvement with Shontae Reece suggests a pattern of silencing victims.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Betrayal by trusted authority figures: Ebony’s hope that Mrs. Seaver would be different is crushed when Kara Mascagni, a deputy, turns on her. The scene dramatizes how institutions meant to protect can instead harm.
Hunted identity: The metaphor “hellhounds on your trail” from Ebony’s great-uncle becomes literal. Ebony feels her Blackness as a target while fleeing through a white neighborhood, underscoring the novel’s exploration of racialized fear.
The trap of good intentions: Mrs. Seaver’s attempt to connect Ebony with a professional backfires completely, showing that even sympathetic characters can unwittingly enable harm.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point for Ebony’s arc: she loses any remaining trust in the adult authority figures around her. It also deepens the conspiracy theme by revealing that a deputy is actively working against her. The chapter closes with a visceral image of pursuit that mirrors the larger forces closing in on the novel’s protagonists.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Ebony decide to go back to Mrs. Seaver’s house?
She had no other safe option. All routes to the hospital parking lot where Sophie Dufort was waiting were blocked by Jamaal’s enforcers or sheriff’s patrols, leaving the Seaver house as her only accessible refuge.
2. What clue makes Ebony realize Kara Mascagni is dangerous?
Ebony notices Kara’s tense, athletic posture and then recognizes her as the deputy who was assigned to handle Shontae Reece’s complaint—the same officer who failed to help Shontae. This triggers an alarm that saves Ebony’s life.
3. How does the author use the “hellhounds” image in this chapter?
Ebony recalls her great-uncle’s advice to run as if hellhounds were chasing her. The image is made real by the approaching siren, representing the literal pursuit by law enforcement and the metaphorical hounds of systemic racism.