Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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 chapter opens in the drawing room before dinner. The atmosphere is tense. Ellison sits on the sofa in his black tux, nervously bouncing his leg and drinking sparkling water. When the narrator comments on his wired state, he blames strong tea from breakfast, though the narrator can only remember Marlowe from that meal. Fergus stumbles in disheveled, demands a drink, and gulps down a corpse reviver cocktail made with absinthe, then asks for another. He plays a slow, sad tune on the piano. Chloe enters with puffy red eyes and an eerie calm, joining Ellison on the sofa. Kassidy stands by the fireplace, staring into the flames, holding an untouched glass of champagne. Marlowe enters and says "Evening," but no one answers; he avoids the narrator's eyes, likely suspecting her of sneaking out of Blaine's room earlier.

The narrator reflects on Blaine's past cruelty—how he hurt many people, lied, and spread rumors—yet she still feels a prick of regret. After fifteen minutes of awkward silence, dinner is announced. Marlowe asks where Blaine is. Kassidy, roused from her fire-staring, says he must have lost track of time. Fergus suggests Blaine is avoiding someone. Chloe's cheeks flush, and Ellison's leg bounces faster. Kassidy volunteers to fetch him, and the others drift into the dining room.

Just as a footman drapes a napkin over the narrator's lap, a heart-wrenching scream shatters the silence. Fergus's eyes bulge. The narrator shoves back from the table, knocking her chair over, and sprints upstairs. She finds Kassidy stumbling out of Blaine's room, dry-heaving and wailing. The narrator drops to her knees and wraps her arms around Kassidy to steady her convulsions. The others rush past into the room, and the narrator hears terrified screams from Fergus and Chloe, and Ellison's deep voice crying "No, no, no" and telling everyone to stay back. Chloe shrieks for someone to help him. Kassidy hyperventilates, and the narrator tries to calm her breathing. Someone darts out of the room and down the stairs, but the narrator doesn't see who.

Ellison comes out, picks up Kassidy like a rag doll, and carries her to the narrator's room, placing her on the bed before leaving again. The narrator drapes a blanket over Kassidy and soothes her, but her mind races. She slips out to see Fergus sobbing on the ground, Chloe leaning against the wall gasping for air, and Marlowe trying to calm her. The narrator steels herself and enters Blaine's room.

Inside, she finds Blaine on the ground near the bathroom, facedown, one arm above his head, the other contorted beneath his torso. A towel is wrapped around his bottom half, but he's shirtless. There are jagged bloody gashes on his back and dark-red pools of blood. Ellison is kneeling but pops up when he sees her, stuffing something into his pocket with a deft motion. He stares at her with wide eyes. She whispers, "What happened?" He says somebody stabbed him, a lot. The narrator looks at the blood with fascination and disgust, noting that Blaine's body looks staged, like a theatrical production of Hamlet. She hopes Ellison won't see the storm of guilt and hope making her muscles twitch. She asks if he found the knife. Ellison shakes his head, saying he looked around and it's not there. She says they need to call the police. Ellison tells her Marlowe already did, but the police have to take the ferry across, and it's going to storm. A crack of thunder rattles the house.

Kassidy's wails rise above the sound. The narrator rushes next door to check on her. Kassidy is half out of bed, clinging to the blanket, gasping "Blaine!" The narrator wraps an arm around her and guides her back to the pillow. Kassidy's diamond bracelet catches on the lace fringe of the blanket. The narrator tries to pull them apart, but the fabric begins to tear. She finally gets the clasp unhooked and places the bracelet in the drawer of the side table for Kassidy to find later. She tells Kassidy everything will be fine, treating her like she does her younger sister Caye during nightmares. Kassidy collapses back into bed. The narrator sits and watches her chest rise and fall while the image of Blaine's body flashes into her mind. The grandfather clock ticks slowly, rain pelts the house, and the narrator worries about what Marlowe might have told the police on the phone—whether he mentioned seeing her creep out of Blaine's room hours earlier. She reassures herself that he was downstairs for only a few minutes and that the 911 call likely didn't include such details. Yet.

Two hours later, there's a loud pounding at the front door. The narrator jerks out of her stupor, her neck twinging. Kassidy doesn't stir. She hurries into the hallway and meets the frightened eyes of the others. Fergus whispers that he saw the cops driving up the hill. They go downstairs as a group to find Mr. Jimenez has already opened the front door, his unsurprised face indicating someone told him about Blaine. Rain falls in heavy bands outside, glittering in the headlights of vehicles lining the drive. Two police officers in dripping uniforms step through the door. Other people in all-white disposable suits pull cases from a van. An ambulance stands by, but the EMTs stay inside.

One officer, a middle-aged man with a giant blond mustache and bald head, asks who made the call. Marlowe steps forward, his face serene, only his messy curls showing any sign of upset. He says one of their friends has been stabbed and is dead. The officer asks where he is, and Marlowe says upstairs. The officer frowns at them, noting their period clothes, and says he can find him, telling them to stay with Officer Merin. He disappears upstairs.

Officer Merin is young and plump, with black hair slicked back into a tight ponytail. She asks if they're having a costume party. The narrator explains it's a 1920s party and they just graduated from high school. Officer Merin asks if anyone is under eighteen; they all shake their heads. She eyes them with suspicion and asks if any parents are present. Ellison defensively repeats that they're all eighteen. Officer Merin walks around the house taking notes. The blond-mustached officer comes back downstairs and motions for her to follow him outside. Through the open front door, they see him talk to the ambulance driver and then to one of the people in white. Marlowe notes that's the forensic team.

After a few minutes, the officers come back inside, trailed by a half dozen people in white and a tired-looking woman in a sharp suit carrying a doctor's bag. Officer Merin tells the group to go to the big room with the fireplace and wait. She asks if anyone else is there besides the five of them. Mr. Jimenez, lurking in the shadows, says the staff—four of them total—sleep in the old servants' quarters. Officer Merin exchanges a glance with Officer Young and asks Mr. Jimenez to have the staff remain at Ashwood Manor until they're interviewed. She asks if anyone else is present. The narrator speaks up, saying Kassidy is upstairs—Blaine's girlfriend—and that she had a breakdown and fell asleep. Officer Young's mustache twitches as he asks why she isn't down here. The narrator explains she's asleep. Officer Young says they'll need everyone to stay downstairs while the scene is processed, and an officer will be posted at the drawing room door for their safety. A collective chill descends on the group. Violence has seeped into the dark hallways of Ashwood Manor, and now one of them is dead.

Key Events

The group gathers in the drawing room before dinner; Ellison is nervous, Fergus drinks heavily, and Kassidy stares into the fire.
Dinner is announced, but Blaine is missing; Kassidy goes to fetch him.
A scream interrupts the meal; Kassidy stumbles from Blaine's room in hysterics.
The others rush in and react with horror; Ellison carries Kassidy to the narrator's room.
The narrator enters Blaine's room and finds him dead on the floor with multiple stab wounds; his body appears staged.
Ellison pockets something and says the murder weapon—a knife—is missing.
Marlowe has already called the police, but they must cross by ferry in an approaching storm.
The narrator comforts Kassidy and removes her bracelet, placing it in a drawer.
Two hours later, officers Young and Merin arrive with a forensic team.
The officers question the group, ask the staff to remain, and confine everyone to the drawing room while the scene is processed.

Character Development

The narrator: Her internal conflict deepens. She feels guilt and hope upon seeing Blaine's body, and she worries about being suspected. Her instinct to comfort Kassidy shows a caring side, but her quick thinking about the bracelet and her concern about Marlowe's phone call reveal a calculating streak.
Ellison: His nervousness is palpable—bouncing leg, barking laugh, and later stuffing something into his pocket. His reaction to the body is emotional, but his secretive action raises questions about his involvement.
Fergus: He turns to alcohol to cope, gulping down corpse revivers and playing a sad tune. His comment about Blaine avoiding someone hints at underlying tensions.
Kassidy: Her shock is overwhelming—she hyperventilates, wails, and eventually collapses. Her bracelet catching on the blanket is a small but telling detail, suggesting she may have been near the scene or that the narrator is protecting her.
Marlowe: He remains eerily calm, having already called the police. His avoidance of the narrator's eyes suggests he suspects her, but his composed demeanor makes him a potential wildcard.
Chloe: Her puffy eyes and eerie calm, followed by a shriek of horror, show a fragile emotional state. Her blush when Blaine's absence is mentioned hints at a possible motive.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Isolation and the storm: The approaching storm and the ferry delay trap the characters on the island, heightening tension and ensuring no one can leave. The rain and thunder mirror the chaos and impending doom.
Staged crime scene: The narrator notes that Blaine's body looks staged, like a theatrical production. This motif of performance ties back to the 1920s party and suggests the murder may be a calculated act.
Guilt and suspicion: The narrator's guilt about sneaking out of Blaine's room, Ellison's secretive pocketing of an object, and the general distrust among the group create an atmosphere of suspicion.
Hidden secrets and evidence: The missing knife, the object Ellison pockets, and the bracelet in the drawer all point to concealed evidence. The narrator's decision to hide the bracelet—whether to protect Kassidy or herself—adds to the theme of hidden truths.
Loss of innocence: The characters are recent high school graduates, but the murder forces them into an adult world of violence and investigation. The narrator's reference to treating Kassidy like her younger sister underscores the shift from carefree youth to grim reality.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the turning point of the novel. It delivers the murder that has been building since the beginning, transforming the story from a tense social gathering into a full-blown mystery. The introduction of the police and the forensic team establishes the investigative framework, while the storm and ferry delay ensure the suspects are trapped together, maximizing interpersonal conflict. The narrator's observations—Ellison's pocketed object, the staged body, the missing knife—plant crucial clues that will drive the rest of the plot. The chapter also deepens character motivations, showing how each person reacts to crisis and hinting at secrets that may unravel. It sets the stage for the interrogation and the gradual revelation of what really happened on that stormy night.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does the narrator remove Kassidy's bracelet and place it in a drawer? The narrator does this when the bracelet catches on the blanket and the fabric begins to tear. She unhooks the clasp and puts it in the drawer to prevent further damage, intending for Kassidy to find it later. However, the act is ambiguous—it could be a protective gesture or an attempt to remove potential evidence, especially given the narrator's earlier guilt about being seen near Blaine's room.
What does Ellison's action of pocketing something in Blaine's room suggest? When the narrator enters, Ellison quickly stuffs something into his pocket. He doesn't explain what it is, and he claims the knife is missing. This secretive behavior suggests he may have found a piece of evidence—perhaps the murder weapon or another incriminating item—and is hiding it, either to protect himself or someone else. It raises suspicion about his role in the crime.
How does the storm and the ferry delay affect the situation? The storm prevents the police from arriving quickly, giving the characters time to react and potentially tamper with evidence. It also traps everyone on the island, ensuring that the killer cannot escape and that the suspects must remain together, increasing tension and the likelihood of further revelations. The thunder and rain create a dramatic backdrop that underscores the danger and isolation.