Chapter 27 Summary: The Lake Garfield Discovery

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Key Events

Three teenage boys take a boat onto Lake Garfield around 4 a.m., discover a drifting dinghy covered in a dark substance. They poke at a lump with a fishing rod and realize it is a human heart, then call the harbormaster.
Police were already en route due to an anonymous tip that a body would be at the lake. Wren Muller and Detective John Leroux arrive to find the local Kingsborough force bristling at their presence.
A hostile exchange occurs between Leroux and Officer Michaels, who accuses Leroux of riding his father’s reputation. Leroux retorts by pointing out the obvious missing heart. Michaels dismisses the connection to Jeremy Rose.
Wren examines the heart: it was recently removed (within hours) with a mix of crude cuts and enough precision to leave the organ intact while damaging the attached aorta.
A young officer discovers a second kill site: a woman propped against a tree, cross-legged, with a rope pulled through her mouth so tightly it cut into her skin while she was still alive. Her chest is torn open, and she is missing her heart.
While inspecting the body, Wren is approached by Detective James Warren, who makes a joke comparing Leroux to Frederick Abberline and implying Leroux is wrong to link the murders. Wren corrects him and fires back with a jab about Sir Charles Warren.
Wren reflects that the brutality—especially the rope gag and heart removal—matches Jeremy Rose’s pattern, noting the heart is meant as a gift for her, like her charm bracelet.

Character Development

Wren Muller demonstrates her deep knowledge of both forensic details and true-crime history. She defends Leroux against Warren’s snide remark, showing loyalty and a low tolerance for unprofessional behavior. Her irritation with Warren reveals her commitment to focusing on the victim, not on departmental politics.
John Leroux remains confident and confrontational. He refuses to defer to the local police, even when they insult him personally. His insistence that the scene belongs to Jeremy Rose shows he trusts his investigative instincts despite pushback.
Detective James Warren appears smug and unprofessional, flirting near a murder victim and undermining a colleague with a pop-culture reference. Wren’s rebuttal exposes his ignorance and leaves him momentarily speechless.
Officer Michaels embodies the interdepartmental resentment, viewing Leroux as a nepotistic outsider rather than a competent detective.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Jurisdictional Rivalry: The clash between the NOPD and Kingsborough police mirrors the historical conflicts of the Jack the Ripper investigation. Wren muses that ego often undermines teamwork in law enforcement.
Heart as Signature: The removed heart, displayed in a dinghy and again in the victim’s chest, reinforces Jeremy’s ritual of offering her a “gift.” The precision of the extraction speaks to his skill and obsession.
Victim Display: The propped position and rope gag create a ghastly mockery of life. The rope cutting into living flesh emphasizes the killer’s pleasure in prolonged suffering.
Allusion to Jack the Ripper: The chapter invokes Frederick Abberline and Sir Charles Warren to highlight the parallel between historical and present-day investigative failures caused by pride.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter confirms that Jeremy Rose is still active and escalating. The heart removal is a direct message to Wren, tying the murders to her personally. The interdepartmental friction raises the stakes: if Wren and Leroux cannot cooperate with local police, the investigation may stall. Wren’s forensic observations and her ability to hold her own against Warren establish her as both intellectually formidable and ethically grounded. The chapter also introduces a potential distraction with the mention of Corinne’s case—a nod that not every violent death in the area is Jeremy’s work.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does the anonymous tip suggest someone is directing the investigation?
The tip arrived before the boys reported the heart, meaning the killer—or an accomplice—wanted the police to find the body at Lake Garfield. This points to a calculated staging, likely to taunt law enforcement or lead them to the second kill site.

2. How does Wren’s reaction to Detective Warren’s joke reveal her professional values?
Wren immediately corrects Warren’s disrespectful comparison and defends Leroux’s competence. She prioritizes respect for colleagues and victims over making conversation, and she uses historical knowledge to shut down inappropriate flirting near a crime scene.

3. What evidence in this chapter confirms Jeremy Rose’s involvement despite jurisdictional doubt?
The heart removal matches Jeremy’s signature—precise excision of the organ without damage—and the rope gag that cut into the victim’s face while she was alive aligns with his pattern of prolonged torture. Wren also thinks of her charm bracelet, a personal taunt Jeremy has used before.