Chapter 12 Summary: Lizzy's August 20, 2019

⚠️ 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

Lizzy begins the chapter by packing her recording equipment into her day bag and driving around Chickering Island, struck by how small and crowded the tourist destination is. As she drives, she mentally reviews everything Skink told her about Lauren Schumacher: Lauren's family rented a cabin called Bluebell (one of several flower-named rentals past the winery), and after Lauren disappeared, her family packed up and returned to Worcester, Massachusetts, convinced she had run off there. The detail that most intrigues Lizzy is that Lauren told people she had met Rattling Jane and received a wishing stone.

Lizzy reflects on the nature of monster stories she has collected over the years. They tend to be vague, with no specific names or dates, and people embellish them as they pass them along. She observes that fear functions like a drug, and stories are the delivery method.

She parks in a public lot and heads to the local bookstore, an old habit whenever she visits a new town. Inside, she meets Penny, a large black standard poodle, and a friendly bookseller who directs her to the local history section. She buys Chickering Island, Now and Then and Unexplained Vermont. She can't help noticing three copies of The Helping Hand of God: The True Story of the Hillside Inn on a nearby shelf. The cover drawing depicts the Inn as a Gothic insane asylum with black windows and shadowy figures—a rendering she finds inaccurate. She turns away and pays, grabbing a free tourist map on her way out.

Lizzy walks to Rum Runners Bar and Grill, where a life-size sculpture of Rattling Jane stands outside. The figure is made of a wooden frame and chicken wire, draped in shells, bottle caps, sea glass, pebbles, and cut-up beer cans that rattle in the wind. Inside, she orders a burger and an IPA. The bartender, Sam, tells her about the sculpture and shares two versions of the Rattling Jane legend: one where Jane was involved in Prohibition-era rum-running and crossed the wrong person, ending up at the bottom of the lake; and another where her sister killed her. In the sister version, Jane emerges from the water searching for her sister and grants wishes to anyone who can help, giving them a special pebble. Sam admits she thinks the whole legend was invented as a marketing scheme to draw tourists.

Skink arrives and, despite Lizzy's silent plea, enthusiastically reveals her identity to Sam, mentioning her podcast The Book of Monsters and her TV show Monsters Among Us. Lizzy politely asks him to keep her presence quiet, explaining that people are more forthcoming when they think she's just a stranger. Skink agrees and offers to introduce her to the kids Lauren was hanging out with—the ones who saw the wishing stone and heard her stories about meeting Rattling Jane. As Lizzy eats, she feels both bothered and intrigued by the new information, sensing a secret message in the detail that Rattling Jane was looking for her sister.

Key Events

Lizzy reviews the leads from Skink: the Bluebell cabin, the family's return to Worcester, and Lauren's claim of receiving a wishing stone from Rattling Jane.
At the bookstore, Lizzy buys local history books and notices the Hillside Inn book with its distorted cover art.
The bartender Sam recounts two versions of the Rattling Jane legend, including the sister-killing version.
Skink reveals Lizzy's podcast and TV background to Sam, forcing Lizzy to ask for discretion.
Skink offers to connect Lizzy with Lauren's friends who saw the stone.
Lizzy interprets the sister-search detail as a personal message.

Character Development

Lizzy demonstrates her investigative method: she plays ignorant to encourage people to talk, sifts through vague stories for kernels of truth, and follows leads methodically. Her discomfort when Skink outs her reveals a preference for anonymity and a practical understanding that strangers are more candid. Her reaction to the sister detail—feeling it holds a secret message—shows that the case has become personal, though the chapter doesn't yet explain why.

Skink is fleshed out as a recent high school graduate who works mornings at his uncle Steve's campground, plans to take community college classes, and hopes to leave town eventually. His enthusiasm for Lizzy's work is genuine but careless, and his offer to introduce her to Lauren's friends shows he wants to be useful.

Sam the bartender serves as a skeptical counterpoint to the legend, suggesting it's a marketing invention—a reminder that folklore often serves commercial purposes.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Storytelling and embellishment: The chapter presents two competing versions of the Rattling Jane legend, and Sam openly doubts both. Lizzy's reflection on how monster stories get passed along and exaggerated reinforces the idea that truth is buried under layers of narrative.

Fear as entertainment: Lizzy observes that fear is like a drug and stories are the delivery method. The tourist economy of Chickering Island—including the sculpture outside the bar—demonstrates how fear and folklore are packaged for visitors.

Sisterhood and sibling search: The sister version of the legend—Rattling Jane searching for her sister—resonates with Lizzy on a personal level, though the chapter leaves the connection implicit. This motif echoes the broader themes of the novel.

Truth-seeking vs. exploitation: Lizzy's internal note that the scratches and bones in her TV show's mine episode were staged by the production team highlights the tension between authentic investigation and manufactured entertainment.

Hidden messages: Lizzy feels the sister detail is a secret message meant for her, suggesting that the legend may hold clues relevant to her own search.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the mystery by connecting Lauren Schumacher's disappearance to the Rattling Jane legend through the wishing stone. It establishes the two competing versions of the legend, with the sister version taking on special significance for Lizzy. The chapter also introduces the Hillside Inn book as a recurring presence, linking the local folklore to the larger story. Lizzy's investigative approach and her discomfort with fame set up the next phase of her inquiry, as Skink's offer to introduce her to Lauren's friends promises new information. The chapter ends with Lizzy sensing a personal connection to the sister motif, raising questions about her own history that the novel will presumably explore.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Lizzy feel the detail about Rattling Jane searching for her sister is a secret message for her?

Lizzy is both bothered and intrigued by the sister detail, and the chapter implies a personal resonance. Given that the novel centers on sibling relationships and Lizzy's own history (connected to the Hillside Inn, as suggested by her reaction to the book), the parallel between Rattling Jane's search and Lizzy's own situation creates a sense of hidden meaning. The chapter deliberately leaves this connection unexplained, inviting the reader to wonder what Lizzy's personal stake in the case might be.

2. How do the two versions of the Rattling Jane legend illustrate the theme of storytelling?

The bartender offers two distinct origin stories—one involving Prohibition-era rum-running and another involving a sister's murder—and then suggests the whole legend may be a marketing invention. This multiplicity of versions, combined with Lizzy's earlier reflection on how stories get embellished as they spread, shows that folklore is fluid and often serves practical purposes like attracting tourists. The chapter suggests that truth must be sifted from layers of narrative.

3. What does Lizzy's reaction to Skink revealing her identity reveal about her investigative approach?

Lizzy is clearly uncomfortable when Skink outs her, and she explains that people are more forthcoming when they think she's just a regular stranger. This reveals that her method depends on anonymity and that she values authentic, unguarded responses over the performative reactions that fame might provoke. It also shows her awareness of how her public persona could distort the information she gathers.