Chapter 27 Summary and Analysis: Lizzy's August 21, 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

The chapter opens on the morning of August 21, 2019, with Lizzy being woken by loud, insistent banging on her van door. Steve, a worker from the campground office, calls her name—addressing her as Miss Shelley—and tells her she has a phone call. A woman has called claiming to be family and saying it is very important that she reach Lizzy. Lizzy, still in her rumpled sleep clothes, jumps into Steve's four-wheeler and rides to the office, her mind racing with the possibility that the caller might be her estranged sister.

When they arrive, Lizzy nearly runs to the phone, but the caller has already hung up. Steve explains that the woman knew Lizzy was camping on the island but was not sure of the exact campground. She sounded distressed and said she was family. Steve admits he told the caller where Lizzy was staying. Lizzy waits by the phone, drinking coffee, but no call comes back. Eventually she accepts that she has missed her chance and walks back to her campsite, planning to examine the monster book and the creepy doll she had left in her backpack the night before—items she was too exhausted and unsettled to open.

Back at her campsite, Lizzy finds a familiar blue pickup truck parked next to her van. The constable, Pete, is inside her van, holding her digital recorder. He claims he came to check on her because the door was open and she did not answer. Lizzy is clearly uncomfortable with his presence in her private space. Pete tells her he spoke with the state police that morning: Lauren Schumacher is still missing, and another detective is coming to town the next day to interview people about the disappearance and the Rattling Jane angle. Pete says they will likely want to speak with Lizzy, given her theories. When he asks her opinion on the Rattling Jane stories, she deflects, saying sometimes things are not what they seem. Pete leaves his card on the picnic table, telling her to call if she wants to talk, and drives off.

After Pete leaves, Lizzy retrieves her backpack to finally look at the book and doll. But when she unzips it, she finds the contents have been emptied: the monster book is gone, the doll is gone, and her gun is gone.

Key Events

Steve wakes Lizzy with news of an urgent phone call from a woman claiming to be family
The caller hangs up before Lizzy can reach the phone; no call back comes
Lizzy returns to her campsite intending to examine the monster book and doll
She finds Constable Pete inside her van, holding her digital recorder
Pete reveals the state police are sending a detective to interview people about Lauren Schumacher's disappearance and the Rattling Jane angle
Pete leaves his card and departs
Lizzy discovers the monster book, the doll, and her gun are missing from her backpack

Character Development

Lizzy is shown in a state of heightened vulnerability throughout this chapter. She is caught off-guard by the phone call, physically disheveled, and emotionally rattled by the possibility that her sister might be trying to reach her. Her reaction to Pete's presence in her van reveals how protective she is of her private space—she notes there is not room for two people in the van, and she backs out to create distance. Her decision to leave the book and doll unopened the night before, out of fear, shows that even she is unsettled by the evidence she is carrying. The chapter ends with her panic rising as she realizes the items—including her gun—have vanished, leaving her both exposed and stripped of the proof she was gathering.

Pete continues to be an ambiguous figure. He presents himself as concerned and helpful, checking on Lizzy and sharing information about the investigation. But his decision to enter her van uninvited, and the timing of his visit, raise questions about his motives. His comment that the detective will want to hear her theories, among other things, carries a slightly pointed edge, and the disappearance of her belongings immediately after his visit leaves the reader wondering whether he took them.

Steve is a minor but functional presence—the helpful campground employee who facilitates the missed connection and provides a small dose of normalcy with his offer of coffee and small talk.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Missed connections and family estrangement. The chapter's central dramatic beat is a phone call that arrives too late. Lizzy's hope that the caller might be her once-upon-a-time sister underscores the distance that has grown between her and her family. The missed call becomes a symbol of the larger estrangement—she is reachable, but only barely, and the connection slips away.

Invasion of privacy and paranoia. Pete's uninvited entry into Lizzy's van is a clear violation of her personal space, and her discomfort is palpable. The chapter builds a sense of paranoia: Lizzy is being watched, her location is known, and her belongings disappear. The reader is left uncertain whether Pete is a threat, a helper, or something in between.

Disappearing evidence. The theft of the monster book, the doll, and the gun is the chapter's climax. These items were Lizzy's tangible link to the mystery—the book and doll as physical evidence, the gun as her means of protection. Their removal strips her of agency and raises the stakes: someone knows what she has, and someone wants it gone.

Isolation. Lizzy's life in the van, her refusal to let others in, and her physical solitude on the island all reinforce her isolation. Even when help is offered—Steve's coffee, Pete's card—she remains fundamentally alone.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter escalates the central mystery on multiple fronts. The missed phone call introduces the possibility of a family reconciliation that never materializes, deepening Lizzy's emotional stakes. The police investigation into Lauren Schumacher's disappearance and the Rattling Jane angle moves closer to Lizzy, positioning her as a person of interest. And the theft of her evidence—the book, the doll, and her gun—removes her safety net and her proof, forcing her into a more vulnerable position as the story moves forward. The chapter also deepens the ambiguity around Pete, whose helpfulness may be a cover for something more sinister.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Lizzy react so strongly to the missed phone call?

Lizzy's reaction reveals how much she hopes the caller might be her estranged sister. The chapter shows her hands trembling, her mind racing, and her disappointment when no call comes back. The missed connection underscores her isolation and the emotional weight of her family estrangement.

2. What does Pete's visit to Lizzy's van suggest about his role in the story?

Pete's visit is ambiguous. He claims he came to check on Lizzy because the door was open, but his presence inside her van, holding her digital recorder, feels invasive. His information about the state police investigation is useful, but the disappearance of Lizzy's belongings immediately after his visit raises the question of whether he took them—or whether someone else is watching her.

3. What is the significance of the missing items at the end of the chapter?

The monster book, the doll, and the gun represent Lizzy's evidence and her protection. Their disappearance strips her of both, leaving her without proof of the mystery she is investigating and without a means of defending herself. It also signals that someone knows what she has and is actively working against her.