Chapter 28: Grief, Therapy, and a Threatening Card
⚠️ 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
Chapter 28 opens with Colm driving to a diner in upper Spartanburg County, hoping to establish a new routine. He reflects on his drinking the night before, spurred by Judge Weber’s ruling against his investigation. At the diner, waitress Maddy reveals that another waitress, Belle, bought avocados with her own money to accommodate Colm’s usual order. Colm is touched by the gratuitous kindness and leaves a tip for Belle, though Maddy warns she won’t accept it.
Moved to act on his good intentions, Colm drives to his sister-in-law Mae’s house—a visit he has been putting off. Mae Jennings is a forensic psychiatrist. She and Colm discuss the depth of their shared grief over Ally’s suicide and Jaci’s death from SIDS. Colm admits he stays in his house because leaving feels like abandoning his family, even though he knows Ally would want him to move on.
Colm then shows Mae crime scene photos from the beauty salon murder. Mae analyzes the overkill: nineteen stab wounds, postmortem hair cutting, and stepping on the victim’s face. She interprets the hair cutting as a symbolic humiliation intended to belittle the victim, and the stabbing to the heart as deeply personal. Colm confesses he has two weak suspects—the ex-husband and a petty thief—and that they are running out of time.
Mae shifts to a personal appeal. She argues that Colm’s gift is advocating for the voiceless and that leaving his calling would be a waste of his purpose. She urges him to take a long break rather than abandon the work entirely. Colm admits he is apathetic but not suicidal. Mae emphasizes that her love for him is by choice, not blood, and that commitment is eternal.
As Colm leaves, Mae gives him an envelope that arrived in her mailbox. Inside is a King of Hearts torn in two. Colm recognizes it—“Not the first suicide king”—and says someone wants to remind him of his broken heart. Mae suggests he tell Bones to investigate, but Colm lies, knowing the list of enemies is too long. He pockets the card and walks away.
Key Events
- Colm drives to a diner and learns Belle bought avocados for him out of her own pocket.
- He decides to visit Mae instead of only thinking about her.
- Colm and Mae discuss the shared grief over Ally and Jaci.
- Colm shows Mae the beauty salon murder photos; she offers a forensic analysis.
- Mae interprets the killer’s actions: overkill, hair cutting as humiliation, stomping on the face as superiority.
- Colm admits he is considering leaving his job and possibly the area.
- Mae argues that his true calling is advocacy and urges him not to abandon it permanently.
- Colm receives a torn King of Hearts card delivered to Mae’s house, a recurring symbol.
- Colm lies to Mae about telling Bones, saying it would be pointless.
Character Development
- Colm – Appears exhausted, drinking heavily, and haunted by his family’s deaths. He is aware of his own avoidance (of Mae, of processing grief) yet takes a step toward connection by visiting her. He reveals a deep apathy but clings to the case as a reason to get up. His lie about reporting the card shows he is still willing to protect himself from further pain, even if it means deceiving someone who cares.
- Mae Jennings – Emerges as a compassionate, perceptive force. She balances professional analysis with personal love. Her insights about the murder align with the reader’s understanding that the killer’s rage is intimate. Her speech about commitment vs. genetics underscores her role as a chosen family member. She refuses to let Colm wallow without confronting his options.
- Belle – Though not present, her small act of kindness (buying avocados) echoes throughout the chapter, motivating Colm to be kinder to himself and to Mae. Her unseen presence suggests a lurking connection to the courthouse that may be significant later.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Grief and Self-Punishment – Colm stays in a house full of memories because leaving feels like betrayal. He calls it a “self-constructed prison.” His drinking and avoidance mirror the emotional weight of Ally’s suicide.
- Commitment vs. Blood – Mae’s speech about parents being committed (not genetically linked) redefines family. She insists her love for Colm endures beyond Ally’s death, challenging him to see relationships as ongoing choices.
- The Torn Playing Card – The King of Hearts (a “suicide king”) appears again, symbolizing Colm’s broken heart and possibly a threat. The card’s repetition in unsolicited mail hints at someone deliberately taunting or communicating with him.
- Symbolism of Hair and Humiliation – Mae’s analysis of the murder: cutting the victim’s hair postmortem is a mark of control and degradation, akin to pulling out one’s own hair (trichotillomania). The killer’s actions are designed to belittle the victim even in death.
- Kindness as Catalyst – Belle’s unpaid act of kindness prompts Colm to visit Mae. The chapter suggests that small gestures can break cycles of isolation.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 28 deepens the protagonist’s interior conflict, revealing the full extent of his grief and his desire to escape. Mae’s psychiatric perspective on the murder gives the reader a clearer profile of the killer while also mirroring Colm’s own psychological state. The introduction of a recurring torn playing card—whether a threat or a cry for help—adds a new layer of personal danger to the investigation. This chapter also sets up Colm’s possible departure from the task force and from Spartanburg, raising the stakes for the remainder of the story.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Colm initially avoid visiting Mae, and what finally motivates him to go?
Colm avoids Mae because he knows she will force him to confront his grief and the places he wants left alone. He is moved to go after learning about Belle’s small act of kindness—buying avocados for his usual order. That gesture makes him want to do something unexpectedly kind in return, so he drives to Mae’s house.
2. How does Mae interpret the killer’s actions at the beauty salon, and what does she conclude about the murderer’s motive?
Mae notes the overkill (nineteen stab wounds, postmortem hair cutting, stepping on the face) is extremely personal and designed to humiliate the victim. She says stabbing the scissors into the heart is significant, and stepping on the face is a final act of proving superiority. She concludes the killer wanted to belittle the victim and that the rage is rooted in something extremely personal—possibly the victim’s hair or what it symbolized.
3. What is the significance of the torn King of Hearts card, and how does Colm respond to Mae’s suggestion to investigate it?
Colm recognizes the torn King of Hearts as a “suicide king” card he has received before, apparently sent after Ally’s death to remind him of his broken heart. Mae suggests he tell Bones to investigate, but Colm lies and says he will, knowing the list of people who have grudges against him is too long to pursue. The card thus represents both a potential threat and Colm’s resignation to the pain in his life.