The Crossroads Chapter Seven Summary – The Pickett Sisters Take Up the Hunt

⚠️ 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

On the night Joe is shot and Marybeth watches over him in the Billings hospital, his three daughters gather at the family home on the Twelve Sleep River. Sheridan arrives first and finds a frozen pizza. April comes from Montana with her dog Boone; Lucy drives four hours from Laramie. The sisters bicker over leadership but soon embrace and start planning. They try to access Joe’s phone with the password 1-2-3-4-5, fail, and Marybeth texts that she doesn’t know it. Over wine and pizza, they discuss three suspect ranches: McElwee Land and Cattle (operated by sisters Lisa and Lainie, rumored to run a poaching ring and hide ex-cons), Bucholz Ranch (John and Shelby, suspected of using shady PIs and hiding a mysterious man in an old cabin), and the Double Diamond Ranch (owned by a wealthy easterner, foreman Clay Hutmacher Jr., who was once Sheridan’s suitor). They agree to seek information from Sheriff Steve Sondergard and decide not to involve Nate Romanowski yet. Late that night, Lucy asks April what Joe will be like if he survives, expressing fear about memory loss.

Key Events

The three Pickett sisters—Sheridan, April, and Lucy—meet at their parents’ house after Joe is shot.
April opens a bottle of Marybeth’s wine, and Lucy arrives wearing a beret and scarf from her semester in France.
The sisters attempt to unlock Joe’s phone using the password 1‑2‑3‑4‑5 but fail; Marybeth doesn’t know it.
They debate who should lead the amateur investigation; Sheridan is elected by a 2‑1 vote over April.
April shares Marybeth’s medical update: the bullet may have only clipped one lobe, but Joe remains in a coma with a bullet lodged in his meninx.
Sheridan describes the three possible ranches Joe might have been heading toward: McElwee, Bucholz, and Double Diamond.
Sheridan confesses she broke the Bucholz agreement by getting close to an old cabin where she saw an older man with a round face and big eyes who ducked away.
They decide to approach Sheriff Sondergard for information, and April suggests using Sheridan’s “special influence” (the sheriff’s apparent crush on her).
The sisters rule out involving Joe’s outlaw falconer friend Nate Romanowski, fearing he would take violent action.
Late at night, Lucy asks April what their father will be like if he survives, worrying he might not remember them.

Character Development

Sheridan Pickett: Takes charge, asserting her role as the oldest and most organized. She reveals professional discipline (CEO of Yarak, Inc.) and a cautious approach when she vetoes involving Nate. Her past with Clay Hutmacher Jr. surfaces briefly, showing emotional pain beneath her capable exterior.
April Pickett: Combative and blunt. She challenges Sheridan’s leadership, drinks wine freely, and pushes for aggressive action, including using Nate. Her investigative experience with Cassie Dewell makes her the most procedural thinker.
Lucy Pickett: The peacemaker and emotional barometer. She defends Marybeth’s need for control and asks the most vulnerable questions about Joe’s potential recovery. Her European styling (beret, scarf) marks her as different from her sisters.
Marybeth Pickett: Offstage but present through texts and the sisters’ discussion. She is described as exhausted and struggling with loss of control over the situation.
Suspects introduced (mentioned but not present): Lisa and Lainie McElwee (rumored poachers), John and Shelby Bucholz (mysterious cabin, unpaid bills), and the Bucholz employee who whispered warnings.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Family as Informal Investigators: The sisters replicate police procedure (password attempts, suspect lists, evidence analysis). Their kitchen-table meeting symbolizes a grassroots determination to find justice when official systems feel uncertain.
Rivalry and Collusion: April’s accusation of “collusion” between Sheridan and Lucy underscores the recurring tension between being the outsider and the insider—a motif in the Pickett family dynamics.
The Meninx as a Symbol: Lucy explains the meninx as a protective membrane. The fact that Joe’s bullet is lodged there represents both vulnerability and a chance that the damage is contained—a metaphor for the family’s hope that Joe’s true self remains intact.
Alcohol as Emotional Release: April consumes wine freely, and the second bottle is opened. The wine blurs sharp edges and enables emotional vulnerability, particularly Lucy’s late‑night confession.
The Mysterious Old Cabin: Sheridan’s glimpse of a man inside an outbuilding on the Bucholz Ranch echoes gothic mystery. The hidden figure suggests secrets that may be central to the crime.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter shifts the narrative focus from the wounded game warden to his daughters, transforming them into active agents. It establishes a subplot—the sisters’ private investigation—that will run parallel to the official one. It also deepens the portrait of the Pickett family: their sibling dynamics, their individual strengths, and their shared fear of losing Joe’s memories. The suspicion cast on three ranches (McElwee, Bucholz, Double Diamond) builds the novel’s mystery and reminds the reader that rural Montana is a landscape of hidden conflicts.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why do the sisters decide not to involve Nate Romanowski in their investigation?
Sheridan and Lucy veto the idea because they fear Nate would react violently—April’s phrase “ripping ears off and blasting people” suggests lethal, extra‑judicial action. Sheridan wants to prove she can handle problems without his help.

2. What does Sheridan’s confession about the Bucholz Ranch cabin reveal about her character?
She admits she “got closer than they wanted me to” to an old cabin where she saw a man watching her. This reveals her curiosity and willingness to bend rules, yet she stops short of entering, showing she respects boundaries until pushed. It also hints at buried guilt about the unpaid fee.

3. How does Lucy’s late‑night question to April (“What if he doesn’t remember us?”) reflect the chapter’s emotional core?
Lucy voices the deepest fear underlying the sisters’ investigation: that even if Joe survives, his identity may be altered. This question elevates the chapter from a procedural mystery to a story about family love and the terror of losing a parent’s recognition.