Chapter 20: Travis Devine Interviews Earl Palmer

⚠️ 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

Travis Devine drives through rain to Earl Palmer’s cottage, noting the ominous setting. Palmer meets him at the door with a shotgun, then lowers it after verifying Devine’s Homeland Security ID. Inside, Palmer triggers a motorized recliner and complains about his aging body. Devine asks Palmer to walk through the night he found Jenny Silkwell’s body.

Palmer first reveals that his wife, Alberta “Bertie,” died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver and left to die in a gully. He explains that he often goes for walks to escape painful memories, especially since Bertie’s death. On the night of Jenny’s murder, Palmer says he drove into town earlier and saw Jenny checking into the inn. He then took a walk toward Jocelyn Point, eventually reaching the bluffs overlooking the Atlantic. While standing at the edge, he looked down and saw a body — later identified as Jenny. He called the police and waited until her body was retrieved. He insists he did not know it was Jenny until after.

Devine, having visited the crime scene, knows the body was over fifteen feet below and partially submerged. He notices inconsistencies in Palmer’s account and later examines a locked shed behind the house but does not confront Palmer. As he leaves, Palmer expresses that Putnam is his only home. Devine drives away convinced that most of Palmer’s story about finding the body is a lie.

Key Events

• Devine arrives at Earl Palmer’s cottage on a rainy morning.
• Palmer meets him at gunpoint, then allows him inside after checking ID.
• Palmer describes his wife Bertie’s hit-and-run death and his habitual walks.
• Palmer recounts his version of finding Jenny’s body on the bluffs.
• Devine notices discrepancies between Palmer’s account and the actual crime scene.
• Devine sees a locked shed but decides not to ask Palmer about it.
• Devine concludes Palmer is lying about the discovery of Jenny’s body.

Character Development

• Travis Devine: Demonstrates sharp observational skills and a careful interviewing style. He mentally catalogues inconsistencies and trusts his gut instinct rather than pressing Palmer prematurely. His inner reflection on Robert Frost’s poem reveals his own sense of sacrifice and loss, connecting him emotionally to Palmer’s grief.
• Earl Palmer: A grieving widower whose loss has left him isolated and physically deteriorating. He is wary of outsiders and quick to reach for a gun, yet also shows vulnerability, particularly when describing Bertie’s death. His desire to believe Jenny’s murder was a random act suggests a need for order in a broken world.
• Annie (mentioned): Palmer’s granddaughter, who runs a café and buys him a reflective jacket. She embodies family support for Palmer.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

• Grief and isolation: Palmer’s cottage, “ominous” and nestled in bare woods, mirrors his emotional state. He cannot breathe inside the house and walks to escape memories trapped within walls.
• Deception and trust: The chapter revolves around a story that Devine believes is false. Palmer’s detailed account of coincidence and chance clashes with Devine’s knowledge of the physical evidence.
• The “less traveled” road: Devine recalls the Frost poem to his West Point classmates, saying they chose a dangerous, honorable path. This theme of sacrifice underscores both Devine’s career and Palmer’s loss.
• Locked spaces: The shed with curtained windows and a locked door hints at secrets Palmer still holds. Devine chooses not to force the issue, saving it for later.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 20 strengthens the central mystery by casting doubt on the most obvious witness. Palmer’s story is the only surviving account of how Jenny’s body was found, and Devine’s suspicion shifts the investigation toward Palmer as a potential suspect or, at minimum, a man concealing knowledge. The chapter also deepens the emotional landscape of Putnam, showing another resident trapped by grief. The parallel between Bertie’s hit-and-run and Jenny’s murder raises the question of whether the two are connected, or whether Palmer is misdirecting attention. Finally, Devine’s restraint with the locked shed builds suspense for future chapters.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What specific details make Devine doubt Palmer’s account of finding Jenny’s body?

Devine previously visited the crime scene and knows that the witness’s vantage point would have been over fifteen feet above the body. The body was sprawled on black rocks and partially submerged. Palmer claimed he simply “looked down” and saw a body, but Devine finds it implausible that anyone could see the corpse clearly from that height and angle in the dark and rain. This discrepancy leads Devine to believe Palmer is lying.

2. How does the story of Bertie’s death parallel Jenny’s murder, and why might that be important?

Both women died violently in or near Putnam, and in both cases the perpetrator was initially assumed to be a stranger passing through. Bertie was hit by a car and left to die; Jenny was apparently killed and her body staged on the rocks. The parallel could indicate a single killer whose method varies, or it could be a deliberate misdirection by Palmer to make Jenny’s death look like a random act similar to his wife’s.

3. Why does Devine choose not to ask Palmer about the locked shed? What does this decision reveal about his investigative style?

Devine’s gut tells him not to push the issue “at least right now.” He is patient and strategic, preferring to gather more information before confronting Palmer directly. This reveals a calm, methodical approach: he plants suspicion in his own mind, but he does not risk alienating Palmer or prompting him to destroy evidence without first building a stronger case.