Chapter summaries Toxic Prey John Sandford

Toxic Prey Chapter 22 (Chapter 21) Summary

⚠️ 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

With Callister failing to call after her airport attempt, Scott and Catton accept she is likely dead or captured. They discuss their dwindling options inside Marilyn Wong’s Taos house. Catton devises a plan: attend Mass at Santa Dymphna Catholic Church, infect the pews with Marburg virus, then surrender or provoke suicide by cop to ensure the infection spreads. Scott plans to escape via a mountain bike, using backstreets and arroyos to bypass police checkpoints, then steal a car in Albuquerque and release the virus outside the city. News reports confirm the Santa Fe airport shooting and a military convoy heading north, suggesting the authorities are tightening the net. Catton buys a Norco mountain bike from Popcycle, posing as an elderly breast‑cancer patient, and returns to the house. Both commit to their courses of action—Catton’s church mission the next morning, Scott’s bike ride that night.

Key Events

  • Callister does not call; Scott and Catton conclude she was intercepted at Santa Fe airport.
  • Catton proposes attending the nine o’clock Mass at Santa Dymphna Catholic Church and contaminating the pews with Marburg virus.
  • Scott plans to escape Taos by mountain bike, riding cross‑country and stealing a car to reach Albuquerque.
  • News reports confirm the Santa Fe airport shooting and reveal a military police battalion from Fort Bliss moving north.
  • Catton buys a Norco Fluid FS4 mountain bike from Popcycle for $2,099, using her disguise as a harmless old woman.
  • Scott inspects the bike and prepares to ride that night; Catton readies her church outfit and breast‑cancer ribbon.

Character Development

Elisabeth Catton shows a shift from despair to decisive, radical action. She acknowledges she likely will not survive but chooses a method that might advance the project: infecting a tourist‑heavy church and then either surrendering or forcing a suicide by cop. Her willingness to play the “harmless little old lady” underlines her adaptability and ruthlessness. She also expresses a calm acceptance of death, claiming she has thought about it often.

Lionel Scott remains the strategist, analyzing the authorities’ moves and adapting their escape plan. His past as a mountain biker and his experience in Sudan (the psychological taste of camel dung) hint at a hardened, resourceful survivor. He is pragmatic about the risks, telling Catton they are “fucked” if Callister gives them up. He also admits to a lingering desire to know if they succeed, showing a crack of human curiosity beneath his fanaticism.

Callister does not appear, but her absence drives the chapter. Her suspected capture at the airport confirms the efficiency of the manhunt and raises the stakes for the remaining two.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Sacrifice and martyrdom – Catton’s plan to go to church and then surrender or die embodies a willingness to become a martyr for the cause. She sees herself as a “PR for the apocalypse,” turning her capture into a propaganda platform.

Deception and disguise – Both Catton (breast‑cancer look, scarf, mask) and Scott (planned nighttime bike escape) rely on deception. The chapter contrasts their false identities with the genuine panic around them.

Chaos as opportunity – The news of a military convoy and the ensuing confusion is interpreted by Scott as a break that will create road chaos, allowing Catton to buy the bike and perhaps giving him a window to slip through checkpoints.

The taste of the past – Scott’s memory of the taste of camel dung from Sudan connects his present grim work to earlier psychological scars, suggesting that his commitment to the “project” is both ideological and personal.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter sets the stage for the climax. Catton’s church infection plan introduces a new, highly public venue for the virus, while Scott’s bike escape offers a parallel route. The deaths of Callister and earlier team members have reduced the group to two, forcing them to act alone and with finality. The chapter also confirms that law enforcement is mobilizing heavily (military police, airport closure, checkpoints) and that the net is closing. Readers now understand the precise timeline: Catton will strike at tomorrow’s Mass, and Scott will attempt to break out of Taos tonight.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Catton choose the church as her target?

    • She knows the church attracts tourists, and the measles incubation period (a week or ten days) combined with Marburg’s two‑ to‑five‑day incubation means infected tourists will carry the virus far from Taos before symptoms appear. She also believes the chaos of a health crisis will force authorities to release them, spreading the infection further.

  2. How does Scott plan to avoid checkpoints?

    • He will ride a mountain bike at night, using backstreets, alleys, and arroyos to leave Taos without passing through roadblocks. Once clear, he intends to steal a car with Catton’s revolver and drive to Albuquerque, where he will seed the virus outside the airport security zone.

  3. What role does the news report about the military convoy play?

    • It confirms that the authorities are escalating their response, which Scott sees as double‑edged: it will create traffic chaos and panic, helping Catton buy the bike unnoticed, but it also signals that the noose is tightening and time is running out.

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