They tell him Frank is smashing preserve jars in the basement, for attention, and that no one should go downstairs. That night David wakes up to the sound of shattering glass. Wesley cannot live with the idea of letting Frank go, and says he will take his brother to jail first thing in the morning. They all decide it is best to let Frank go.īut when Wesley talks to Frank, he realizes Frank is almost certainly guilty, and that he feels no remorse over killing Marie. He realizes Grandpa Hayden has too much influence in this town, and that Frank will never be convicted. ![]() Wesley comes home and asks what has happened. Gail fires a shotgun at them as warning, and luckily Len shows up to head them off in time. ![]() They approach the house with an axe, presumably thinking they can break Frank out of the cellar door. ![]() David recognizes some of Grandpa’s employees in the truck. The following day, a truck circles the house. After Grandpa Hayden leaves, Wesley tells David he should never let Grandpa or Grandma into the house if he’s home alone. Wesley tells his father that Frank is likely guilty of murder, and that he must face justice. Grandpa Hayden comes to the house demanding Frank be released, and accusing Wesley of arresting him out of jealousy. Wesley locks Frank up in the basement the next day, trying to spare him the embarrassment of being imprisoned in a jail cell. Wesley realizes his brother has probably killed Marie, and decides he must do something about it. He also says he believes their neighbor and Wesley’s deputy sheriff, Len McAuley, saw Frank as well. That night, David tells his parents he saw Uncle Frank go into their house in the afternoon. They are shocked, because Marie had been showing signs of improvement. The next day, Marie is found lying dead in her bed when Gail gets home from work. Gail says he needs to be punished for the crimes he has already committed. On the way home, Wesley tells Gail that Frank has promised to stop the abuse. At the end of the conversation, Frank shakes Wesley’s hand. David sees them talking, but can’t hear what they’re saying. David hears Grandpa Hayden make jokes about Frank, who is his favorite son, liking “red meat.” Frank is there, and Wesley takes the opportunity to speak to him. David realizes during this process that Wesley already knows his brother is guilty.ĭavid and his parents have dinner a few nights later with Grandpa and Grandma Hayden. He talks to Marie to get a clearer picture of her accusations. Wesley is the Mercer County Sheriff, but is also Frank’s brother, and doesn’t know how to proceed. ![]() Gail is furious, and tells Wesley what Frank has been doing. After Frank leaves, Marie tells Gail that Frank has been sexually abusing women on the reservations who come to him seeking treatment. When Frank is treating her, she is so upset and scared that Gail realizes something bigger is going on. His parents, Gail and Wesley, agree to call Wesley’s brother Frank, who is a doctor. One day David notices that Marie Little Soldier, his Native American babysitter and house-keeper, whom he loves dearly, is sick with a cough. He recalls the summer of 1948 as the summer everything changed for him. The story is narrated by David Hayden, who is 52 at the time he is telling the story, but is only 12 when the events of the story occur.
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