Don Wanderley’s journal entries begin with the idea for his new book, Dr. Rabbitfoot. The character is a Black showman and snake oil salesman. Don immediately sees Milburn as the perfect setting for the novel. Don describes the town as heavy, nervous, and pretty. Don describes his trip to Sears and Ricky’s law firm. He discovers that the men are at John’s funeral. The receptionist tells Don the story of John’s death and how to get to the cemetery. Don sees the three men, Lewis, Peter, and Ricky, standing in the cemetery and joins them.

The narrative returns to the day of John’s death. After Ricky and Sears are notified of John’s death, they leave to meet the sheriff. Before they can exit their law offices, they run into a woman who claims that Eva Galli was her aunt and that she is looking for a job. Sears baffles the receptionist by telling the woman to return the next day for secretarial work. Ricky also wonders at Sears but agrees after noticing Sears’s exhaustion. The weather turns colder as the men make their way across town, Sears in denial that John could possibly be the jumper.