Lounds is in “great pain” (219) as Dolarhyde transports him to the headquarters of the Tattler in his van. Once they are nearby, Lounds tries to remember tiny details of what he has seen, including the van’s license plate. Dolarhyde mocks Lounds, asking whether he likes being “Graham’s pet” (220) then sets him on fire and rolls him toward the lobby of the Tattler building. The security guard pulls the fire alarm.

Severely burned but not dead, Lounds asks for Graham to visit him in hospital. Graham and Crawford travel to the burns center in Chicago. The doctor warns them that Lounds’s wounds are “fatal” (223) but says that the reporter may live long enough to answer questions. Graham approaches Lounds’s bed, learning that Lounds regained consciousness briefly to share the license plate number of the van and accuse Graham of setting him up. Graham notices Wendy in the hallway and invites her to see Lounds. As she talks soothingly to him, Lounds stirs briefly, then dies.

Crawford and Graham visit the Chicago Police Department. Captain Osbourne is annoyed with the FBI for bringing the Tooth Fairy to his city and causing panic. He reveals that the license plate number given to them by Lounds was stolen from a television repair van.