As Poe drinks heavily while trying to write his story, the alcohol affects his ability to discern between reality and fiction. When Edmund returns with his mother, Poe believes “The characters he’d been writing about had actually come to life” (172). Edmund begs Poe for money to get his mother some food, jostling Poe out of his trance. At the saloon, Edmund approaches Throck and tells him he found his mother. He asks for his help in finding Sis so Throck can still receive the reward money. Edmund returns with Throck, who bribes Poe with liquor in exchange for his assistance.

Poe insists that Sis can be found in his story and only wants to focus on that. Frustrated and desperate, Edmund snatches Poe’s notebook and threatens to destroy it if Poe does not help. This finally convinces Poe, who rereads the coded message. Throck points out that in winter, sunrise is closer to seven a.m., not six a.m. It is two in the morning, and to Edmund’s dismay, the two men pass the full bottle of liquor back and forth until they drunkenly fall asleep. Despite his anger, Edmund also cannot help but doze off.