Fever Beach

Donna is waiting at Figgo’s townhouse to confront him about continuing to meet with the Strokers. Her shouting wakes Viva, who is sleeping upstairs. Donna’s boyfriend, Breck, arrives. He addresses Figgo as “Sir Turdley” and reveals that Viva told them that this is how his number is saved in Clure’s phone. Donna calls Figgo a “brain-dead bigot” and slaps him. He insists that they leave. He texts Clure, saying that it is “Sir Turdley,” and he wants to meet.

Moe enters the Mink Foundation and insists on seeing Claude, interrupting Claude having sex with the Dream Booty. Moe confronts Claude about having still not paid him in full, threatening Claude’s safety if he does not transfer the money by the time Moe walks back to his car. Moe accuses Claude of being an antisemite, and Claude does not deny it. Before leaving, Moe asks how Claude knew Moe was Jewish, but Claude simply says it is something he “[picked] up on” (307).

Baltry calls Twilly, who picks him up at a CVS and listens to his story about the hitman and the cross-country drive. Twilly asks what the hitman’s intentions were, and Baltry tells him what the hitman asked him to do after releasing him. He describes the Subaru he thinks Moe is still driving. Twilly tells him that he knows of somewhere safe for Baltry to stay.

Later, he heads for Viva’s. When he describes the Subaru to Viva, she realizes that the hitman is the same man Galaxy saw near her apartment.

Moe wipes down the Subaru and abandons it. He returns to Galaxy’s apartment building on foot. He knocks on Galaxy’s door and pretends to be from a utility company. She opens the door, saying that she never forgets a voice and knows he is the man from the Subaru the other day. She tells him to come inside and tell her what he really wants. As soon as he is inside, she jumps him.

Galaxy pins Moe face down on the floor and holds a knife to his neck. When he addresses her as “Janice,” she knows that Clure sent him, because Clure is her only client who knows her real name. She finds a garrote in his pocket and tosses it out of reach. Galaxy explains to Moe why she thinks Clure is trying to have her killed. As she adds details about his involvement with racist far-right groups and the Minks, Moe chuckles and offers to buy her dinner.

On the Wee Hammers construction site, Tomas’s problems with a child called Egregio are accelerating. Tomas has tried to eject him from the site because of his violent bullying of the other children, but Egregio’s powerful parents pressure Tomas’s superiors to keep him in the program. Fearing that one of the children will eventually be hurt or killed by either power tools or Egregio’s violence, Tomas begs to be reassigned, but the company refuses. He is at least cheered to learn that all the children will be removed from the site after election day.

Onus, in great pain from a testicle injury Twilly gave him while they fought on Fever Beach, buys ice and pain relievers and then sits in his truck listening to right-wing podcasts. He learns that Clure’s narrow margin in the polls is attracting national attention and that the outcome of his race might tip the balance of power to Democrats. Onus is excited about the upcoming Precinct 53 operation, thinking that he will now have a “national stage upon which to shine as a white patriot” (320). A police officer knocks on his window, following up on a neighbor’s report of a “possible pervert” sitting in a parked truck. When the officer sees the Dream Booty in the back, he thinks it is an actual dismembered torso and throws Onus to the ground and cuffs him, calling for backup. By the time Onus is finally released, he is furious, and the police have seized his gun and the Dream Booty as evidence.

Viva and Twilly rush to Galaxy’s apartment to check on her, but Galaxy is not home. Viva wants to wait in the parking lot, but Twilly says he has something to do, and they can come back later. He asks if Viva wants to come with him to blow something up. She does. They blow up an excavator at the Bunkers construction site. Afterward, Viva is shocked at her own behavior.

Figgo meets with Clure and tells him that Onus is not working out as a co-leader. Clure insists that Figgo make it work, but he agrees to talk to Onus. When Figgo asks Clure to change his contact name in his phone, Clure suspiciously asks how he learned about it in the first place. Figgo refuses to say. He also insists that Clure give him the money to get his truck back; wanting to get rid of Figgo quickly, Clure agrees. Clure tells Figgo that Onus says Figgo is an FBI informant. Figgo is furious.

In the morning, Viva is surprised to find that she does not feel guilty about blowing up the excavator. Twilly tells her that he knows it has not really accomplished anything, but actions like this help him defuse his anger. He tells her that he switched his license plate with one of Claude’s just in case any cameras caught their vehicle, but she is still worried that they will be caught. She recalls how, after blowing up the excavator, she and Twilly went to check on Galaxy. Galaxy told them about having a pleasant dinner with the hitman, who told her that, because of the Minks’ involvement with Clure, he would be dropping the contract. Now, Viva is waiting for an email from Galaxy that Galaxy promised would be a “blockbuster.”

Clay Boyette meets with an irate donor who is concerned about Clure’s slipping poll numbers. He promises that Clure will win and agrees to supervise Clure more closely in the remaining days before the election. Afterward, he heads to the Wee Hammers site, where Egregio, chasing other children with an oxyacetylene torch, has caused an explosion that burned down the entire house. Clay talks with Tomas, who says he is quitting. Clay removes the sign that bears Clure’s picture and wonders why Clure got involved with such a dangerous and ridiculous project. He returns to his office and calls Clure in for a meeting.

Clay tells his son that the Wee Hammers charity is an obvious front and demands to know what is going on. Clure refuses to give specific details, simply assuring his father that he has a clever plan to make sure he wins the election. Clay tells him to put a stop to whatever plan he has in mind, but Clure says it is too late.

One of Clay’s assistants comes in and silently places a laptop in front of Clay. Clay goes gray and then demands that Clure explain the video he is looking at: It is one clearly released by Galaxy, showing Clure with cocaine on his face, wearing very little other than a dog collar and leash.

Viva distributes the salacious videos and photos Galaxy emails her, and Clure suffers political fallout immediately. He claims that the material is AI-generated, but few people believe this defense. The police visit Claude Mink to ask why his license plate was spotted at the scene of an arson. Dumas shows the police footage of Claude’s Sequoia parked all night at the Mink residence, and the police conclude the roadside tag reader must have been faulty.

Clure calls to let Claude know about the Wee Hammers disaster. Clure assures Claude that he will still win his election, but Claude is doubtful. Claude heads to the golf course and turns off his phone. He misses a call from Barry Martino, who is calling to warn Claude that the Bunkers rezoning has been secretly added to the end of the next zoning board meeting.

Viva and Twilly visit Baltry at the Kristiansens’ house, where Twilly has stashed him. Baltry is nervous about what he is about to do, but Twilly promises him a plane ticket to any destination he chooses. Twilly takes apart all Figgo’s guns and invisibly disables them before putting them back together. Then he and Viva return to the townhouse, where Twilly leaves the weapons in the living room.

Onus parks outside the townhouse, waiting for Figgo. When he gets tired of waiting, he enters through the back door. Viva is waiting for him. She claims to be alone in the house, and he pulls a gun on her. Deciding that raping Viva would be an excellent way to punish both Twilly and Figgo, he orders her down the hall toward Figgo’s bedroom. When he tells her to take her clothes off, someone hits him from behind. He wakes up some time later, floating on a paddleboard in the ocean. He is rescued by a ship some days later, off Veracruz.

On Election Day, the Strokers—minus Onus, who is still in Mexico—gather at a Buc-ee’s and then caravan to Carpville together. At sunrise, they deploy themselves outside Serene Transitions, wearing tactical gear and carrying weapons. A few Strokers are assigned to sealing up nearby ballot boxes so they cannot be used. When one of the Strokers pounds on the door, the Serene Transitions manager tells a polling volunteer to call 911. The volunteer—who happens to be Viva—says that she will try to talk to the interlopers. She opens the door and has a brief, friendly chat with Twilly.

The local police call the sheriff’s department to keep an eye on the situation outside Serene Transitions. Supporters of both candidates gather with signs. Clure arrives to cast his vote. He is irritated to see that Twilly is wearing a “CLURE FOR SURE!” t-shirt (351).

Shortly after Clure leaves, his opponent, Deborah Eden, arrives. A Stroker blocks her way and demands to see her ID. News cameras capture the interaction live, and many people watching the news decide that they will get out and vote even though they had originally planned not to. As the news captures more Strokers trying to intimidate voters and getting into confrontations with the police, this effect snowballs.

Clure, who spends the morning skeet shooting, is not aware of the record turnout—the opposite of his planned vote suppression. By contrast, Clay is well aware of the unfolding disaster. He orders his jet to be fueled up and waiting.

The police form a barricade along the precinct entrance so that the long line of voters can enter without harassment from the Strokers. Figgo spots Viva live streaming what is beginning to look like another embarrassing defeat. He sees Twilly giving her an interview and suddenly realizes what Twilly’s shirt says. Horrified, he tries unsuccessfully to break through the line of police to get to Twilly. Strokers begin scattering.

Noel and Mary Kristiansen show up. They introduce themselves to Figgo, explain who they really are, and then go inside to take up the poll-watching duties they have volunteered for. Figgo, paranoid, disoriented, and defeated, flees the scene. On his way out of town, he sees a picturesque home flying a gay pride flag. Incensed, he climbs the flagpole, intending to cut up the flag. He ends up getting tangled in the ropes and strangled to death.

Clure loses the election. The votes in Precinct 53 are the determining factor. Clay flies to Turks and Caicos, relieved to finally be shed of the burden of cleaning up after his son.

On the day after the election, the zoning board meets and defeats the Minks’ rezoning request. Claude collapses and dies in the front row of the public seating. After Baltry casts the deciding vote, he meets with the FBI and enters witness protection. The FBI begins preparing a case against Electra Mink and three of the zoning commissioners; three months later, they will all be indicted. To save herself, Electra will testify against Clure, who will face charges including embezzlement, fraud, and violation of child labor laws.

Four days after the election, the ship that rescued Onus docks in Veracruz. Because he has no passport and an outstanding bench warrant in Houston, Onus jumps ship, not wanting to deal with immigration authorities. He steals a motorcycle and rides northward. When the bike runs out of gas, he steals a Vespa. When it pops a tire, he hides in a box truck filled with migrants heading for the border. During the hike through the desert to reach the Rio Grande, he is bitten by a scorpion. Weakened by the bite, he is not strong enough to survive the river crossing, and he drowns.

Just before his trial is scheduled to begin, Clure goes missing during a family hunting trip. A few bloody remains are found, and he is presumed to have been killed by some kind of wildlife. Galaxy is now going by her legal name of Janice Eileen Smith and studying nursing in north Georgia. She drives an Aston Martin, a gift from Twilly.

Viva accepts a job in New York. Before she leaves, she and Twilly spend some time on Fever Beach, talking about their future. Twilly estimates that his Bahamas home will be completed in about two years. Viva asks Twilly to come see her in New York, and he agrees that maybe he will come after New Year’s. He has a project to attend to first. He says he will get Viva a plane ticket and describes the project. She pretends to choke him, but does not say no.