Fox

Paige “P.” Cady walks her small terrier, Princess Di, near the pond. Once off the leash, the dog goes off the path and deeper into the wetlands. This section is told from the dog’s point of view. Since she is a terrier, a hunting breed, Princess Di delights in finding the carcasses of dead animals. Princess Di forgets her human owner and get lost in pursuing scents. She excitedly sniffs out her trophy, which she identifies as some sort of “meat-thing” (12).

The next day, Martin Pfenning and his 13-year-old daughter, Eunice Pfenning, hike a trail near Wieland Pond. Eunice halts, disturbed by something in the landscape. Pfenning investigates, worried about venomous snakes, but finds only trash. Pfenning urges Eunice to keep walking. The girl takes pictures for a nature project assigned by Mr. Fox. Her father notes how Fox hasn’t been giving Eunice the high marks she usually receives. As a result, she has become rather despondent. She is also keeping a journal for Fox, which she refuses to show either parent, calling it her “Mystery-Journal” (18).

Eunice has been staying after school for the “Looking-Glass Book Club” (21), and while the club seems time-consuming, Pfenning and his wife assume that it’s because of Langhorne’s high standards. Pfenning worries over Eunice’s perfectionism since she has health issues relating to a rare form of anemia that could lead to a more serious blood cancer, but in the moment, he struggles to connect with her. Eunice stops again, seeing something in the pond: a child’s broken doll. Eunice laughs riotously, kicks the doll away from her father, and then runs away to their car in the parking lot. Pfenning follows and then disposes of the doll in the dumpster. A desperate Eunice tries to retrieve it, but Pfenning, confused, drags her back to the car. Panting and white-faced, Eunice tells her father that she’s done something “bad” and begins to sob uncontrollably (30). Pfenning holds her tight.

The wetlands have long been a hiding place for murder victims, especially those involved in organized crime during the Prohibition era. In more recent times, the money made during Prohibition has dried up, and the town has fallen into economic depression. The Healy brothers—Marcus, 22, and Demetrius, 20—are putting scrap lumber into the landfill to help their father earn extra money. Their father, Lemuel, is a custodian at the prestigious Langhorne Academy preparatory school, but his salary is small. Demetrius, who is usually responsible, is lacking focus, and Marcus is annoyed. Marcus notes that Demetrius never finished high school after being suspended for getting into a fight while defending a girl with a disability from being bullied. Despite momentary sympathy for his brother, Marcus abandons him (and the work) to call a woman. When Marcus returns to the landfill, Demetrius is gone. Marcus worries about the dangers of the landfill, Demetrius’s tendency to get sick, their mother’s death from cancer, and their father’s worsening arthritis. Scared and annoyed, Marcus shouts for his brother as he notices circling vultures above him and unusual tire tracks leading uphill. Marcus discovers Demetrius at the top of the hill, pointing to a car wreck below. Marcus slowly registers the scattered body parts near the wreck. As they head back to their vehicle, Demetrius throws up. Marcus tells Demetrius that he will report the wreck since his brother tends to stammer.

A newspaper report reveals that the human remains are those of a white man. There is no definitive answer as to whether this was an accident, suicide, or foul play.

This chapter takes place sometime before the car wreck. The reader is privy to a monologue of a sexual predator explaining what “Mr. Tongue” will do to his target (57). The point of view then backs further away to show how the pedophile locks his office door to engage in sexual contact with 12-year-old Genevieve Chambers, whom he calls “Little Kitten” (57). Genevieve’s mother has been informed that her daughter must stay after school to attend the Looking-Glass Book Club. The male speaker self-identifies as Francis Harlan Fox, a middle grade teacher at Langhorne Academy. Fox describes an act of coerced oral sex, which he accomplishes by drugging Genevieve. Fox tells Genevieve that she needs to keep everything between them a secret and assures her that he adores her. The chapter ends with the girl noting how much she loves him.

Princess Di returns, carrying her quarry. She plays with it and then turns again to run along the trail. P. Cady gives chase, hoping that whatever the dog has caught is dead. Eventually, the dog minds Cady’s instructions and drops the item. Cady is horrified to find that it’s “a human tongue” (63). She pushes the truth away, however, even as she registers the circling vultures overhead. Chiding herself for not keeping Princess Di on a leash, she leaves the scene.