Never Flinch

On March 24, in Buckeye City, Ohio, Trig is leaving a meeting of the NA group Straight Circle when Reverend Mike stops him. When Reverend Mike questions him about the emotional pain he displayed during the meeting, Trig reveals that he is mourning an imprisoned person’s death. Trig is a nickname, and he always goes to AA and NA meetings out of town. Members of the group go to a coffee shop after the meeting, but Trig goes to the library. Though he was in the newspaper three years ago, no one recognizes him. He is both happy and burdened with his new identity, and he thinks frequently about his father.

On April 6, Trig returns to the library to read a feature about the imprisoned person who was killed. Buckeye Brandon, a podcaster, has evidence that the imprisoned person was innocent. Trig considers doing something dangerous, and he thinks about what he has lost and how he can make amends for things he has done.

Buckeye City Police detective Isabelle “Izzy” Jaynes meets Lieutenant Lewis Warwick. Lewis asks her to look at a letter that was sent to him and Chief Alice Patmore. The sender, who calls himself Bill Wilson, vows to kill 13 innocent people and one guilty person as “atonement” for the death of another innocent person.