Billy is the second main character in the novel. His father, Jack, is a sergeant in the Woodstock Police, and his mother left when he was 18 years old. He has lived in Woodstock his entire life, working and living above a local bar. He and Jet were best friends throughout childhood, drifting apart as Jet grew older and went away to college. When Jet is attacked, Billy voluntarily helps her try to solve her own murder, jeopardizing his job at the bar and dedicating all his time to Jet in her final days.

Billy is loyal and committed to Jet, stemming from the romantic attraction he has harbored for her since childhood. He is also one of the most morally uncomplicated characters in the novel; Billy even acts as Jet’s conscience at the outset. Initially, Billy is hesitant to help Jet; he provides her with a place to live but does not join her in her investigation. As Jet makes bold and reckless decisions, like confronting Henry and destroying the foundation at the construction site, Billy continues to hesitate; however, by the novel’s end, he helps her break into the Mason Construction building and confronts his own father with a gun. In this way, Billy’s character develops the theme of The Connection Between Privilege and Corruption. Confronted with the questionable morality and outright crimes of his neighbors and his father, Billy recognizes that he cannot be bound by moral standards if he is going to uncover the truth.

Jack is Billy’s father and the police sergeant in Woodstock, and he has served on the police force for all his adult life. From the start of the novel, he is characterized as caring and supportive; his first act in the novel is stepping in to protect Jet from Andrew at the Halloween Fair, and he also takes Andrew home instead of charging him with a crime. He helps Jet throughout the investigation, giving her information that the police have discovered, even though it could jeopardize his job. As Jet’s parents’ neighbor, Jack also served as a father figure to Jet and Luke throughout much of their childhood.

Through the novel’s final plot twist, it is revealed that Jack is actually the novel’s primary antagonist and the one who murdered Jet. Jack had an extramarital affair with Dianne for years, impregnating her and keeping his fatherhood of Luke a secret. He helped Luke cover up Emily’s death, wanting to protect him from the consequences, then killed Jet to help Luke inherit Mason Construction. In this way, Jack is a round, multi-dimensional villain. He is protective of Luke to a fault, emphasizing the theme of the connection between privilege and corruption as he uses his influence on the police force to protect Luke and better his life. Ironically, Jack is murdered at the end of the novel by Luke, who hears his confession to Billy and is enraged.

Luke is Jet’s older brother. He is married to Sophia, and they have a young child, Cameron, together. Throughout the novel, he believes that he is going to inherit Mason Construction from his father, and he works tirelessly to prove that he is capable of running the business. However, in doing so, he commits several instances of invoice and employment fraud, collecting extra money to help the business stay solvent. Luke serves as another example of a character whose moral ambiguity is fueled by privilege and entitlement.

Luke is prone to angry outbursts, one of which led to him inadvertently killing his sister, Emily, when she told him that Scott was not his father. Although that happened when he was a teenager, his anger and violence continue in the novel’s present, illustrated by his violently punching his steering wheel when he learns that Scott plans to sell Mason Construction. Luke’s moral ambiguity positions him as one of the prime suspects for Jet’s murder, despite Jet’s insistence that she would never harm her. He covers up Emily’s death, commits fraud, and burns down Mason Construction to hide his theft, emphasizing his willingness to commit crimes to better his own life. Luke’s fate in the novel conveys his static character. Instead of learning from his actions in the past, he violently murders Jack, continuing to use violence to solve his problems.