The Blind Assassin

While her lover is away, the woman searches for copies of his stories in drugstores and train stations. She finds one with a title referencing both Zycron and the Lizard Men of Xenor, and eagerly begins to read it. To her disappointment, however, the plot is different; although still set in Sakiel-Norn, the story makes few references to the mute girl, and none at all to the blind assassin. She continues to hold out hope that the next installment of the story will set things right, but it never appears. She goes through the motions of life in a daze, consoling herself by "imagin[ing] him imagining her" and fantasizing about meeting him at the train station. Meanwhile, a 1937 newspaper article announces the birth of Iris and Richard's daughter, Aimee Adelia, while another details the deteriorating condition in Civil War-era Spain. Finally, a letter from the "BellaVista Sanctuary" informs Richard that "the condition of [his] young sister-in-law, Miss Laura Chase, has not improved; if anything it has worsened somewhat. The delusions from which she suffers are well entrenched" (405). The director of the facility says he plans to use electro-shock therapy on Lauraand advises Iris and Richard against visiting.

As Iris's health declines, she spends more time napping and watching daytime talk shows: "I relish these grubby little sins, these squalid family tangles, these cherished traumas" (448). She does, however, take a walk to a doughnut shop she frequents, largely because she likes to read the graffiti in the bathroom.

Continuing her story, Iris explainshow Laura persuades Richard to allow her to drop out of school. She begins volunteering at a hospital while Winifred schemes to marry her off. Iris notices that Laura is behaving differently: "brittle, insouciant, reckless in a new way,"but is too distracted by her own pregnancy to pay much attention (425).

When Iris is seven months' pregnant, Winifred and Richard tell her that Laura had a mental breakdown, threatening self-harm and accusing Richard of being "a lying, treacherous slave-trader, and a degenerate Mammon-worshipping monster" (429). As a result, Richard has had her committed to BellaVista. Laura also claimed to be pregnant, which Winifred ascribes to jealousy of Iris. In fact, Laura was pregnant (by Richard) and was sent away for an abortion. Iris, however, does not know this at the time, although she struggles to believe in Laura's sudden insanity.

Not long after this, Iris gives birth to Aimee, explaining away the baby's dark hair (a sign of her true parentage) as an inheritance from the Chase side of her family. At this point, Iris's narration briefly skips forward to explain what happened to Aimee. The early loss of Laura and Richard, combined with Winifred's and Iris's battles for custody, took a toll on Aimee; as an adult, she became addicted to drugs and had multiple affairs. The last time Iris saw her, Aimee was furious and claimed that Laura and Alex were her real parents. Aimee died only a few weeks later, and Winifred took custody of her daughter, Sabrina. 

Back in the main narrative thread, Iris worries about Laura as weeks go by with no direct contact: 

Laura was doing well, I was told: she was making progress. Then she was not doing so well, she'd had a relapse. Progress in what, a relapse in what? It should not be gone into, it would disturb me, it was important for me to conserve my energies, as a young mother should do(440).

Eventually, however, Iris hears that Laura has managed to free herself thanks to the efforts of a lawyer Reenie provided. Iris meets with Reenie, who explains that Laura has gone into hiding after her ordeal. When pressed for details, Reenie claims it's better for Iris not to know, but that Laura left her a message somewhere Iris would think to look for it. Irisgoes through her wedding album, where Laura has tinted two of the photos: "Richard's face had been painted grey, such a dark grey that the features were all but obliterated. The hands were red, as were the flames that shot up from around and somehow from inside the head, as if the skull itself were burning" (451).