Gary finalizes the purchase of the white pickup from Val Conlin, trading in his Mustang and promising cash payments. He boasts about the truck, then retrieves a handgun from Kathryne despite her hesitation. He drives off with Nicole’s sister, April, who is high on drugs, hallucinating, and rambling as they travel through Utah County.

Gary reclaims a Browning automatic from Craig Taylor and signs the final truck papers that evening. Later, Gary stops at a Sinclair station in Orem where attendant Max Jensen is working alone. Armed with the Browning, Gary robs Jensen, forces him into the restroom, and shoots him twice, killing him.

He returns to the truck, hides the weapon briefly, and attempts to watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at a drive-in before leaving when April is disturbed by the film.

Police discover Jensen’s body after customers report the unattended station. Gary and April eventually check into a Holiday Inn in Provo under his real name, paying cash.

Gary and April spend the night in a Holiday Inn room in Provo. April is disoriented, hallucinating, and speaking incoherently. Gary smokes marijuana, drinks milk for his stomach pain, and alternates between irritation and trying to seduce April. She resists him repeatedly and insists on sleeping separately. During a tense night, April feels frightened and unstable. Gary seems restless and withdrawn.

At 2 am, Colleen Jensen is woken up by church officials and police who inform her that her husband, Max Jensen, has been killed. Numb and disbelieving, she calls relatives and waits through the night with a neighbor until the family arrives. By dawn, she focuses on caring for her infant daughter.

In the morning, Gary drives April home, telling her he will always care for her. April returns in a trance-like state, and Kathryne, who has been awake with worry, is relieved to see her.

Debbie and Ben Bushnell pride themselves on a harmonious marriage. Their lives revolve around their work, faith, and their baby son. After years of juggling multiple jobs, Ben becomes manager of the City Center Motel in Provo, where the couple lives and works together. They believe that if ever confronted by a robber, money would not be worth “risking [a] life for” (242).

The morning after the murder of Max Jensen, Gary behaves outwardly normally at work, though associates notice his suspicious behavior. He steals merchandise at the mall, discusses the killing with Val Conlin without emotion, and later meets parole officer Mont Court, telling Mont about his plans to quit quitting drinking to win Nicole back. Nicole, meanwhile, tells Roger Eaton she thinks Gary “did that murder” (247). Worried, Roger puts an end to their relationship.

That evening, Gary takes his car to a mechanic and then stops at the nearby City Center Motel. Debbie, already gripped by unexplained dread, briefly sees him and retreats. Moments later, she finds Ben shot and bleeding behind the counter. She tries to stop the bleeding and call for help, losing all sense of time passing.

A witness, Peter Arroyo, sees Gary leaving the City Center Motel with a cash drawer and a pistol. Fearing for his family, he tries to avoid Gary. Inside, Debbie kneels beside her wounded husband, Ben. Gary discards the cash box and attempts to hide his gun, accidentally shooting his own hand. The mechanic, Norman Fulmer, notices Gary’s bleeding and hears police reports of the motel shooting. He records Gary’s license plate and alerts the police. Vern and Ida, who live near the motel, hear the police cars outside.

Police swarm the motel as Ben is taken to the hospital, where he dies. Meanwhile, Gary contacts Craig Taylor and Brenda Nicol for help, telling them “some story” that he was shot. Brenda secretly coordinates with the police while stalling him. As Gary leaves Craig’s house in his white truck, officers pursue and surround him in Pleasant Grove. After repeated commands, he surrenders. Lieutenant Gerald Nielsen advises him of his rights and takes him into custody. Nicole watches from a distance, shaken, while Debbie remains in shock, repeating memories of her life with Ben.

After his arrest, Gary tells Lieutenant Nielsen that he wants to talk. At the hospital, he resists a metal-detection test but finally submits, and the results show that he handled metal. Prosecutor Noall Wootton oversees the investigation and recovers a .22 Browning Automatic near a blood trail. Witness Peter Arroyo places Gary at the motel with a gun and a cash drawer.

During early questioning, Gary denies both murders and claims he interrupted a robbery. He says April Baker was with him all night. Later, in the county jail, Nielsen conducts a long, informal interview. Gradually, Gary admits to the robberies and killings but says he does not know why he shot the men. He provides partial details and expresses concern for Nicole.

Brenda visits the jail, feeling she betrayed him. Defense attorney Mike Esplin meets Gary at the arraignment. Nicole gives police information about stolen guns. April, questioned separately, gives confused and inconsistent statements while denying knowledge of any violence that may have happened when she was with Gary. Later, Kathryne tells the confused April that Gary seems to have confessed to two murders.

Gary is moved to Orem, where Lieutenant Nielsen tells him he will be charged with Max Jensen’s homicide. Gary reacts emotionally, saying he feels bad after reading obituaries and that he hopes “they execute [him] for it” (296). He calls Brenda and learns she alerted police about Craig Taylor’s house; he accepts it and tells her to tell his mother “it’s true” and that he loves her.

At arraignment, defense attorneys Esplin and Snyder learn that Gary has confessed to Nielsen and are angry, believing the confession may be unusable. Gary focuses instead on Nielsen’s promise that he can see Nicole. Nielsen brings Nicole to the jail; she asks if he did it, but he refuses to answer. They exchange declarations of love, though officers prevent contact. April has a mental health episode and is committed.

In jail, Gary pressures Sheriff Cahoon with complaints, legal threats, and attempts to manipulate release and privileges, especially visits with Nicole. At the August 3rd preliminary hearing, prosecutor Wootton pushes the case forward and remains committed to seeking death.

Nicole briefly sees Gary, later wrecks her car, and receives a long letter from him expressing remorse, self-loathing, and thoughts of death, though also claiming to be “an innocent victim of society’s bullshit” (306).