After Gary’s confinement, Nicole begins seeing other men. Cliff Bonnors meets her at the Silver Dollar and drives her to deliver a letter to Gary at the jail. They begin a casual relationship. Cliff stays over at her apartment and offers companionship without pressing her about Gary. Most people can tell that she hates “to be alone” (326). She also grows close to Tom Dynamite, who takes her home on his motorcycle. Though intimate with both men, she separates these encounters from her feelings for Gary.

Gary writes Nicole long, emotional letters daily, describing “unpleasant experiences” in prison and declaring his love. He recounts past abuse in prison and the pain he felt when he believed he had lost her.

Gary is transferred between jail and Utah State Hospital for evaluation. At the hospital, Gary and Nicole are allowed contact visits under supervision. Gary criticizes the patient-run system and quarrels with inmate monitors. Despite being closely watched, he and Nicole share intense visits. His letters continue, describing hospital routines and loneliness while awaiting psychiatric assessments.

After her accident, Nicole’s Mustang becomes unusable. Barrett, who still visits intermittently, tows it to repair but discovers the transmission and clutch need costly parts. Nicole obtains $50 from store manager Albert Johnson, who trades cash for her food stamps. Barrett delays the repair job, then appears at her apartment intoxicated, becomes violent, and is arrested after Sue Baker calls the police. Later, Barrett sells Nicole’s car without her consent. He keeps the money. She confronts him and recovers part of it.

Gary receives a flirtatious letter from another woman and sends it to Nicole, provoking jealousy. Nicole shouts her love to Gary outside the jail and later attempts to die by suicide by cutting her arm near an underpass. She survives and loses visiting privileges temporarily. In letters, Nicole writes of a “silver sword” and death. When she admits sleeping with others, Gary responds angrily, demanding fidelity. Nicole stops visiting and writing, reconsidering her life and loyalty.

Sheriff Ken Cahoon moves inmate Richard Gibbs into Gary Gilmore’s cell to relieve Gary’s growing silence and depression. The two bond over prison stories and criminal exploits. They speak in prison slang and joke about executions, alternating between dark humor and serious talk. Gary predicts he will receive the death penalty and says he may force the state to carry it out.

Gary discusses psychiatric interviews, claiming he could feign insanity but refuses. Gibbs understands, as this would offend “a true man’s idea of himself” (357). Gary privately admits details of the murders to Gibbs, while he mocks the officials’ questions. His mood swings between bravado and despair, especially while he waits for letters from Nicole. When one arrives, his spirits lift immediately.

Gary proposes an escape plan, asking Nicole to smuggle hacksaw blades hidden in her shoes. He sends instructions through his attorney. Meanwhile, he and Gibbs discuss reincarnation and coincidences in their lives. Gary repairs Gibbs’s broken dentures and continues writing intense letters to Nicole while preparing for his imminent trial and possible execution.