54 pages 1 hour read

John Grisham

The Partner

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1997

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Chapters 20-26Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 20 Summary

The sheriff of Greene County had collected Pepper Scarboro’s rifle, sleeping bag and camp tent from the Patrick’s cabin at the time of the crash. They now bring that evidence out of storage. Patrick’s fingerprints are all over Pepper’s belongings.

Patrick demands that meetings with Sandy be held in a different room for fear of listening devices. Sandy is dubious. Patrick reminds him that the people from whom he stole the money have spent a fortune hunting for him. Sandy asks how he knows. Patrick just shrugs. He won’t tell Sandy who is pursuing him.

They discuss Patrick’s divorce from Trudy. Patrick warns Sandy that Lance is dangerous because he is involved in criminal activity; it is possible that Lance might be able to find a hired killer. He instructs Sandy as to how to approach the situation. He tells Sandy to first show Trudy the pictures and the evidence, then to tell the sheriff and the FBI what is going on. He knows Trudy will sacrifice Lance to protect herself. Finally, he has to leak the information to the press. When Sandy shows the evidence to Trudy’s lawyer, the lawyer promises Trudy will back down about demanding half of Patrick’s assets—not that Patrick will have any assets if he is convicted.