Winter's Bone

Ree, Gail, and Ned go grocery shopping. As they shop, Ree wonders if Jessup had done anything wrong. Gail, however, is certain that “he stole or he told. Those are the things they kill you for” (122). At home, they encounter Blond Milton and Catfish Milton speaking to another man. The girls quickly surmise from his car that the man must be from town.

The man approaches the women as they begin to unload their groceries. He introduces himself as Mike Satterfield from X Bail Bonds. Satterfield believes that Jessup is alive and on the run, and he is visiting Ree as part of the investigation. In response to Satterfield’s allegations, Ree states that she is a Dolly and that’s how she knows Jessup’s actually dead. Satterfield admits that something about the case feels suspicious, as Blond Milton and Catfish Milton disavowed any knowledge of Jessup.

Further adding to the mystery surrounding Jessup’s disappearance, Satterfield informs Ree that the house did not cover the entire bond. An unidentified man had paid the rest of the bond in order to release Jessup; a release that Jessup seemed disappointed rather than relieved by. After these revelations, Satterfield tells Ree she has 30 days before the government claims the house. Disturbed by this short time frame, Ree lunges for Satterfield and holds onto him as she inquires what she can do to avoid losing the house. He admits that if Ree can prove that Jessup’s death is the reason for his absence from court, the family could keep the house. Satterfield leaves, saying: “Dead men can’t be expected to show in court” (127). Although Ree finds herself heartened by the possibility of keeping her home, Gail tells her not to go back to Hawkfall in search of evidence. At this, Ree’s heart falls, as she understands that returning to Hawkfall is her only option. 

Ree begins the journey back to Hawkfall “with nothing watching her back but the sun” (128). She plans to once again petition Thump Milton for information regarding Jessup. She stops twice to look back at the comforting sight of her home’s smoking chimneys, but she continues on. As she approaches Thump Milton’s house, Mrs. Thump sees her and comes out to greet her, carrying a steaming cup and flanked by two women who appear to be relatives. Ree reaches for the cup gratefully, but her greetings are cut short when Mrs. Thump strikes her and continues to beat her. Ree tries to defend herself against the onslaught, but her punches fail to reach Mrs. Thump. As she lies across the gravel, the other two women begin kicking her unremittingly until “she was sunk to a moaning place, kicked into silence” (130).