Summary

Jess Hall takes over as the narrator, giving the reader a look into his personal life, his friendship with Joe Bill and the events that lead up to the death of his brother, Christopher. The two boys had left bible study and were playing in the forest when Joe Bill dared him to spy into the church. It's explained that Jess' parents don't want him to eavesdrop or get himself involved in situations that he shouldn't. He only agreed to do this because earlier, Mr. Gene Thompson had taken his brother away from the bible study and into the church for the first time. He had a flashback to the time he and Stump saw Chambliss in their mother's bedroom, setting up a motive for Chambliss' future actions. He and his brother were out searching for salamanders, but couldn't find any...