Summary

Two days pass, without word from Jessie. The local sheriff comes to the house and asks questions, determining eventually that there is not enough evidence that a crime has been committed. Jim asks about the caretaker, the only person he has seen on the premises since his arrival, and the sheriff tells him he has known the man for years (and therefore is probably innocent of any wrong-doing). He mentions that some people come to the desert to commit suicide.

Elster calls Jessie’s mother, feeling guilty about letting their daughter slip out of his grasp. Jim mentions the man Jessie had been seeing, but Elster dismisses the thought with a wave of his hand. Jim thinks he prefers the mystery to “the damp reach of human motive” (83). Jim speaks to Jessie’s mother, trying to jog her memory about the man...