So, when I’m looking down at Freddy’s corpse, I see that not only is his brain an oozing mush, his tongue has been cut out.
-- Duncan (Chapter 1 paragraph Page 7, Paragraph 1)

Importance: The quote is a peek into Duncan’s world as a homicide detective.

He was rubbing Duncan’s nose in his defeat.
-- Narrator (Chapter 2 paragraph Page 20, Paragraph 6)

Importance: This was Savtich’s way of taunting Duncan about the mistrial.

We’ve told the other officers everything we know. They took copious notes. I don’t know what more we could possibly add.
-- Judge Laird (Chapter 4 paragraph Page 49, paragraph 8)

Importance: The statement underscores that Judge Laird does not want his wife or himself to be interviewed by the detectives and that he could be hiding something.

But he knew that neither pure blacks nor pure whites would ever wholly accept his mingled blood and embrace him as one of their own.
-- Narrator (Chapter 5 paragraph Page 59, paragraph 4)

Importance: This sentence explains in part what drove Savitch to create his own criminal world.

It’s...
-- Duncan (Chapter 8 paragraph Page 100, paragraph 10)