Summary

In sections i through iv, Theo retrieves his suitcase from Sutton Place, and heads to the airport with his father and Xandra, where he slips through security with the painting.

In section v through viii, the trio land in Las Vegas, where Theo looks at The Goldfinch painting in the glow of the desert light. Theo deduces that his father lied to him and his mother about his business trips, and instead went to Las Vegas, where he met Xandra; that his father did not stop drinking and now takes prescription painkillers; and that it was unclear what his father did for a living. Theo realizes that Xandra and his father gamble in the casinos.

In section ix, Theo tries to get used to his wide open surroundings in his father’s home, which is a little unsettling to...