Summary

In Chapter 8, Joe drives to Mower County Courthouse to visit his mother who insists on him paying her $3000 bail because she refuses to agree to an alcohol monitor. Joe refuses because he needs the money for next semester and knows she will not pay him back. Then, she reminds him that he will have to take care of Jeremy. This forces him to choose between his brother and his education. Filled with rage as he signs the check, Joe has to believe that his mother is Jeremy's keeper in order to leave Austin.

In Chapter 9, Joe stops by Hillview on his way home and is surprised that Carl has a visitor, Virgil, whom he introduces as the painter. When Joe asks Carl to sign the release, Carl mocks him for not believing Carl will tell the truth, but Virgil angrily insists the trial...