Section 12: Chapter 23 Summary

In Chapter 23: Michigan, July, August 1999, Mike's only way to bring Amelia back is to learn how to open safes, so he practices all night and finally opens it. The next morning, he shows the Ghost that he has figured out how to open the lock, so the Ghost throws him a new lock and leads him outside, but he is irritated to see that Mike still has not opened the new lock. After explaining the artistry of opening a safe instead of forcing entry, the Ghost takes Mike to his circle of safes and compares a safe to a woman's heart: one must understand her in order to open her. He removes the panel from the locking mechanism and shows Mike how the notches line up perfectly by using the correct combination. No matter how hard he tries, Mike cannot feel...