Summary

In Chapter 3, Curtis wanders the hotel in Las Vegas in search of Stanley. Instead, he encounters Stanley’s girlfriend, Veronica, who goes unnamed in this chapter. Veronica is a dealer in the casino. Curtis watches her deal cards at a blackjack table from a distance. He never speaks to her, but he realizes that she is looking for Stanley as well. Curtis returns to his hotel room to find a crude, taunting drawing by Damon, sent via fax as a warning.

When Chapter 4 begins, Curtis awakens in his hotel room and calls home, intending to speak to his father. His stepmother, Mawiyah, answers instead. When he hears her voice, Curtis is “struck by a couple of memories in quick succession” (11). He remembers her photo hanging outside the library at Dunbar and hearing her sing in a club while his father played the bass...