Summary

In Chapter 15, local police Chief Carnicella lies in the trees in camouflage with a night vision glasses and his patrol rifle. He watches the Amway 80 yards below him, where two fertilizer tanks sit in the dimly lit parking lot. Last night, someone managed to steal five gallons, and the chief is determined to catch the next drug-addicted thief.

Carnicella is the chief of police by default, as the town has only one policeman. The town is not able to fund stakeouts like this, or the gadgets required: Bakerton’s “budget barely covers the chief’s paltry salary and the part-time secretary he shares with the Sewer Authority” (237). He has paid for the glasses and the gear himself after he learned that police in neighboring towns have successfully disrupted several drug rings.

As the chief sits on the stake out, he drifts into thoughts...