Chapter 9 Summary

Back in Boston, Malcolm quickly put together a small gang consisting of Shorty, Sophia, her sister and their friend Rudy. (His sister Ella, shocked at what Malcolm had become, was obvious about her disappointment, but still stood by him.) With the new gang's combined connections, they began a series of house robberies. Rudy worked as a waiter for whites' upper class parties, and Sophia and her sister were able to get into houses for "tours" by putting on acts, such as pretending to be college students conducting surveys. The gang managed some successful robberies for a while, until Malcolm began to make some serious mistakes.

One night, Malcolm saw Sophia and her sister in a bar with a friend of Sophia's husband's. Rather than ignoring them, Malcolm walked over and talked to them. He was using snow cocaine during this time, a drug...