Fall, Chapters 37-39 Summary

At the start of this section, Rusty rhapsodizes over the thrill of being free, which is tinged by bitterness over what he has endured. His return to normal life is slow. He still receives checks from work, because Nico would not dare to fire him. Rusty has become a celebrity, the falsely accused hero. He stays at home and does very little, but his presence bothers Barbara, who wants to know when he'll go back to work. He ponders the outcome of the trial, and reveals in his thoughts that it was his seed taken from Carolyn, that the prints on the glass probably were his, that the carpet fiber came from his home, and that the calls to Carolyn's apartment came from his home phone. He resolves never to admit any of this. At a function, he sees...