Chapter 8 Summary

When Archer arrives at the Somerville's he is greeted at the door of the darkened house by a black man insisting that no one is home. The man demands identification and then steps outside the door. A bulge in his pocket resembles a gun. The man says that Laurel used to come and stay with her uncle but has not been here recently. Archer inquires about the bullet holes in the mailbox at the end of the driveway and learns that several young men on motor bikes drove by and fired off a few shots. Lew then asks how long the man has worked for Mr. Somerville. The man, who now identifies himself as Smith, says that he has worked for Captain Somerville for over twenty-five years ever since they both retired from the Navy. The two men were stationed in Okinawa when...