The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Blue, now a teenager, has been acting out recently. His latest stunt was spray painting a dog at school. He has been rebellious and moody ever since he discovered his mom on the kitchen floor three years ago, so Patricia still feels tremendous guilt about her suicide attempt. Carter wants Blue to take pills that are “like eyeglasses for [his] brain” (253) to solve his behavioral issues, but Blue refuses. Korey, now a junior in high school, stays mostly in her room and is often exhausted. Carter assures Patricia that this is normal. 

Blue threatens to run away from home. Carter tells him he’s welcome to do so but warns Blue that he will immediately call the police if he does. Blue storms off, cuts the phone wire, then makes a break for the door. Carter and Patricia are momentarily at a loss. Patricia wants to go after him, but Carter is certain Blue will return when he’s cooled off, so he instead goes to the store to replace the phone cord. 

Later, Patricia gets a phone call from James Harris. Blue is safe at James’s house, and James is calling so Patricia doesn’t worry. This interaction softens Patricia’s heart, and she decides that maybe James isn’t as much of a threat as she once believed.

A few days later, James calls Patricia to check on Blue, so she decides to “stop pushing him away” (260), since the rest of the family trusts James and he’s proven that he cares about them. James is worried that Carter is not spending enough time with his kids and asks Patricia to coffee. Patricia begs off, but the call ends with their relationship thawing. 

Off the phone, Patricia hears a whispery voice call out her name. She senses Miss Mary’s presence, and then hears Miss Mary’s ghost speak, warning Patricia that “he’s come for my grandchild, wake up, Patricia, wake up” and instructing her to “go to Ursula, she has my photograph” (264). Patricia understands: She has to go to see someone she hasn’t seen in a long time—Mrs. Greene, who has Miss Mary’s photograph.

In Six Mile, “no children play in the streets” (266), and their absence is eerie. Mrs. Greene doesn’t seem happy to see Patricia but invites her in anyway. Patricia asks about Mrs. Greene’s children, who are now teenagers and still live with her sister. Mrs. Greene clearly still holds a grudge against Patricia, who forces herself to tell Mrs. Greene why she is there—Miss Mary’s spirit told her that Ursula Greene has the photograph, and Patricia is only bothering Mrs. Greene because it is “about the children” (269). Mrs. Greene scoffs—Patricia already “abandoned us and our children because your husband told you to” (269).

Still, Mrs. Greene does grab the photograph Miss Mary mentioned. Patricia can’t believe her eyes: It’s a picture of James Harris, wearing an ice cream (pale-colored) suit, but the photo is decades old. Mrs. Greene also shows Patricia newspaper clippings about children who have died, one a year since Destiny Taylor. Patricia and Mrs. Greene decide that they have to gather evidence to stop James Harris. To do that, they have to get into his house.

Patricia leaves Mrs. Greene and heads to Slick’s house for help. Slick is in the middle of planning a “Reformation Party” in lieu of Halloween. Patricia shows Slick the photograph of James Harris, aka Hoyt Pickens. Though startled, Slick isn’t convinced. Patricia earnestly pleads, “I know they’re not our children, but they’re children. Are we not supposed to care about them because they’re poor and black?” (280). Slick is moved by Patricia’s speech; she asks to keep the photograph to pray on it, so she can make a decision.

Slick agrees to come to James’s house, but only to look and not to “open anything that’s closed” (282).

Mrs. Greene and Patricia come together, pretending that they are cleaners. James’s housekeeper Lora is suspicious, but she is easily bought off. Slick is supposed to join them, but she never shows. The two women search the house, but they find nothing until they go up to the attic, where there is a body in a suitcase, “the skin on the face of the corpse dark brown and stretched tight” (290). It’s Francine. Patricia starts to drag it across the floor when a voice stops her dead in her tracks. James Harris must be home early.

Patricia assumes that someone has tipped off James that Patricia is in the house. Patricia bravely hides in the attic while he searches for her, silent even as cockroaches climb all over her and she is covered in mouse droppings. The terrifying game of hide and seek continues; finally, Patricia hears footsteps climbing the attic ladder.

The person coming up the ladder is not James Harris after all, but Kitty, who has come to rescue Patricia. Gracious Cay is on fire, and Kitty believes that Mrs. Greene started the blaze. Patricia shows Kitty the suitcase with Francine’s body. The gruesome sight convinces Kitty, and now Patricia has another eyewitness—otherwise, everyone will “say [she’s] crazy again” (301). She can’t risk another situation like three years ago.

They are almost out the door when Patricia notices that they’ve left evidence of being there. She coerces the frightened Kitty into helping her clean up the mess; they make it out just before James returns. The women are excited because not only did they get out in time, but Patricia has also found Francine’s driver’s license—the proof they need to catch James.

Patricia and Mrs. Greene decide to plant Francine’s driver’s license in James Harris’s wallet and tell the police about it. The best opportunity will be at Kitty’s Halloween Oyster Roast, which “will be crowded, it will be public, people will be drinking” (307).

Slick calls Patricia, repeating the phrase “I didn’t make a sound” over and over again (312). Worried, Patricia hurries to Slick’s house. While her family is playing games downstairs, a stunned and roughed up Slick is lying on the floor of the bathroom. Patricia helps her clean up in the shower.

After praying over the photo, Slick called James to threaten him to expose him. In response, he broke into Slick’s house and raped her.

Slick is in a lot of pain and her vulva is bleeding. Patricia finds a horrible, dark substance between Slick’s legs. Slick promises to go to the hospital if she is still bleeding in the morning, but she is worried James will kill her children if she says anything. Patricia swears not to tell Slick’s husband Leland what happened.

When Patricia arrives home, Blue is gone. When he returns, he claims that he was with James. Patricia knows this is a lie, disheartened that her son is providing James’s alibi.