Mr. Mercedes

Brady’s research says that strychnine produces a terrible and painful death, and he gloats over how much Jerome’s dog will suffer and how much Jerome and his sister Barbara will suffer along with him. The more pain the dog feels, the more Jerome and Barbara will feel, and they will pass that pain on to Hodges. Brady hopes it will be enough to push the ex-cop over the edge and make him use the .38 Smith & Wesson. Then, Brady realizes that killing the dog might also give Hodges a reason to live—to hunt Brady down—and the thought gives him a migraine. He goes into his mother’s room and gets in bed with her. She asks if he wants her to get rid of his headache. It becomes evident that their relationship is incestuous.

Brady sends a message to Hodges in the Blue Umbrella demanding to know what evidence was withheld. He dares Hodges to answer.

Receiving the message, Hodges confirms his belief that the killer has been watching him. He canvasses his neighborhood, looking for anyone who might have seen anything out of the ordinary. One of his neighbors, Mrs. Melbourne, mentions that she thinks the ice cream truck driver looked suspicious, but Hodges dismisses her as a crank.