American Rust: A Novel

After three days in solitary, a guard once again tries to persuade Poe to sign the documents that will ensure legal representation, but again, Poe refuses, asking the lawyer to visit him in his cell. The guard says that’s not possible, but Poe refuses to leave (although he can feel his resolve weakening). He sees his quandary as a zero-sum game: Either he or Isaac can be saved. There is no middle ground. Reflecting on his life, he believes that saving Isaac from the frozen lake was his finest moment. He wants to leave a legacy of honesty and nobility, and not ratting out Isaac is the best way he can do that. As for his own fate, he decides to fashion a weapon somehow, to “take as many of them with him as he could” (321).

Lee calls some old friends from high school, and they meet for drinks. After some preliminary small talk, she asks them about Isaac’s whereabouts, but they have no information. The conversation turns to Poe and speculation over his guilt or innocence; they all recall his past transgressions, a not-so-subtle implication they believe he’s guilty. They talk about their economic prospects in the Valley—healthcare seems to be the only option—and Lee invites them to visit her in New Haven.