The Pact
Chapter 3: NOW: November 1997 (2)
by Picoult, JodiThe chapter opens with Detective Anne-Marie Marrone reflecting on her career shift from Washington, D.C., to Bainbridge, New Hampshire, where the quiet town’s crimes unsettle her more than urban violence. She is called to investigate a shooting involving a teenage girl, Emily, and a boy, Chris Harte. Despite the shocking nature of the incident, Anne-Marie remains composed, focusing on gathering facts. She confronts Chris’s parents, Gus and James, insisting on speaking to Chris, who is recovering in the hospital. The tension escalates as Gus resists, but Anne-Marie asserts her authority, hinting at the possibility of Chris’s involvement in a homicide.
Inside the hospital room, Anne-Marie questions Chris, who is visibly traumatized. Chris reveals that he and Emily had been drinking and brought his father’s gun to the carousel, intending to commit suicide together. The revelation stuns his parents, who struggle to reconcile their son’s actions with their perception of him. Chris explains that Emily shot herself first, and he was interrupted before he could follow through. Anne-Marie’s probing questions suggest she suspects foul play, leaving Gus and James torn between defending their son and confronting the horrifying possibility of his guilt.
Gus’s maternal instincts flare as she shields Chris, demanding Anne-Marie leave. The detective departs, leaving the family to grapple with the emotional fallout. Gus clings to the hope that Chris is innocent, but the seed of doubt has been planted. Meanwhile, Anne-Marie’s professional demeanor hints at a deeper investigation to come, as the case teeters between tragic suicide and potential murder.
The chapter shifts to Michael, Emily’s father, who is devastated by her death. He struggles to accept the suicide pact theory, replaying mundane memories of Emily in search of hidden clues. The contrast between his grief and Detective Marrone’s clinical approach underscores the chapter’s tension: a community shattered by loss, a family in crisis, and a detective determined to uncover the truth, no matter how painful. The unresolved questions linger, setting the stage for further conflict and revelation.
FAQs
1. How does Detective Anne-Marie Marrone’s approach to interviewing Chris Harte reveal her suspicions about the incident?
Answer:
Detective Marrone’s questioning tactics demonstrate her underlying suspicion that Chris may be involved in Emily’s death, despite initially presenting the conversation as routine fact-finding. She strategically withholds information about Emily’s condition to gauge Chris’s reaction (“Do you know what happened to Emily?”), focuses on the presence of alcohol and the gun, and subtly implies a possible altercation (“Did the two of you have a fight?”). Her insistence on speaking to Chris despite his trauma and her pointed questions about motives (e.g., hiding information) reveal she is treating this as a potential homicide, not just a suicide pact. The chapter notes that any case with one survivor and one deceased is automatically treated as a homicide until proven otherwise.2. Analyze the contrasting parental reactions of Gus Harte and Michael Gold when learning about the suicide pact. What do their responses reveal about their characters?
Answer:
Gus Harte reacts with immediate protective instinct, physically positioning herself between Chris and the detective (“James… sidle closer to Chris’s bed”) and later demanding the detective leave. Her focus is on shielding Chris, even as she privately grapples with disbelief. In contrast, Michael Gold’s response is inward-facing; he clings to Emily’s unfinished life (her damp towel, perfume) and struggles to reconcile her suicide with mundane memories like their last conversation about a backpack. Gus’s reaction highlights her maternal fierceness, while Michael’s shows paralyzing grief and denial. Both, however, share an inability to initially accept their children’s involvement in the pact, though Gus shifts to action while Michael remains trapped in reflection.3. How does the author use juxtaposition to underscore the chapter’s central tension between appearances and reality?
Answer:
The chapter repeatedly contrasts surface perceptions with hidden truths. Bainbridge is described as a “sleepy town,” yet it harbors shocking crimes like Mrs. Inglenook’s pot field or the principal’s domestic abuse—incidents more unnerving to Marrone than D.C.’s predictable violence. Similarly, Chris and Emily appear to be typical teens (“fooling around” with alcohol), but their suicide pact shatters this facade. Even objects like James Harte’s gun (a symbol of safety in a doctor’s home) become tools of tragedy. These juxtapositions build the chapter’s theme: that darkness lurks beneath seemingly idyllic or ordinary surfaces, mirroring the detective’s struggle to reconcile Chris’s “bedroom eyes” and loving words with the possibility of murder.4. Why does Chris’s admission about the suicide pact create a dilemma for both the legal investigation and his parents?
Answer:
Chris’s claim of a mutual suicide pact complicates the case legally and emotionally. Legally, it introduces reasonable doubt; if Emily shot herself first, Chris may not be criminally liable, but the lack of a note or witnesses makes verification impossible. For his parents, the admission forces them to choose between believing their son is a murderer or accepting his participation in a shared suicide—both scenarios contradict their perception of him as a responsible teen (e.g., Gus’s shock at his drinking after his MADD volunteer work). The pact also implies premeditation, which conflicts with the parents’ view of Chris and Emily’s relationship as loving and healthy, leaving them torn between denial and the need to confront painful truths.5. Evaluate Detective Marrone’s statement: “I’m sorry” as she leaves the Hartes. What layers of meaning might this apology carry?
Answer:
Marrone’s apology is deliberately ambiguous, reflecting the chapter’s moral complexity. On one level, it expresses genuine sympathy for the family’s loss and trauma. However, it also hints at professional resolve—she may be “sorry” for the investigation she must now pursue, given Chris’s conflicting account (his claim of a pact vs. the lack of evidence supporting Emily’s consent). The apology could also foreshadow future consequences, as the detective likely recognizes the Hartes’ lives will be irrevocably altered by legal scrutiny. Her phrasing leaves room for both compassion and duty, mirroring her dual role as an empathetic human and a detective obligated to uncover uncomfortable truths.
Quotes
1. “In D.C., she’d never known her perps. Somehow, domestic abuse was more unnerving when it came at the hands of the legendary, beloved Bainbridge Elementary School principal.”
This quote highlights the unsettling contrast between urban and small-town crime, showing how familiarity with perpetrators makes violence more disturbing. It sets up Detective Marrone’s perspective on the shocking nature of the case.
2. “Unless,” she said, “he’s told you something you feel a need to hide?”
This pivotal moment reveals the detective’s suspicion shifting toward Chris as a potential suspect. The blunt question marks a turning point where the investigation becomes personal for the Harte family.
3. “We were going to do it together… Kill ourselves. Em was going to go first.”
Chris’s devastating confession reveals the alleged suicide pact, creating the central mystery of whether this was a mutual decision or something more sinister. This quote represents the emotional climax of the chapter.
4. “As unthinkable as it was that Emily would kill herself, it was even more ludicrous to believe that Chris could have killed her.”
This internal conflict from Gus captures the impossible dilemma facing the characters - both scenarios seem unbelievable, forcing readers to question what really happened.
5. “She was coming back; she had to be coming back; there was too much left unfinished here.”
Michael’s desperate denial about Emily’s death shows the profound grief and disbelief of a parent, while also hinting at unresolved aspects of Emily’s life that may hold clues.