Abduction!

“Bonnie could easily have disputed each of Mr. Quinn’s theories. Matt never got in trouble at school, and he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere with a friend unless Mom had arranged it. Certainly he wouldn’t have boarded the wrong bus; they had ridden bus number two all year. She didn’t argue with the principal, though. It was Mr. Quinn’s first year at this school, so he didn’t know Bonnie. She knew he was only trying to make everyone feel more optimistic.”

As much as Bonnie knows her brother, she is certain he could not have done the things he truly did that lead to his abduction. In contrast, Mr. Quinn is a new principal who doesn’t know Bonnie or her brother well, so his theories seem outlandish and unlikely to her. Though her perspective is biased, this moment demonstrates that there are disadvantages to both their perspectives: Bonnie’s belief that she knows Matt well blinds her to certain possibilities (such as Matt’s leaving with a stranger) while Mr. Quinn’s lack of knowledge about Matt blinds him to potential leads.

“Even worse, Celia always tried to change Denny’s lifestyle. Once she had dragged him to a doctor, and now she nagged him constantly to take the medication the doctor had prescribed. She didn’t know the doctor had also recommended Denny start counseling and take an anger-management class. Well, forget that. Denny didn’t need some stuffed shirt with a string of medical degrees messing with his head. He’d thrown the pills away and refused to see the doctor again.”

From early on, Denny’s diagnosed personality issues (anger management problems and untreated antisocial personality disorder) present an immediate danger to Matt. Though his family and his physician have help him become better, Denny refuses to take prescribed medication or attend counseling. On top of his gambling problem and antisocial behavior, his unwillingness to take the advice of professionals or respect his sister’s good intentions also makes him a grossly unsuitable parent.

“His father’s name was Denny Thurman, but how did Matt know that’s who this man was? He’d never seen his dad; he didn’t know what his dad looked like. Maybe this man was only pretending to be Denny Thurman.”

Instead of asking these questions before Matt leaves Jackson School with Denny, Matt wonders at the authenticity of Denny’s claims only after he’s trapped in the vehicle. This moment reveals the different ways personal information might be manipulated in order to lure children into dangerous situations such as abduction.

“Mr. Quinn pounded his fist on the countertop. ‘We tried to have good security,’ he said. ‘We tried to prevent something like this. We even had an assembly on what to do and say if approached by a stranger.’

‘It’s hard to prevent every possibility,’ the officer said.”

This passage highlights the theme of Situational Awareness by calling attention to potential flaws in school security, whether those flaws include the building itself or staff training for suspicious situations. The officer’s response that not all possibilities can be prevented, even with ample preparation and warnings, is realistic because not every variable in every situation can be predicted.

“Bonnie saw the two police officers exchange a glance, the significant kind of look adults give each other when they know something the kids don’t know.”

While adults often exchange these looks when conveying topics they don’t wish to mention in front of children, children are perceptive. To Bonnie, this secretly exchanged glance causes her further anxiety and fear because she interprets it as a foreboding sign.

“As her heart rate returned to normal, she remembered reading Nancy’s note and wishing she could go to the mall instead of watching Matt. Had Matt been lured away from school at that exact moment? Had he climbed into a car as Bonnie wished she didn’t have to take care of him?”

In a call-back to a moment that will later be mirrored in the final chapter, Bonnie regrets complaining about having to skip the mall with Nancy to watch Matt after school. Her regrets exemplify a common occurrence among those involved in a tragic event, where they cycle through thoughts of what they could have done differently to avoid the situation or regret their last thoughts or actions related to the missing person.

“Bonnie smiled, a bittersweet smile. She remembered scolding Matt only a week ago, because when she went to the freezer for some strawberry ice cream, it was all gone. Mom didn’t buy ice cream often, and Bonnie was furious when she discovered Matt had eaten the whole quart.”

The motif of food is used often in the novel, primarily as a way for the community to show support and provide hope. In a similar way, Bonnie hopes to share the same ice cream she and Matt fight over with Matt upon his return. This idea gives her something to hope for while she awaits further news on the investigation of his disappearance. Likewise, during his abduction, Matt often thinks of sharing the ice cream with Bonnie, too, providing that small connection despite the physical distance between them.

“On Saturday and Sunday, Matt had listened carefully to all Denny’s conversations because each time the phone rang, he had hoped it would be his grandparents. Now he didn’t bother to eavesdrop because Denny only talked about numbers and money. Sometimes the calls made Denny excited; often they made him angry. Once he threw the phone across the room, then kicked the refrigerator so hard that the grille fell off the bottom.”

Through Matt’s eyes, readers see the scope of Denny’s gambling addiction and the way it fuels his anger and his violence. Throwing his phone across the room and kicking the refrigerator so hard it breaks are only the first signs of the violence Denny is capable of. Denny, emotionally volatile and constantly armed, presents a clear danger to Matt.

“Matt’s throat felt tight. Bonnie would never again be the catcher while Matt practiced pitching. Stanley’s dad played catch with Stanley all the time. Why wouldn’t Matt’s dad play with him?”

Matt struggles as he comes to terms with the fact that Denny isn’t the father he’d hoped for. His whole life, he’s idealized the man he believes his biological father to be and looked to Stanley’s dad as inspiration for the story he invents in his head. Because he is a kindergartener who believes his mother and half-sister are dead and realizes his biological father is uncaring and likely dangerous, Matt is a particularly sympathetic character.

“At the time, Matt had believed her, but now he thought she had been wrong. His dad didn’t love him to pieces. His dad didn’t even like him.”

This passage builds upon Matt’s feelings of abandonment and grief in regard to how his father treats him. This moment also reflects the extent to which his mother, Anita, has wanted to protect him from the ugly truth about his father. Believing Denny would never show up, she has cocooned Matt in the comfort that, despite Denny’s absence, he loved his son. It’s painful moment of growing up for Matt to realize his mother was wrong.

“Matt closed his eyes and silently recited the list he’d made of all the fun things he’d done with Bonnie. Remembering good times helped get him through this bad time.”

Though Matt isn’t aware that his mother and sister are alive, the list games he plays help him stay hopeful. Matt hopes for a future where he once again feels the same happiness and love he felt with Bonnie, Pookie, and Anita.

“Bonnie stayed home from school on Monday, and her mom stayed home from work. They talked to reporters, trying to say something different to keep the story in print and on the air even though there was nothing to report.”

This passage highlights a real issue with cases such as Matt’s. With no breakthroughs, media outlets have nothing new to report, so widespread interest can quickly evaporate. Because the media attention gives the Sholter family Strength Through Hope, the loss of media attention and, therefore, the loss of community involvement, is devastating.

“He didn’t mind losing the PlayStation, either. It frustrated him because he couldn’t read the directions, and Denny never took time to show him how to play. When Matt tried to do the games on his own, he didn’t get far; he suspected they were intended for people older than six. None of the board games had been opened because Denny wouldn’t play them with Matt, and it was no fun alone.”

This passage shows the chasm between Denny’s fantasy and the reality of having a son. In his preparation to abduct Matt (and impress his sister that he, too, has a child), he fills his apartment with board games, movies, a game console, and games for Matt. He hasn’t considered that the board games require his participation or that the games and movies are not age appropriate. He shows Matt violent movies, has no interest in playing the board games, and doesn’t know how to play the (also violent) video games. He then takes the movies and toys to return because he’s out of money. While he may have liked the idea of having a son, he realizes he has no interest in Matt or in being a father.

“Denny had sworn he would do so even though he knew he didn’t have any problem. He could quit gambling anytime he wanted to; he’d had a string of bad luck, that’s all, and the only people he didn’t get along with were the jerks of the world, who seemed to be everywhere. They had the problem, not him.”

Denny’s gambling addiction, his refusal to acknowledge his issue and seek help, and his habit of blaming his mistakes on other people demonstrate his complete unfitness for parenthood, his financial and emotional instability, and the bleakness of the life he would provide Matt.

“Once, after Denny threatened to shoot a driver who cut him off in traffic, Celia had given him a phone number to call. ‘You need help to control your temper,’ Celia said, ‘before you hurt someone.’ Denny’s blood boiled as he remembered how Celia and Winston had jumped all over him when the other driver was at fault. Denny had thrown the number away.”

The severity of Denny’s anger issues is presented in this passage, further highlighting the danger he presents to Matt and others. Denny’s willingness to shoot a driver for a small slight like cutting him off in traffic is a frightening indication of what he might do to a child he doesn’t even like. His habit of blaming others for his behavior also enforces the fact that Denny can commit a heinous crime like murder and find a way to explain away his involvement to escape the guilt.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Bonnie told herself. This isn’t a mystery novel. You aren’t the brilliant girl detective who saves her brother from the crook.”

This passage is ironic because the reader knows something the character does not: Bonnie is exactly who she says she’s not—the hero of a mystery novel who saves her brother from his abductor. This moment of humor provides a brief but much-needed reprieve from the heaviness of the plot’s content.

“Bonnie stopped, remembering what the court psychiatrist had told Detective Morrison about Denny: HE DOESN’T CARE WHO HE HURTS AS LONG AS HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS. What would Denny do if she ran? She couldn’t leave Matt alone with him while she sought help.”

This is a key moment where Intuition and Instinct guide Bonnie. Though the situation doesn’t turn out in her favor, she follows her instinct to keep Matt in her sights. If she were to leave and seek the police, Denny again would have disappeared with Matt.

“She took a wad of wet paper towels and scrubbed away the words. The message came off easily.”

In this scene, the hostess at the restaurant holding the Mystery Meals event believes Bonnie’s plea for help is a fake clue left by a diner and washes it from the bathroom mirror. This scene symbolizes the ease with which people overlook or discount serious situations directly in front of them. Situational awareness could have alerted her that something is amiss; as the redhead who brought the message to her attention points out, the Mystery Meal dealt with a fictional murder, not a kidnapping.

“He’d had an incredible losing streak since he took Matt. Eight days ago, he’d been riding high with more cash than he could stuff in his pockets. Now desperation chilled him more than the icy wind. Denny hated this feeling of impending disaster. He hated being broke, hated knowing the Hanks and Broncos of the world knew exactly how to track him down.”

With Denny’s impulsivity and uncontrollable moods providing constant danger, his desperation heightens the tension. Denny is bombarded with things he hates—the feeling of impending disaster, hunted by people he owes, and with no money to escape. Denny habitually resorts to his gun in moments of anger and stress, and this passage suggests he feels cornered and could resort to violence to take back his power.

“Throughout her nine years on the police force, Detective Morrison had purposely maintained a detachment from the people she served. She knew if she let herself get emotionally involved in the cases she worked, she would burn out and not be able to continue.”

Detective Morrison’s point of view provides insight to the officers involved in abduction cases such as Matt’s. While keeping a level of detachment to the case and the people involved is necessary and ensures detectives remain objectively focused on the evidence, sometimes emotional investment is inevitable. The extent to which Bonnie’s and Matt’s disappearances affect the community elicits powerful emotions from the readers and engages them in the outcome of the story.

“If he threw the ball at Denny and missed, Denny would be even more angry. He would shoot Bonnie instantly and then might turn the gun on Matt. Bonnie didn’t want to endanger Matt to save her own life, yet she thought her idea could work. Matt was already in danger, and time was running out.”

This passage reflects Bonnie’s resilience and bravery, as well as her ability to think quickly under pressure. These qualities allow her to gain Strength Through Hope even when all hope seems to be lost, and prompt her to believe in Intuition and Instinct, both of which save her life and rescue her brother from Denny.

“In the end, the three boys drove home without disclosing the incident to anyone. As he watched the news report, Eddie said nothing to his parents. He couldn’t bring himself to call the other boys who had been in his car, to see if they’d seen the news. If he avoided them for a few days, maybe nobody would mention the two children who had pleaded for a ride.”

The reactions of each of the witnesses who ignored Bonnie’s signals or pleas for help reveal the ways people easily ignore or fail to recognize others’ fearful or concerning behavior. This passage illustrates that many people simply don’t take time to notice—or purposely ignore—the needs of people right in front of them. Had the witnesses been willing to see or to engage with Bonnie, she and Matt would have been rescued sooner.

“She considered dialing 911, but then other customers came to buy tickets, and by the time she had a free moment again, she had convinced herself that the girl had merely been playing a joke. She never made the call. With a lump in her throat, she listened to the rest of the radio report. Those children needed my help, she thought, and I turned away.”

The ticket woman from the ferry exemplifies how easy it is for people to ignore what seems inconvenient or doubtful when presented with suspicious signs. The ticket woman finds it easier to move along with the customer line and convince herself that Bonnie was joking about her situation, rather than face the responsibility of getting involved.