The Whistler

The Dodge Ram that the killer and his accomplice used in the collision that killed Hugo was stolen in Foley, Alabama. A video recording shows the truck being stolen by a man identified as Berl Munger and an unidentified accomplice.

Three days after the accident, Lacy recovers consciousness. Her brother, Gunther, arrives to watch over her. He’s big, loud, and argumentative but is devoted to Lacy. When not bullying nurses, Gunther is on his phone or his computer focusing intensely on elaborate real-estate deals. Lacy’s boss, Michael Guismar, tells Gunther enough about the collision for Gunther to realize that it wasn’t an accident. He presses Lacy to remember everything she can. Eventually, she remembers seeing a man wearing a headlamp circling the car. She recalls that two other people and a third vehicle were at the scene.

Constable Lyman Gritt arrives at the police station to find the tribal chief waiting for him. The chief wants to know what’s going on with the investigation into the car collision. Lyman doesn’t trust the chief and has been keeping two files—one official file and a second, secret one at home. The chief is annoyed that Lyman doesn’t know more about the collision.