Ian Smith

We finally see Ian back home trying to piece together everything he's learned.

I left Jack's house around nine and went back to my hotel. The next day, I packed up my things and drove home. It was a twenty-nine hour drive, so I needed to get going. I knew a lot more now than I had when I first talked to Diana, and for now it seemed as good as it would get. But the whole way home, the word "insect" was burning in my mind. It almost had to be related somehow to the "infested" that was scribbled on my wall. Those heads that were cut out of the pictures- there was a reason for that.

The thing that puzzled me the most, though, was the why. Why were they keeping this a secret? Why wouldn't Jack tell me who Insect was? Why did Frank lie about knowing the code?

I stopped overnight at a Holiday Inn and slept, although not very well. The next day, I drove the last fourteen hours back and arrived home at about ten PM. Since I'd driven more days there and back than I had actually stayed, I decided I would stay longer and definitely take a plane if I went out there again, which would be unreasonable, but I knew I would if I didn't find my answers in Texas.

When I walked into my house, I became much more comfortable. I was glad to be home, but my mind was still on the things I had learned. I analyzed the black and white pictures that hung on the walls. I had examined them many times before, but this time it was different. This time I knew what I was looking for.

Sure enough, in the photos that the faces were not cut out of, I saw the same faces I'd seen in the photo albums at Jack's house. But it was the ones without faces that were important. I recognized the treehouse, and five headless people sitting in a circle. Only one female, and beside her, a very large body. I looked closely at the hands. As I'd expected, they were large and hairy and appeared callused.

Then I saw that picture. That same picture I'd stolen from Jack's house. Except instead of just a hand, the entire body of the man was pictured. Well, all but the head. But all of the heads were cut out from the pictures, not just Insect's.

I pulled out the letter that I'd taken with me. I hadn't even bothered to ask Jack about it, because I knew he wouldn't tell me anything helpful. I read over it again, this time translating in my mind.

Dear [name smudged],

I have been thinking about the maniacal song lately -
So he was thinking about the club? Or was it the treehouse itself?
- and I remembered that you never knew that I can be found with at least one of the bestselling carpenters.-
Was this a reference to Hammer? Which one was Hammer again? I pulled up the notes on my phone, where I had written down the important information I'd learned. So Hammer was Frank. He can be found with Frank?
- I thought I would let you know this information so that if ever you are underneath the same umbrella at fourteen o'clock, you will know it's not only you. Please write back as soon as possible, because the caterpillar will not be here much longer -
Maybe he was referring to the fact that Eleanor was dying. If so, this had to have been written around five years ago. I wondered why he'd still had it. And why did he leave it behind?
- as it is almost Tuesday, and the chrysalis is getting too big.-
If Caterpillar is Eleanor, then what does that make chrysalis?

- Your favorite pirate,
Gabriel Watson -
Why would he include his real name if Pirate was code for Gabe?

- PS: If you get this and write back, please confirm that it is you and not the famous double-dutch champion. - Prove that it's whoever he's writing to, and not Jack?
- Thank you!

And who is he writing to? Obviously someone in the club, and not Jack or Eleanor. I would assume Frank, since his name was on the envelope, but he says he can be found with Frank, assuming carpenter was in fact a reference to Hammer. But why use words that only suggest a relation to the code names? They already established a code, so why wouldn't he just use it directly?

The only people who weren't mentioned at all in the letter were Tommy and Insect. But there were still things I couldn't decipher, like the phrase "underneath the same umbrella at fourteen o'clock" and "it is almost Tuesday and the chrysalis is getting too big". And I still wasn't sure "one of the bestselling carpenters" was about Frank.

I would have to compare this with his other writing and hope that I could gather some of the meanings from context. I searched through drawers to gather all of the letters into one pile, the notebooks into another, and typed documents in a third. I put miscellaneous writing into another pile. I decided I wouldn't read and analyze them until morning, since I was lacking sleep and would surely be able to think better once my brain had a chance to restart.

But as I was sorting through the last box, which seemed to contain mostly uncategorized writing, I found something. It was at the very bottom of the box, partially tucked under the flap of an envelope. It was a thin gold chain, just like the ones I had seen at Jack's house. The charm on this one was an anchor. This only reassured what I had already suspected- that every club member had a chain, and that there were at least six club members. The evidence was undeniable.

This new discovery brought about more questions than answers, and intensified the questions I'd already had: Who made or purchased and distributed the chains? Was Eleanor's chain here in the house somewhere? Why weren't the club members wearing them in any of the pictures? Why was there no reference to Insect on the banner? Why didn't anybody mention a sixth club member? Why were they lying, and who or what were they protecting? Who was Diana's real father and when was he with Eleanor? And most of all, where could I find Gabe? I was certain he held the answer to most - if not all - of my questions. Whether or not he would be willing to give them to me was another story.

I went to bed with these questions burning in my mind and prying open my eyelids. I had work in the morning and then therapy. I needed sleep. But I couldn't shake this feeling that I was on the brink of a massive realization, and I would lose it if I let myself drift off. So I didn't. I couldn't. I was tossing and turning and thinking all night, but of course, I didn't solve anything.