Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
Contents
39. Chase by Chance
Overview
While hunting rare mushrooms at Cypress Cove, Kya is ambushed by Chase, who attempts to rape her. She fights him off and escapes by boat, observed by nearby fishermen. The assault escalates the danger between them and adds context to the later investigation into Chase’s death.
Summary
On a fog-lifting August morning in 1969, Kya boats to remote Cypress Cove to look for rare toadstools. She finds the orange mushrooms, beaches her skiff, and sketches them. She has not yet thanked Tate for leaving her a compass, which rests in her knapsack.
Chase appears unexpectedly, claiming he saw her while fishing and landed nearby. When Kya orders him to leave, Chase insists he cared for her despite never intending marriage. As Kya tries to get to her boat, he grabs her, kisses her against her will, and escalates his aggression despite her protests.
Chase knocks Kya to the ground, pins and strikes her, and attempts to rape her as she struggles. Drawing on a surge of desperate strength, Kya elbows his jaw, punches him repeatedly, and delivers a hard kick to his groin. As Chase writhes, she also kicks his back near the kidneys, then pulls up her shorts and runs.
Kya starts her motor and speeds away while Chase staggers to his knees. Two nearby fishermen witness her frantic escape. Shaken and hurting, Kya flees the cove, the encounter intensifying the peril between them and foreshadowing later events surrounding Chase’s death.
Who Appears
- Kya (Catherine) ClarkProtagonist; searching for mushrooms at Cypress Cove; survives Chase’s violent assault and escapes by boat.
- Chase AndrewsConfronts and attempts to rape Kya; is injured when she fights back; witnesses likely see aftermath.
- Two fishermenNearby on a fishing rig; observe Kya’s distressed flight from Cypress Cove after the attack.