Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
Contents
37. Gray Sharks
Overview
Kya’s early supply run is ambushed at Jumpin’s. After a dangerous chase into a squall, sheriff boats box her in and board her skiff. She is arrested for Chase Andrews’s murder, escalating the investigation from suspicion to formal custody and setting the stage for legal consequences.
Summary
Days before Christmas 1969, Kya heads to Jumpin’s before dawn, a routine she adopted after noticing the sheriff snooping around her shack. Fog blankets the wharf and a squall approaches as Kya spots Jumpin’, who silently warns her by shaking his head. She turns away, but sheriff boats emerge from the mist to intercept.
Kya guns her engine toward open water. The storm breaks, tossing her skiff as she fights wind and waves, seawater spilling over the bow. Outrun by faster boats, she considers diving and riding a rip to shore, but the pursuers close in.
Like gray sharks, the boats box her in. One cuts in front; Kya’s skiff rams its side, and the sheriff grabs her gunwale. Deputies board and arrest Kya for Chase Andrews’s murder, reciting her rights. Stunned, Kya scarcely hears the words as the long pursuit shifts to custody.
Who Appears
- Kya (Catherine Clark)Tries to evade capture by boat in a squall; is cornered and arrested for Chase’s murder.
- SheriffLeads multiple boats, executes the ambush at Jumpin’s, grabs Kya’s gunwale, and oversees the arrest.
- DeputyBoards Kya’s skiff during the chase and reads her Miranda rights upon arrest.
- Jumpin’Silently warns Kya at his foggy wharf but cannot prevent the ambush.