At 4:30 p.m., Robert mourns Redbone while pretending to spend the afternoon hunting haints so Boone and Haddock will not suspect him. He slips into the dormitory to gather his supplies, finds a satchel, saves Owl’s drawing of Redbone, checks the hidden jar of Vaseline, and waits for Blue’s signal. When the word BURNING slowly appears in dust on the window, Robert knows Blue has started the diversion, but fear nearly stops him until he thinks of Gloria waiting for him.

Robert heads toward the administration building as the cafeteria fire alarm begins ringing. Hiding in the hedges, Robert works out which window belongs to Haddock’s office by listening to Haddock’s secretary announce the fire. Robert hears Haddock panic, lock the office, and rush away in the truck, and Haddock’s fear briefly gives Robert courage.

Robert removes the window screen, squeezes awkwardly into Haddock’s office, and nearly makes noise with the rolling chair. While untying his boot, Robert notices Boone’s powder circle under the desk, confirming Blue’s warning that Haddock keeps a ghost trap there. Robert first tries the wrong drawer, then finds the hidden side keyhole, unlocks the heavy drawer, and discovers both the sealed envelope of photographs and the haint jar exactly where Blue said they would be. Robert puts both into the satchel and promises to free the trapped haints at the creek.

Back outside, Robert recovers the dropped Vaseline, smears it over his hair and skin to throw off the dogs, buries the empty jar, and walks away as calmly as he can. Near a supply shed, Crutcher unexpectedly stops him, but Robert improvises a lie that Boone sent him out with “haint grease” to catch spirits. Crutcher warns Robert away from the kitchen fire and hurries off, allowing Robert to continue toward the Funhouse and the fence line.

Behind the Funhouse, Robert cannot find the opening in the cornfield fence and briefly suspects that Blue has betrayed him. Blue then appears beside the one loose fence post, assures Robert that only one boy hurt his hand in the fire, and promises to guide him through the cornfield, woods, creek, and railroad trestle. Robert opens Uncle June’s hidden flap in the fence, slips through, props it back up, and starts running steadily through the corn rows with Haddock’s evidence and the haint jar on his back.