Beth and Leo hide under the kitchen table at Meadowlands until Gabriel returns and tells them Jimmy has calmed enough to go back to Blakely Farm, but only if Beth comes too. Leo is terrified and refuses to let Beth leave him behind, so Beth insists that Leo ride with them. Outside, Jimmy is drunk, disheveled, and hostile, but Gabriel’s unusually firm, authoritative tone gets him into the car.

During the short drive, Jimmy repeatedly demands to know why Beth had the affair, forcing Beth to confront the damage already done to both brothers. Leo clings to Beth in fear, showing how badly the night has shaken him. When they arrive at the farmhouse, Beth and Gabriel help Jimmy inside.

Frank reacts with relief and affection toward his brother, scolding Jimmy for frightening him and embracing him. Gabriel tries to leave after returning Jimmy safely, and Frank thanks him with controlled restraint despite knowing about Gabriel’s affair with Beth. Jimmy cannot bear that exchange; enraged, he tells Gabriel he has ruined Frank’s life and then grabs Gabriel by the throat.

As Frank rushes to stop Jimmy and Beth screams, Leo suddenly appears in the doorway holding a shotgun. Leo fires at Jimmy, is thrown backward by the recoil, and Jimmy collapses to the floor with a fatal wound. For a few stunned moments no one moves normally: Frank tries desperately to save Jimmy, Beth realizes the horror of what has happened, and Leo screams in shock while Gabriel gathers him up.

When Beth says they must call an ambulance and the police, Frank realizes Jimmy is already dead and quickly decides what to do. Ignoring Beth’s and Gabriel’s protests, Frank orders Gabriel to take Leo away so the eleven-year-old will not face police scrutiny and a court appearance. Frank insists he will say the shooting was an accident, choosing to protect Leo by taking responsibility himself while Beth understands this sacrifice as another expression of Frank’s guilt and nobility.