All the Colors of the Dark
by Chris Whitaker
Contents
Chapter 111
Overview
Misty and Patch finally share a night together in her room at Eliot House, but the intimacy does not free Patch from the past. At dawn, a view toward JFK Park reconnects him to Grace, and he leaves Misty behind again. The chapter shows that Patch cannot choose safety or love over his obsession with the missing girls, even knowing that decision will worsen his life.
Summary
After their reunion in Boston, Misty brings Patch along the dark Charles River to her grand room at Eliot House. Patch is overwhelmed by the privilege and stability of Misty’s world, and that contrast makes him feel even more aware of how damaged and out of place he is.
In her room, Misty kisses Patch and undresses him. As Misty looks at his thin body and the scars he carries, the moment makes clear that Patch’s suffering is tied to the long history between them and to everything he has endured while chasing the missing girls.
Near dawn, Patch wakes before Misty and quietly leaves her bed. He stands at the window watching sunrise over the Charles, then takes paper and a pencil from Misty’s desk and sketches her sleeping form, preserving a moment he already believes he cannot keep.
After signing the drawing and leaving it behind, Patch notices the cupola and the view toward JFK Park. The sight gives him a sudden sense of standing where Grace once stood, and that recognition redirects him immediately. As Patch slips away from Misty’s life, he decides he will not return to Skip, and he accepts that continuing to follow Grace’s trail will only make his life harder.
Who Appears
- PatchSpends the night with Misty, then leaves at dawn after recommitting himself to Grace's trail.
- MistyBrings Patch to her room, shares an intimate night, and is left sleeping when he slips away.
- GraceAbsent but newly present in Patch's mind when the view toward JFK Park recalls her.
- SkipPerson Patch decides not to return to after realizing he must keep searching.