All the Colors of the Dark
by Chris Whitaker
Contents
Chapter 175
Overview
Saint reopens old interview tapes and discovers that Grace had hidden directions to other missing girls inside the stories she told captive Patch. By matching Grace's imagery to real places, Saint identifies four burial-site locations tied to Sky Jones, Summer Reynolds, Angela Rossi, and Crystal Wright.
The breakthrough transforms the old testimony into a map of victims and suggests Grace was trying to leave a trail behind. When Saint and Himes reach a final cluster of religious and geographic imagery, Saint becomes certain there are still more answers buried in Grace's words.
Summary
Saint spends the night alone in her apartment replaying interview tapes she has not heard in more than a decade. With her own map on the wall and Patch's fourteen-year-old voice on the stereo, Saint listens to him repeat Grace's words exactly, treating the old testimony as fresh evidence.
As Saint follows Grace's descriptions, she realizes the language is not random. References to Baldy Point, Lake Altus-Lugert, the dam, and the Fork Red River lead Saint to mark Quartz Mountain State Park and connect it to Sky Jones's burial site. A second clue about the gold rush, California, and Colorado's Kingdom points Saint to Breckenridge and to Summer Reynolds.
Saint keeps pacing, then listening, then marking her map. Grace's language about ten sleeps, clouds, a peak, and the Misty Moon leads Saint to Tensleep Creek, fed from Cloud Peak, and to Angela Rossi. Later, Grace's image of a north shore, pink ground, rhyolite, crystals, and forty-two miles down leads Saint to mile forty-two of the North Shore scenic drive and to Crystal Wright. By this point, Saint understands that Grace had been trying to guide them to the other girls all along.
Dizzy from the realization, Saint calls Himes and tells him Grace was leading them to additional victims; she has identified four so far and still has more tape to review. Saint then replays another cryptic passage about the Resurrection, being sent back to the three persons, being hollowed out, and blood flowing over black rock. Himes can identify some of the religious references, but the larger meaning remains unresolved, and Saint ends the night convinced the remaining words contain another crucial clue.
Who Appears
- Saintreplays old tapes, decodes Grace's clues, identifies four burial-site locations, and calls Himes
- Gracemissing girl whose coded imagery secretly points to other victims' burial places
- Patchheard on old interview tapes at fourteen, repeating Grace's words verbatim
- Himestakes Saint's call and helps interpret Grace's religious references
- Sky Jonesmissing girl linked by Saint to Quartz Mountain State Park
- Summer Reynoldsmissing girl connected to Saint's Breckenridge clue
- Angela Rossimissing girl tied to Tensleep Creek and Cloud Peak
- Crystal Wrightmissing girl linked to the pink North Shore location at mile forty-two