Lila and a few other people were sitting outside for Lila's birthday party when a sherriff pulls up. He gets out and tells them that Clay is in jail. He says he's in jail for kidnapping and assault of Alicia. Everyone gets into cars and leaves except for Gerite and John, they stay there. John ends up leaving and Gertie is home alone. She goes into the house to realize a tree that had been struck by lighting fell on the house and started it on fire. She goes to call 911 but changes her mind when she thinks about the history of the house. She goes upstairs to grab the blanket she had been knitting for Lila's baby and when she comes back down the stairs she sees that the fire had carried through the house and she was stuck. Then the book jumps to a letter Lila wrote to her daughter that had been born and the letter was put in her file. Next it jumps to Toby at Gertie's, John's (John attempted to save Gertie out of the burning house), and Howard's graves. Toby lives with George now and the book ends with them sitting on the porch talking.

Time for another project...