American Rust: A Novel

Shortly before Isaac and Poe approach the vehicle (where Chapter 3 left off), Police Chief Bud Harris sits in his SUV with officer Steve Ho, staking out the machine shop; he has a hunch. Harris lives in a remote cabin, “[n]ot a place any woman would ever want to live” (54). First on the crime scene—tipped off by an anonymous phone call—Harris saw Poe’s letter jacket and hid it before other law enforcement arrived. His legal philosophy rests on flexibility, on letting some things slide while enforcing others, depending on the person and the circumstances. For now, he chooses to wait.

Soon, he sees Poe and Isaac approaching along the railroad tracks. Knowing Poe, Harris assumes he and Isaac got drunk and that Poe beat the man to death and is now coming to remove the evidence. He sees little hope for Poe but wonders if he can save Isaac from a similar fate.

As Isaac and Poe approach the machine shop, they see Chief Harris’s SUV. Poe seems completely at ease, and Isaac fears his friend will let all the blame fall to him. They approach the vehicle. Harris dismisses Ho and addresses the young men. He asks if they come here often; they say no.