Thief River Falls

Lisa drives through Thief River Falls, taking side streets. Eventually, she parks at a local diner to get food. She parks in the back of the parking lot and slips into the diner, leaving Purdue to wait in the car. Lisa hopes to order food and leave unnoticed, but when the waitress recognizes her, she calls out her name and everyone looks at her. The waitress explains that she and her family are big fans of Lisa’s books, and she demands to take a selfie with Lisa. Lisa asks her not to upload the picture to social media until Lisa is gone. Lisa orders her food to-go, pays quickly, and leaves.

Back inside the Camaro, Lisa explains to Purdue that they will take back roads to leave Thief River Falls. Lisa plans to drive to Minneapolis. However, as Lisa approaches the road out of town, she sees that it is blocked by a sheriff’s cruiser. Lisa realizes the sheriff’s department must have police cars blocking every way out of town, and that she is “trapped in a cage” (154). Lisa’s only option is to turn around and drive deeper back into Thief River Falls. Purdue repeats again, “I’ll never get out of here” (154).