Tiller is underneath the upturned boat, trying to get out from under it. He hopes Florida has made it to the shore and is angry that neither of them is wearing a life jacket. Upstream, Florida clings to a rock and recalls a boy at Boxton Creek Home explaining how to float. She successfully floats for a moment, but then is slammed against some logs.

After Dallas’s fall, he tells Sairy that he has a feeling that Florida is in danger. He also worries about the understone funds, realizing it may have been unwise to speak of them to Mr. Trepid.

He and Sairy rush toward the river in search of Florida and Tiller and come upon two teenage boys who are hunting. The boys offer to care for Dallas and Florida’s backpack while the two head off in search of a phone, telling them there is a diner close by. Dallas is unsure whether the boys can be trusted but agrees to leave his bag.

Z drives away from the Moreys’ home, regretting having agreed to help Mr. Trepid. Z, readers learn, is actually the Moreys’ neighbor and close friend. He feels bad about obtaining the passport for Dallas and forging a birth certificate in order to do so.