Floyd Wells’ mentioning

1. Floyd Wells’ mentioning • The chapter begins with the briefly mentioned character back in page 91. As Perry mentioned to Dick: “Floyd-is that the name? A bit below the belt, but then Dick deserved it, his confidence was like a kite that needed reeling in.” (pg. 91) • “Dick said, Mr. Wells! He picked up a fork…The fork came down and stabbed the table. “Right through the heart, honey.” (pg. 91)

2. Summary pg. 159-163 • Floyd Wells was listening to a news broadcast when he suddenly heard the incident of the Clutters: “Wells was stunned. As he was eventually to describe his reaction, he “didn’t hardly believe it.” Yet he had good reason to, for not only had he known the murdered family, he knew very well who had murdered them”. (pg. 159) • Wells describes the information he gave to Dick about Mr. Clutter.

3. pg 159-163 continued… • “After that, Dick never stopped asking me about the family. How many was they? What ages would the kids be now? Exactly how did you get to the house?...” • After deep consideration and advice from a Catholic prisoner, Wells decided to confess everything he knew.

4. The good news: pg. 164-165 • After Wells’ confession, Dewey was given the descriptions and mug shots of the two wanted men. • Ever since the case began, Dewey’s health was deteriorating. “His state of mind was bad; he was emaciated; and he was smoking sixty cigarettes a day” (pg. 165). Dewey was happy they had a lead, but doubtful at the same time.

5. The Manhunt Begins: pg. 165-172 • K.B.I. Agent Harold Nye inquires information from Dick’s parents, Mr. Hickock and Ms. Hickock, the owner of the Bob Sands Body Shop, and several neighboring homesteads.

6. Hitchhikers: pg. 173-174 • Dick and Perry are still waiting for someone to offer them a lift. Mr. Bell, a tired man, offers the couple a ride. When Dick and Perry decide it was time to discard of the man, another hitchhiker appeared and prevented the slaying of Mr. Bell.

7. The Search Continues: pg. 175-179 • Agent Nye heads to Las Vegas, Nevada and talks to a woman who rented Perry a room on occasions. • The woman, at first reluctant toeventually leads Nye to the box containing Perry’s memorablia. • What were some of the contents inside the box? • Also, there was an ominous word: OOM from a sun-warped sign.

8. The Johnson’s pg. 180-187 • Nye heads to San Francisco in search of Perry’s sister, Barbara. She informs him that she has never lived in Fort Scott, Kansas and her only other sister was dead. • After the agent leaves, she recalls her family’s tragedies and thinks of herself as a “survivor” and wondered if in time, she too, would become part of the tragedies. • Barbara later lays down and views a picture album of the family.

9. Return to Kansas City: pg. 188-189 • Dick and Perry, now in Iowa and also afoot, had to find shelter in a nearby barn due to a major rain. • They were starving and only had a pack of gum to chew on. Dick decided to go back to Kansas City to run a few more “hot checks” and then have enough money to spend Christmas in Miami, Florida. • While striking a match, Dick noticed a car parked inside the stall with the key in the ignition.

10. Rumors: pg. 189-191 • Dewey informs the town criers of the situation and asks that they may withhold the information. “Remember, there’s a possibility these men are innocent” (pg. 189). • There are a few rumors floating around Garden City, but none in the town of Holcomb. Especially since the topic had been forbidden in Hartman’s Café and the post office. • Why do you think Myrtle Clare despised rumors and called everyone rattlesnakes?

11. Kansas City: pg. 192-195 • Perry is left at a laundromat while Dick goes out and passes some checks. • Perry begins to become worried and wonders if Dick has been caught and if he will “spill his guts”. • Dick finally returns having passed big checks and also changed the license plate from the stolen car.

12. Dewey’s Dream: pg. 196-198 • Dewey has a dream where he and Agent Duntz are waiting for a table in the Trail Room. Suddenly he sees Mr. Clutter, and suddenly sees the two killers at the corner. • They chase after them and end up finding Hickock and Smith standing over the unmarked graves of the family, laughing. Dewey fires at them again and again, however neither man fell, rather they turned transparent. • What is the meaning of this dream?

13. Miami: pg. 199-202 • Dick and Perry finally arrive in Miami where they have been staying in a double room at the Somerset for five days. • Perry reads a story from the Miami Herald about a case very similar to the Clutter’s case and wonders if anyone was inspired from the original case. • Dick approaches a young girl who was drawing figures in the sand and we learn about Dicks sexual interest, young girls. He tried to grab the child’s hand but she objected and he let her go.

14. Bobby Rupp: pg. 203-207 • Bobby brings to mind the harsh winters in which he had to bear in order to walk to Nancy’s house for Christmas and her birthday, which was right after New Year’s. He remembers Nancy describing where the Arkansas begins and pictures the river as having characteristics as Nancy did. • The rotting fruit of Mr. Clutter’s orchard is described. • Why would Capote bother to talk about the rotting fruit?

15. Boy and Old Man: pg. 208-211 • Dick and Perry are driving through Texas when they spot a young boy and an old man. Dick is reluctant to give them a ride but decided they might contribute some gas money. • Along the way the boy has an excellent skill for finding cans along the road in order to trade in for cash. This becomes like a treasure-hunting game in where Dick and Perry become involved, however Dick takes it more seriously as he knew it was a way to make money.

16. More Good News: pg. 212-213 • Dewey receives a phone call from his boss, Mr. Sanford informing him the two suspects had been arrested in Las Vegas. • When his wife goes to the bedroom, she sees Dewey upset. He realizes they do not have any proof, unless they happen to be carrying the boots they wore when the murder was committed.

17. Killers Spotted: pg. 214-215 • Shortly after arriving in Las Vegas, Perry picks up his package he had insured for $100, which contained clothes, and two pairs of steel-buckled boots. • Dick plans to impersonate an Air Force officer and get rid of Perry by just abandoning him. • While this happened, a patrol car recognized the description of the car and license plate. • The word “OOM” appears again.

18. Preparing for the Interview: pg. 215-216 • “On Saturday, the second day of 1960, both rooms were booked for 2:00 P.M.-the hour that four detectives from Kansas had selected for their first confrontation of Hickock and Smith” (pg. 215). • The four agents prepare for the interview and imply to the prisoners that they are being questioned for parole violation and passing hot checks. • The agents also realize how lucky they were to arrest the killers after Perry received his shipment.

19. Dick and Perry’s Interview: pg. 217-228 • Dick believes he is being questioned for passing the hot checks in Kansas City and his extraordinary memory is put to the test. • Dick was able to recall all of his and Perry’s locations across their 10,000 mile journey. • When the Clutter’s case is mentioned, Dick looses his coolness and becomes visibly shaken. • The same result occurs with Perry’s interview. After, Perry lies troubled in his cell.

20. Dick Breaks: pg. 228-230 • Dick is shown the evidence the detectives have, the photos of the footprints and the actual boots. • Hickock said, “Perry Smith killed the Clutters…it was Perry. I couldn’t stop him. He killed them all” (pg. 230).