Ed fires the bullet into the sky and leaves the man at the Cathedral gasping for breath as if he were “sucking up life, collecting it, to keep” (95). The next morning, Marv calls Ed and asks him to participate in the Annual Sledge Game, a barefoot soccer match held in December. Ed finds the idea absurd and has far weightier matters on his mind, but he eventually agrees. Ed has the next day off work, and Sophie finds him in the park when he takes the Doorman for a walk. She tells Ed that she misses him, and he shares the sentiment because “she was a good message” and he misses “her purity and truth” (101). Ed doesn’t feel prepared for another card, but he is certain that one is coming.

Ed visits Edgar Street to make sure that the man took his threats to heart and never returned home. One night, Ed comes home from playing cards with his friends and finds two men wearing balaclavas in his kitchen. The hit men, Daryl and Keith, knock him out and take the gun. They don’t know who hired them, but they’re supposed to tell Ed that “so far [he’s] doing well” (110).