Mrs. DiAngelo asks Brady to clean out an old boathouse on their property—the same boathouse, Brady says, where he and his friends used to hang out. Confirming that she's pregnant, she says she'll be out of town for a few days to try to patch things up with her husband. Brady agrees to look after the house while she's away.

Cleaning the boathouse is a challenge, not only because of the mess but also because of Brady's memories of the place: "Not just the pirate games we used to play, but the morning J.T. cut his knee on a piece of broken glass and had to get stitches. And the time Digger ran away from home and made a bed for himself on a bunch of empty grain sacks in one corner" (95). He decides to tackle the outside first, and while raking around the building, finds his father's missing drill.It's spattered with bits of red paint that look like they might have come from the kayak.

Brady, in shock, wonders whether someone drilled holes in the kayak. Suddenly, he remembers a conversation he had with J.T. and Digger shortly after Digger's grandfather sold the property to the DiAngelos.