Al Capone Does My Shirts Part 1, Chapter 15 Summary

Looking for Scarface

  • The next day is hot. Mom is getting ready to leave the house, and Natalie is acting bothered. Mom tries to brush it off and act positive, but Moose can tell that they've had a bad day.
  • Plus, as Moose predicted, Natalie is upset that her button box has been taken away.
  • Here's the catch: Moose had plans to meet up with the other kids to watch the convicts walk to the cell house at 4:00PM—bringing Natalie along will be interesting, even though Mom insists that she needs to be treated "like you would a normal sister" (15.8).
  • Natalie runs into her room and comes out in her bathing suit. This is a no-go since bathing suits aren't permitted on the island because they're a dangerous distraction for the cons.
  • A battle begins. Natalie really doesn't want to take her bathing suit off, but Moose finally convinces her to, then closes her door to let her change. When he opens it again, though, she's not wearing anything at all.
  • Poor Moose is really embarrassed. He remembers when she took all her clothes off at a wedding… but at least she was a little girl back then.
  • He strikes a deal with her: If she puts her clothes on, he'll take her swimming. He doesn't know where, but he figures it might get her out the door to meet the others on time.
  • Moose and Natalie finally meet up with the other kids. Piper isn't happy with just watching the convicts walk from a distance, though; she wants to hatch a plan to get inside the cell house. Not another Piper plan…
  • Piper questions why Natalie is there, but Moose moves her past this point.
  • They reach a guard tower and Piper pulls out a key—of course—so Moose protests, saying that he can't bring Natalie up there.
  • The rest of them go ahead, and Moose and Natalie climb to a hill where they can see; from across the way, Moose can see Al Capone's scar. The guard takes one last look around after the convicts have gone indoors, which confuses Moose.
  • Meanwhile, Natalie is making piles of dirt on the ground, completely oblivious.