Alex Cross's Trial Chapter 17 Summary

  • Still hiding in the bushes, Ben wants to throw up.
  • He knows he can't stop three grown men, but he wants to try—they are stringing George up to a sycamore tree, telling him not to boast anymore.
  • One of the men says this is a bit harsh for what the kid did, but another tells him to shut it. The moment they let Black people act like this is the moment all Black people think they can act like this.
  • Ben wonders where Jacob and his dad are. He's starting to think his pal just ditched him and isn't getting help at all.
  • Finally Ben comes out of hiding and announces himself, but the men just chuckle at his attempt to stop the lynching.
  • Ben tells them who his dad is (ahem, a judge) and that they better stop it now, but the men just laugh and mock Ben for trying.
  • Next they take a photo of George and tell Ben he better beat it or he'll be next.
  • He knows they're serious, so he runs for his life.