Hush, Hush Chapter 21 Summary

  • Nora leaves the diner and feels the familiar icy chill on her neck.
  • She boards the bus for home and then gets a text from Vee, who, it turns out, is in Portland as well. She went to a party with Jules and Elliot, but then Jules and Elliot left the party to get something, leaving Vee alone in a sketchy part of town.
  • Nora gets off the bus to meet Vee. She stops to ask a homeless woman for directions, who gives them in exchange for Nora's hat and coat, her cell phone still accidentally in the pocket.
  • Nora turns back to see if she can convince the woman to return her cellphone, but as she does, she sees a black car speed by and then hears two gunshots.
  • Nora finds the homeless woman dead and her cellphone taken from the coat pocket. She goes to a phone booth to call 9-1-1, but the woman's body disappears, so she hangs up.
  • She calls Patch from the phone booth to come get her, and he arrives almost immediately.
  • Nora sends Vee a text from Patch's phone letting her know they're on their way to pick her up. Vee texts back that Elliot and Jules returned and they're headed home. Then Patch's cell runs out of battery. Man, where's a charger when you need one?
  • Patch's Jeep starts spewing steam; making matters worse, a rain and sleet storm comes through. With no other apparent options, Nora and Patch walk to a hotel to call for help.