Study Guide

The Paladin Prophecy Chapter 17: The Dead Kid

By Mark Frost

Chapter 17: The Dead Kid

At dinner, the roommates engage in friendly banter.
However, Nick breaks the happy mood when he mentions Ronnie Murso, the kid who used to stay in Will's room.
Ronnie is missing, presumed dead.
Will looks up Ronnie's yearbook photo.
Underneath, Ronnie's caption says, "Hiding inside your Shangri-la you might find the Gates of Hell" (17.52).
Interesting. Will remembers Nando talking about Shangri-La.
Will thinks of Dad's Rule #26: "Once is an anomaly. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern. And as we know, there is no such thing as coincidence" (17.53). Um, you just said twice is a coincidence, Dad. Which is it?
Nando calls back with an update: Mom, Dad, and the bald dude just got on a private plane.
Will calls the private plane company, pretends to be a deputy, and tells them that Mr. and Mrs. Jordan West are "persons of interest" (17.71), just like on the TV show.
Then Will falls asleep.
While Will sleeps, a bug crawls into the room and enters his tablet.
The tablet itself turns to face Will and watches him sleep. Creepy.