Flush

When Noah arrives home after meeting with Shelly, Abbey informs him that their father’s TV interview is to air that night. Both kids conspire to keep Donna from watching the show. Abbey creates a diversion while Noah snags their satellite dish with a fishing lure to knock it off-kilter. Even though their strategy works, neighbors immediately call Donna after the segment airs. One neighbor even brings her a videotape.

Late that night, Noah overhears his mother on the phone, and she’s using the word “divorce.” He sneaks out of the house to search the Coral Queen for any incriminating paperwork related to the dumping problem. While there, he almost gets caught by the bald man. After sneaking to the side of the boat, Noah hides next to the septic holding tank. Much to his surprise, he realizes that the tank is empty, rusty, and crumbling. He takes a chunk of rust as evidence when he sneaks away.

The following morning Abbey and Noah are watching the tape of their father’s interview when their mother’s lawyer, Mr. Shine, arrives. He says he has some good news but can’t say what it is since Donna isn’t at home. He also deflects Noah’s question about a potential divorce. Later, as Noah is readjusting the satellite dish, Shelly arrives in her Jeep. The vehicle was found with red stains on the seat that might be blood, but Lice is missing.

Shelly takes Noah for a long drive and explains her suspicions. She believes that Lice might have approached Dusty to see if he could get a better offer for keeping his mouth shut about the dumping. Instead, Dusty may have had him killed. Shelly now wants to help Noah prove that the Coral Queen is illegally dumping waste. That morning, she asked Dusty for her old job back as a bartender, and he agreed.

Noah is afraid that she’s putting herself in danger, but Shelly says she knows how to handle Dusty. After she drops him back at home, Noah tells Abbey about their new ally and then goes to sleep. He’s awakened from a disturbing dream by his father, who has escaped from jail: “I bolted upright and reached for the lamp. There was my father kneeling by the bed, still wearing the orange jail-house jumpsuit. He was definitely not part of my dream” (93-94).

With Abbey and Noah running interference, Paine breaks the news of his escape to Donna. He explains that after his TV broadcast, the sheriff wanted to keep him from speaking to any more press people. Paine considered this an infringement on his right to free speech, and he broke out of jail when he found his cell door unlocked. Donna calmly explains that Mr. Shine had already worked out a deal. Dusty is going to drop the charges because he doesn’t want the bad publicity from a trial. The sheriff also wants Paine out of his jail and left the cell unlocked on purpose.

Later that morning, Noah and Paine go down to Thunder Beach to have a talk. Noah tries to make his father realize how he’s jeopardizing his marriage by his behavior. As they talk, Noah has hope: “At long last, reality seemed to be sinking in. I could see he was really worried about what Mom might do next. So was I” (105). Noah then tells Paine that Lice has probably been killed and that Shelly has gone undercover as a bartender on the Coral Queen. Paine remains on the beach to ponder all this new information but sends Noah back home. As Noah pedals on his bicycle, he’s waylaid and pummeled by Jasper and Bull. He doesn’t tell his family about his injuries, not wanting to worry them.

The next day, Paine’s legal problems get sorted out, though a judge insists that he wear an ankle tracker and remain under house arrest until the Coral Queen case gets settled. Shelly stops by the house to give a progress report. The night before, she saw with her own eyes that waste was being dumped from the boat into the bay.

That night at dinner, the whole family discusses the sewage dumping situation, but Donna points out that the law should handle it. Noah asks her if she really means to divorce Paine. She says, “Your father is a very unusual and intense personality […] as I’m sure you’ve noticed. I love him dearly, but sometimes he drives me bananas. More than sometimes, truthfully” (115). She concludes that Paine needs to grow up.

At bedtime, Donna goes to say goodnight to Abbey but discovers that the girl has snuck out of the house. Paine immediately wants to start a search and takes off his tracker. Donna says all three of them will go, “And if we get into a jam, I want both of you wise guys to keep your lips zipped and let me do the talking. Is that understood?” (118).