Book of Night

The man from the bookshop sits at the bar and sends the other patrons and Odette away. He introduces himself as Hermes and asks what Charlie knows about Paul. He reveals that Paul was in possession of a book that belonged to Lionel Salt. Charlie pretends ignorance, but Hermes uses his shadow to threaten her. He mentions the name Edmund Carver, hoping to elicit a response, but Charlie has never heard the name.

Then, Hermes knocks Charlie over. In response, she finds a baseball bat the bar keeps for security. She tries to attack his shadow, but instead, he sends it down her throat; she passes out from lack of air. When she wakes up, Charlie sees Hermes being killed by a vicious man, who turns out to be Vince.

The narrative flashes back to Charlie’s adolescence. Under the tutelage of Rand and his friend Ms. Presto, Charlie became an expert pickpocket. She practiced on mannequins before going to the mall to test her skills. Rand and Ms. Presto were pleased with her progress.

Charlie started breaking into houses to pretend to herself that she lived there with loving families.