The Last to Vanish

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Part 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 4: “The Fraternity Four”

Part 4, Chapter 16 Summary

Before starting Chapter 16, details about the Fraternity Four’s disappearance are supplied in a fact sheet. The four men went missing on June 6, 1997. Their last known location is the corner of Main Street and Mountain Pass in Cutter’s Pass.

Neil, Jerome, Toby, and Brian make up the Fraternity Four. The friends met at summer camp as children and remained close. Brian led the group, planning their vacations, though the trip to Cutter’s Pass seemed more suddenly planned than their previous excursions. No fifth member of the group ever existed.

Cory thinks the mention of a fifth fraternity member is nothing more than another unproven theory. He still believes he and Abby should burn the journal and eliminate the other evidence. Cory tells Abby how harrowing of a time the people of Cutter’s Pass experienced after each disappearance. He does not see a point in digging into the past, believing that the disappeared people must be long gone, either by choice or misfortune. Abby and Cory hear a noise, and Cory checks the windows to see if they are being watched. Cory leaves the evidence in Abby’s possession, asking her to tell him what she decides to do with it. Cory kisses Abby goodbye, and Abby realizes she loved Cory once, just as she loves the people in Cutter’s Pass.

Abby discovers recorded interviews on Landon’s cell phone. Although Georgia asks to remain anonymous, Abby recognizes the sound of her voice. Georgia tells Landon how guests of the inn turned in Farrah’s camera after returning from a hike. Georgia looked at the pictures, suspecting the camera belonged to Farrah. Georgia believes the first few photos indicate some kind of struggle because of their lack of focus. The rest of the photos are timestamped hours later, and although they are more focused and intentional, they do not resemble Farrah’s other work. Georgia confirms a family connection to Landon, and Abby feels betrayed that Georgia did not trust the people of Cutter’s Pass.

Abby listens to three more recorded interviews with Ray, Rochelle, and herself; Abby realizes Landon recorded people without their permission. During these interviews, Abby learns Landon was interested in uncovering who took the picture of the Fraternity Four that hangs in the Last Stop Tavern. She also discovers that Rochelle and Patrick knew about Landon’s intentions in Cutter’s Pass before his disappearance. Finally, Abby realizes that Landon was highly interested in the blueprints and building structure of the inn.

In the final recording, Landon records himself taking notes for his article. He is interrupted by a knock at the door, and several moments pass while Landon hides his work. The recording stops as Landon verbalizes that he is coming to the door. Seeing the date and time of the recording, Abby realizes whoever knocked on Landon’s door was the last person to see him before disappearing.

Part 4, Chapter 17 Summary

The next day, Abby discovers that Georgia fled from Cutter’s Pass in the middle of the night, taking all her belongings and leaving her employee badge behind with an apology note. Abby rushes to Celeste’s house to update her about Georgia. Patrick arrives, and he and Celeste leave for church. Celeste promises to cover the afternoon shift and recruit a new employee immediately.

Distracted, Abby spends most of her shift researching the Fraternity Four. She receives a message back from Quinn with several photographs of Alice. Abby thanks her for the pictures and asks for more information regarding a few names and phone numbers Landon recorded in his notebook (Lucy, James, and Caroline). Abby believes these are the friends Alice hiked with before her disappearance. She attempts to blindly call the number listed for James, only to be told by a woman that she has the wrong number.

Celeste returns from church ready to work the afternoon shift. Celeste declines Abby’s offer to pull up the computer registration system, opting to record guest information in a new binder Georgia established before departing. Celeste posits that Abby’s generation is too consumed with technology and needs to look up at their surroundings more often. This advice triggers Abby’s memory, and she leaves abruptly.

Part 4, Chapter 18 Summary

Abby quickly travels to the Last Stop Tavern to see the original photograph of the Fraternity Four. Abby uses a spare key to gain entrance, remembering Cory showing her its location years ago. Abby feels connected to the young men in the photograph and wishes she could reach through time and warn them of the danger to come. Squinting, Abby notices the logo for the Passage Inn slightly reflected in Neil’s sunglasses.

Rochelle opens the front door to the tavern, inquiring about Abby’s trespassing at the pub. Abby asks Rochelle about suspects in the Fraternity Four disappearance. Rochelle advises Abby to leave the case in the past, but she then grabs a bottle of tequila and agrees to answer one question per shot. Abby takes a shot and asks about Vincent’s interview in the search for the Fraternity Four. Rochelle confirms that Vincent had the best alibi: He was out of town on business, and the hotel confirmed his stay. Taking another shot, Abby asks if anyone else worked at the Passage Inn aside from Celeste and Vincent. Rochelle explains that the inn was just opening when the Fraternity Four went missing, and Celeste and Vincent could not afford any extra help. Abby tries to ask about Patrick’s interview during the investigation into the Fraternity Four, but Rochelle refuses to answer.

Rochelle pivots the conversation, asking Abby why she lives in Cutter’s Pass, insinuating that Abby is an outsider. Insulted, Abby claims she loves the town and has dedicated 10 years of her life to the community. Rochelle argues that Abby’s trespassing at the tavern and her accusatory line of questioning demonstrate her lack of loyalty to Cutter’s Pass. Rochelle confesses to investigating Abby when she first arrived 10 years ago and could not find any family connection between Vincent and Abby. Jack arrives, and Abby realizes Rochelle and Jack are a couple. Rochelle pours Jack a drink, acting as though she works at the tavern, and Abby recognizes a comfortable familiarity among the people of Cutter’s Pass. She again feels as though the inner circle excludes her.

Part 4, Chapter 19 Summary

Abby returns to the inn, realizing that Celeste took the photograph of the Fraternity Four before their disappearance. Celeste is missing from the inn’s front desk, having left a note that the phone lines are down again. Abby moves to the basement, checking the junction box for tampered cables. She sees nothing out of place but considers a framed copy of the inn’s blueprints Celeste recently removed. Abby remembers Landon asking about the pictures and history of the inn, and she wonders if he asked Celeste similar questions, causing her to remove the framed blueprints. Curious, Abby decides to search Celeste’s house, first calling Harris and leaving a message about the downed phone line.

Abby finds Celeste’s will. She notices that Celeste plans to make Abby a joint owner of the inn, leaving it to her when she passes away. Abby feels touched by this loving gesture, feeling as if Celeste fills a parental role Abby craves. Abby finds the blueprints just as Celeste appears, startling Abby.

Part 4, Chapter 20 Summary

Celeste admits to taking the final picture of the Fraternity Four, and Abby asks Celeste to speak honestly about their disappearance. Celeste tells Abby that she met the men in town, immediately noticing tension among the friends. They asked her to take the photograph, and she obliged. The men argued about beginning a hike to Shallow Falls, most wanting to start their journey earlier the following day. Brian pushed the group to live more dangerously. They asked Celeste to serve as their guide, and Celeste felt obligated to protect the outsiders. Abby relates to Celeste’s desire to protect outsiders from danger.

The group’s mood turned even more tense during the hike as Celeste realized the purpose of the trip was an intervention. Brian struggled with drug addiction, and his close friends felt extremely worried about his health and well-being. Brian became angry and defensive as Toby searched Brian’s backpack for drugs, instead finding a gun. Brian grabbed the gun from Toby, shot him, and then killed Jerome. Neil pleaded for his life, confessing to Brian that he had a daughter in Tennessee named Abigail Lovett. Brian shot and killed Neil.

Part 4 Analysis

Throughout The Last to Vanish, photographs become symbols representing an outsider’s perspective. Abby’s investigation into the picture of the Fraternity Four further evolves the symbolism surrounding photos. Abby recognizes the young age of the four men known as the Fraternity Four and asks new questions about their picture: “Who was there, on the other side of the disposable camera? Who was Neil reaching for? Who was Brian joking with?” (250). In reading Landon’s notes and listening to his recorded conversations, Abby begins to consider what the photograph of the Fraternity Four does not show. When Abby questions the photographer’s identity, she can identify the Passage Inn’s Logo reflected in Neil’s sunglasses. It is fitting that Neil, Abby’s father, gave her the final clue to connect the evidence that leads her to Celeste. Again, Abby serves as the connection between past and present, outsider and insider, and the character with a unique perspective to uncover the truth about the disappearances. What proves most important about the novel’s various photos (of the Fraternity Four, of Alice, and Farrah’s) is not what the picture displays but that Abby carefully views each image.

Like Abby, Rochelle shows an aptitude to be detail-oriented and a keen observer. Unlike Abby, Rochelle firmly falls into the insider group of Cutter’s Pass and is honor-bound to protect its residents, including Celeste and Patrick. Rochelle’s confrontation with Abby at the Last Stop Tavern forces Abby to choose sides as an insider or outsider in Cutter’s Pass. Rochelle asks Abby, “‘What are you doing here?’ […] She slapped the surface of the bar, grounding us physically. ‘I mean, here. In Cutter’s Pass’” (255-56). Rochelle’s pointed questions about Abby’s presence in Cutter’s Pass challenge Abby’s loyalty to the town and the people with whom she shares close relationships. In uncovering the truth about the Fraternity Four, Abby must decide what to do with the information, while Rochelle worries she will use the information to harm the small town.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s actions mark her as an outsider to the Cutter’s Pass community. Cory points out this distinction to Abby: “‘She found that camera and took it to a journalist. Not you. Not Celeste. Not the sheriff. Them.’ Them. The people on the outside. And we were on the inside. Finally, I was a part of this place” (216). Although Abby relates to Georgia in that they both arrived in Cutter’s Pass while grieving a family member, their motivations for coming to Cutter’s Pass distinguish the women as opposites. One seeks Closure Amid Loss and Grief, and the other runs from it. Georgia is not looking for closure in Cutter’s Pass; she wants to disappear from the realities of her life for a while. Celeste recognizes this in Georgia and initially resists hiring her at the inn. Meanwhile, Abby seeks answers and closure about her personal history in Cutter’s Pass and a deeper connection with the community. Abby understands that when Georgia disappears from the Passage Inn in the middle of the night, she is running away from her problems again. Georgia’s failure to tell Abby about Farrah’s camera exhibits how Georgia views Abby as an insider of Cutter’s Pass, even when Abby does not necessarily feel that way herself.