The Westing Game: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

On Saturday morning, the tenants of Sunset Towers awake to find a notice posted in the elevator. It is from Turtle. She admits to being the bomber and apologizes for being “dumb”—but she insists she is not a thief or a murderer. As Madame Hoo and Mr. Hoo get into the elevator on their way to Doug’s track meet, Hoo laments Grace’s bad luck and gives thanks that his son is just a “dumb jock.” Madame Hoo, excited for Doug’s track meet and the gold medals he’ll win, decides that though she’s stolen many other things, she’ll never steal Doug’s shiny trophies.

Jake and Grace, in the elevator on the way to Doug’s track meet, argue over Turtle. Grace insults her daughter, stating that she’s always felt the hospital mixed up the babies when she brought Turtle home. Jake chastises Grace for being so cruel and asks where the kind, fun-loving Gracie Windkloppel has gone. Grace, in turn, insults Jake for being a fake doctor. Jake privately laments that his wife doesn’t take him seriously—he believes she resents him because when she married him, her family disowned her for tying her life to a Jewish man.

As the elevator doors open on the lobby, Grace begins crying. She apologizes for being so cruel. Jake presses the button to go back up and takes Grace in his arms, telling her they can skip the meet. On the second floor, though, the doors open--Turtle, having been at Flora’s, is standing in front of them. She apologizes to her crying mother for setting off a “few fireworks.” Jake tells Turtle they’re going home. He urges her to have fun with Flora at the track meet. Turtle is confused—she is not on her way to a track meet.

Jake leads the sobbing Grace into their apartment. Angela and Sydelle, newly home from the hospital, are inside. Grace and Jake, however, don’t even seem to care that Angela is back. Angela realizes that she is on her own—but she is delighted rather than saddened. She lets out a little laugh of joy. Sydelle tells her that tonight is the night they’re going to win it all. They playfully sing “America The Beautiful,” focusing on the line mentioning “amber waves of grain.”

Ford paces alone in her apartment, wondering what the night will hold. Sam Westing may try to take his revenge—he may even be alive. There is a knock at the door, and when Ford answers it, she is surprised to see Denton Deere and Chris Theodorakis. Denton explains that everyone else in the building is going to Doug’s track meet—Chris needs looking after, and Denton has to get back to the hospital. Ford agrees to mind Chris. Chris greets Judge Ford with a handshake and a shaky but intelligible hello—Ford is shocked. Chris explains that the medicine he’s been receiving at the hospital has helped a lot. Denton knows that Chris may still remain in a wheelchair for the rest of his life—but that there are even more effective medications being developed.

After Denton leaves, Chris goes to the window to birdwatch while Ford continues going over her dossiers. She decides that Mrs. Westing, who was thin and tall in all her pictures and must be about sixty, can be no one other than Crow. She continues looking through the files, focusing on Sam Westing’s in particular. She realizes that the face of the wax dummy in the coffin at Westing’s will reading was modeled over his face before his accident—an accident in which he sustained serious facial injuries. Westing’s face was remade with plastic surgery after the accident—Ford knows Westing could be anyone.

Turtle goes to her dentist appointment. She is unimpressed by the dentures in a glass cabinet on the wall—she thinks they’re poorly made. Sandy’s dentist, however, explains that the imperfections are what make the false teeth look real. As the dentist gets to work, Turtle distracts herself from the drill by thinking of a visit she and her family received earlier from Barney Northrup, demanding repayment for all the damage done throughout the building by Turtle’s bombs. Turtle kicked him in the shins—her hardest kick ever. Before Turtle knows it, the drilling is done—and it is time to go with Flora to the hairdresser to have her singed braid lopped off.

Doug wins the biggest event at his meet: the mile run. As photographers take pictures of the beaming Doug, Doug insists he owes everything to his father. After the reporters dissipate, Madame Hoo uses a combination of Chinese and English to insist that Doug wear his medals to the Westing house that night.

Sandy returns to Ford’s apartment to deliver some sad news. He says that Barney Northrup has fired him for being lazy and drinking on the job—all lies, Sandy insists. Sandy asks if Ford will put in a good word for him with Barney—he wants his job back. Ford insists she hasn’t seen Northrup since she rented the apartment. She begins to wonder if Northrup is Westing in disguise. Together, Sandy and Ford make a plan for the evening: they plan to give no answer at the meeting tonight. Their only duty, Ford insists, is to protect Crow. Sandy confesses to Ford that he has discovered that Otis doesn’t live in the grocery basement—he believes Otis is Sam Westing in disguise. Ford has no idea what to believe. She is determined not to play into Westing’s hands.

Otis and Crow make their way to the Westing house. Crow, however, is being sluggish—she tells Otis she has a bad feeling about entering the house. She feels it is a manor full of “sin” and that Westing is still in there. Otis insists that Westing is dead. When Crow retorts that Westing is hunting for Violet’s murderer, Otis accuses her of scaring herself with frightening thoughts. As they make their way to the house, Crow mutters that she can’t shake the feeling that she is in real danger.