I Am Pilgrim

In a torrential summer storm, Murdoch prepares for his planned invasion of Cumali’s home. He drives there in a rented Vespa he conceals nearby. He climbs onto her roof and enters through her attic. He finds the television with evidence of her satellite dish and copies her computer. He finds the word “clownfish” in a few of her papers but is not yet aware of its significance (415). He picks open her filing cabinet, finding evidence her son was recently hospitalized for meningitis. This, too, will later prove important, as the hospitalization coincides with the dates of the phone calls. Looking at the bill, though, Murdoch recalls that though Cumali is divorced, she may have opted to keep her married name. Her birth name may therefore be a vital clue. He is so absorbed in the task he does not realize a car is nearby.

Hayes then adopts Cumali’s perspective to explain what happens next: She arrives home early, as the circus ended in a power outage. The loose roof tiles indicating someone has accessed her attic alarm her enough to call her colleagues. Back in Murdoch’s narration, he finds her wedding album and takes a photo, hoping that it will provide the name of the photographer.