34 pages • 1 hour read
Ron RoyThe Absent Author
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1997A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaChapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
Mr. Paskey shoos Dink and his three friends out of the store and locks up to go to lunch. The group go to Ellie’s Diner to use the phone so that Dink can call the airport. As they enter, Jimmy Fallon and his grandfather are leaving. Mavis asks to buy the children ice cream. Dink turns it down, though Josh orders green ice cream, which Mavis says is also her favorite. Dink feels guilty for Wallis Wallace’s disappearance. He also feels excited to be like a detective from one of Wallis Wallace’s books.
The airport confirms to Dink that Wallis Wallace was on Flight 3231 and that it did arrive on time at seven o’clock the previous night. Dink crosses out “airport” from the itinerary and tells his friends they need to find the taxi service. Ruth says that the taxi company is located by the river. On the way there, the children wonder why Mr. Paskey was so nervous and speculate that perhaps he kidnapped Wallis Wallace. Mavis says that detectives should consider every suspect. At the cab station, they ask whether one of the drivers met Flight 3132 at the airport. The station confirms that Maureen Higgins was the driver and directs the children and Mavis to Higgins, who is eating her lunch by the picnic table. When Dink asks if she’s Maureen, she sarcastically says, “Nope, I’m Marilyn Monroe” (35).
Dink asks Maureen if she picked up Wallis Wallace, and she says she picked him up at exactly seven o’clock at night. She describes him as “spooky,” dressed in a large hat and raincoat with sunglasses at night, and says he didn’t speak a word. Ruth Rose tells Maureen that Wallis Wallace is a famous writer, which impresses Maureen. She says that she hasn’t seen him since she dropped him off at the hotel lobby, where he handed her $20. Dink crosses out “taxi” on the itinerary. Maureen tells Dink that Wallace was smiling when he handed her the money, as if he knew a secret.
Chapter 5 Summary
The group moves to the Shangri-la Hotel, wondering whether or not they can trust Maureen Higgins. At the hotel, the man behind the counter has a mustache and looks very sad. His name tag identifies him as Mr. Linkletter. Dink asks whether Wallis Wallace checked in the night before. Mr. Linkletter tells him that he does not give out information about guests, citing the hotel rules. Ruth Rose tells Mr. Linkletter that Wallis Wallace is missing. They show him the itinerary and the letters. Mr. Linkletter tells Ruth Rose that he knows who Wallis Wallace is. He flips through the registry and then confirms that Wallis Wallace did in fact arrive at 8:05 pm, after which he took an elevator up to his room, carrying his bags up by himself. Mavis asks if the hotel has seen Mr. Wallace today, and Mr. Linkletter says that that he has not.
Dink feels relieved that Wallis Wallace is in his room. Dink asks Mr. Linkletter to call up to Wallis Wallace’s room, which he does. When Mr. Linkletter turns around, Josh grabs the registry and Dink notices a loopy signature next to the number 303. Cross-referencing the signature with the letter, Dink confirms that they are the same. The group notices that someone checked in to the room right next to Wallis Wallace at 8:15 pm, but the signature is blurry. Mr. Dink turns around and informs the group that there was no answer on the phone. Dink’s heart sinks.
Chapter 6 Summary
Mr. Linkletter suggests that Wallis Wallace doesn’t want to be disturbed and denies Ruth Rose’s request to go upstairs, saying they have rules at the Shangri-la Hotel. Josh suggests that Mr. Linkletter might be part of the conspiracy to kidnap Wallis Wallace. Suddenly, a man wearing a red cap comes over and offers to help. The man knows the maid who cleans the third floor and offers to ask her if she noticed anything. The man writes something on a slip of paper and hands it to Dink before walking away. The group runs outside and reads the paper. It identifies the maid as Olivia “Livvy” Nugent and gives her address at the Acorn Apartments.
Ruth Rose says Livvy Nugent used to be her babysitter. The apartment complex is just around the corner, so the group runs over there. When Livvy opens the door, she has a baby on her hip and another clinging to her leg. Ruth Rose says hello, and Livvy remembers her. Livvy asks them what is going on, and the group tells her that they got her information from someone at the Shangri-la, whom Livvy identifies as Freddie. They ask Livvy if she saw anything unusual in Room 303, and she tells them that the room wasn’t slept in. She also tells them that Room 302 had a “do not disturb sign” on the door, so she came home early from work. The group fills Livvy in on what has been going on with Wallis Wallace. She suggests that maybe he is a ghost. Mavis wonders if Mr. Linkletter made a mistake about the room number, though Livvy tells her that Mr. Linkletter never makes mistakes. The group tells Livvy that they think Wallis Wallace has been kidnapped. Dink wonders who kidnapped Wallis Wallace and when. The group plans to take a break to eat some lunch and think. They plan to meet back up at two o’clock that afternoon at the Shangri-la. Dink considers the possibility that both Mr. Linkletter and Livvy are lying.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
In this section of the book, Dink and his friends have begun their investigation. Roy includes detailed imagery in describing every character that Dink and his friends encounter, encouraging his readers to pay close attention to the series of witnesses who double as suspects. For example, Maureen has “[t]he merriest blue eyes Dink had ever seen” (35), conveying that Dink feels some level of trust toward Maureen. By contrast, Mr. Linkletter’s visible sadness could suggest guilt. At Ellie’s Diner, Roy also directs the reader’s attention to character details such as color preference. For instance, Mavis notes to Josh: “Oh, you like green ice cream, too” (29). This clue is one of the central indicators of Mavis’s true identity. Roy encourages the reader to understand The Value of Observation in Problem-Solving by highlighting such details.
Dink and his friends repeatedly use their complementary knowledge in solving the mystery. After Dink finds out that Wallace landed safely, Josh asks what they should do next. Dink tells Josh and Ruth Rose that they need to find out if Wallace rode in a taxi, and Ruth Rose tells the two of them that “Lawrence Taxi is over by the river” (33). This collaborative conversation is an example of The Importance of Teamwork in Overcoming Challenges. Later at the Shangri-la Hotel, Josh—the most daring of the trio—takes a risk and pulls the hotel register around while Mr. Linkletter’s back is turned. In this way, the three friends balance their different skill sets to retrace Wallace’s steps.
In contrast to the children’s cooperation, Roy introduces several characters who seem to want to thwart Dink and his friends—e.g., Mr. Paskey, who gives the children Wallace’s itinerary but also downplays the likelihood of Wallace being kidnapped and hurries the children out of the bookstore. Such interactions heighten the atmosphere of suspicion and mystery. As a result, while none of the characters have a clear motive in the case, the children begin to suspect everyone—another trope in mystery stories. Wallace is described by Maureen as a “[k]inda spooky guy. Dressed in a hat, long raincoat, sunglasses. Sunglasses at night! Doesn’t speak a word, just sits. Spooky!” (37). Trying to make sense of these details complicates Dink and his friends’ understanding of what is happening and creates ambiguity. Although Maureen seems helpful and good-natured, immediately after leaving, Josh speculates that she is lying and that perhaps she is responsible for kidnapping Wallace, jumping to conclusions due to the overall atmosphere of tension. Dink, however, steps in to note that they can corroborate Maureen’s story by paying a visit to the Shangri-la hotel. Through Dink, Roy models the appropriate hesitancy that an investigator should apply in making assumptions.
In Mr. Linkletter, Dink and his friends encounter the most uncooperative character yet. They have followed their itinerary as far as it can take them and have no more leads to follow. This is a common narrative development; roadblocks to the investigation create tension and force the characters to change their strategy. Sure enough, a man in a red cap overhears them talking about Wallis Wallace’s disappearance and decides to help them, explaining, “Maybe I can help you find Wallis Wallace. My kids love his books” (49). By introducing helpful characters as well as unhelpful ones, Roy reiterates the importance of teamwork.
Olivia Nugent is another helpful figure, but what she says only deepens the mystery. When Dink and his friends interview Livvy at her apartment, her testimony seems to contradict Mr. Linkletter’s. Mavis suggests that Mr. Linkletter is mistaken about the room number, to which Livvy says, “You must not be from around here. Mr. Linkletter never makes mistakes” (53). This is another example of foreshadowing, as the novel later reveals that Mavis is not from Green Lawn at all but is in fact the famous Maine author herself.
By the end of Chapter 6, the children have hit another roadblock: Checking Wallace’s room seems to be the only unexplored avenue but is not an option. Roy has presented Dink and his friends with all the information they need to solve the crime, but following the natural path of their investigation leads them to a dead-end. This is a classic trope in mystery stories: The characters’ investigation runs cold, and the investigators need to regroup and go over the facts again to establish new leads.
