The Parker Inheritance

Candice and Brandon struggle to make more headway with their internet research, wasting almost a whole Tuesday without finding anything. In the afternoon, Brandon suggests reaching out to the other people who received a letter, but Candice shuts the idea down, arguing that “if they did have information, they should have used it to help my grandma” (143). Brandon goes along but suggests that eventually they will have to talk to an adult about the puzzle.

The next day, Candice begins reading The Westing Game before Brandon calls and invites her over to interview someone. Mr. Gibbs has his girlfriend, Ms. Kathy, at the house, and as an alumna, she is willing to talk about Perkins High with them. Candice has brought over the 1957 yearbook, so Ms. Kathy flips through the pages, soon identifying Ellie Farmer, a girl who appears in a photo with Siobhan Washington. Ms. Kathy says that she’ll work to “get her number” (146). Before they end the interview, Ms. Kathy reflects on the difference between how high school was perceived in the 1970s versus how it is seen now; Mr. Gibbs explains, “[Back] then, especially for black folks, high school was our college” (147-148).