- Hawkshaw, the barber, walks rapidly up the dark, dusty street. He finds McLendon and three other guys. They are about to get into a car.
- McLendon asks Hawkshaw if he's ready to help them now.
- Hawkshaw tries to convince them that Will is innocent, and that sometimes women think things that aren't true, especially women like Minnie Cooper.
- The ex-soldier from the barbershop tells Hawkshaw that they just want to have a chat with Will.
- McLendon says they'll be doing more than talking, imply that they plan to use violence.
- The second car of men passes, and McLendon, at the wheel begins to follow them. (Apparently Hawkshaw is in the car.)
- They drive out of town, onto a potholed road, in the dust and dark, until they reach the ice manufacturing plant where Will Mayes works as a night watchman.
- They stop some distance from the plant.
- Hawkshaw tells them that Will being at work proves his innocence. If the man were guilty of raping Minnie, he would probably have left town.
- The second car arrives.
- Since the car lights are off, everything is dark (and dusty).
- Butch and McLendon get out of the car, and the sound of their feet on the gravel can be heard.
- McLendon calls out for Will.
- The moon is more visible. We are told that "the wan hemorrhage of the moon increased" (3.14).
- All is completely quiet. Everything is hot and dry.
- Sounds of struggle and cursing are heard after some time. One voice can be hear whispering, "Kill him, kill the black son" (3.16).
- Will is pulled to the car.
- Hawkshaw stands outside the car, getting nauseous.
- Will asks the men what the problem is.
- He is handcuffed and he looks at the faces of the men.
- Addressing John McLendon, Will asks what he's been accused of. He swears to God he hasn't committed any crimes.
- McLendon yells, "Get in!" (presumably addressing everybody) (3.20).
- He hits Will.
- The other men begin hitting him.
- Will fights back with the handcuffs (referred to here as "manacles"), hitting Hawkshaw in the mouth (3.20).
- Henry hits Will, too.
- Will stops fighting it and gets into the car.
- On one side of him is Hawkshaw, and on the other, the soldier.
- Butch is on the "running board" (3.20).
- (Click here for a picture of some guys standing on a running board.)
- They drive past town, with the other car behind them.
- The soldier says that Will smells bad.
- The stranger (from Part 1) says that a solution to the problem is forthcoming. He's sitting in the front with McLendon.
- (It will help later if we take stock of who is where in the car. There are three men in the back seat: Hawkshaw, Will, and the ex-soldier. Two men are in the front: McLendon and the stranger. A sixth man, Butch, is outside the car, on the running board.)
- Suddenly Hawkshaw asks to be let out of the car.
- McLendon calls him a "n*****lover" and tells him to take a leap if he wants out (3.26).
- When McLendon turns onto a thin road, Hawkshaw asks again, and McLendon tells him to go for it, again.
- Now Will tries to speak to Hawkshaw, calling him "Mr. Henry," twice (3.29, 30).
- Hawkshaw has kicked open the door, and jumped from the running board.
- The car speeds on…
- Hawkshaw is in a dusty ditch.
- He waits until car number two has passed, and then he begins to walk toward town.
- The moon is high above the dust now.
- Soon Hawkshaw sees the town.
- When he hears cars, he hides.
- McLendon's car comes after the other car this time. There are four only four people in it now.
- Let's recap who is where in the car. We started with six men in the car. When Hawkshaw jumps, we are left five guys. Now there are four.
- We know one of them is McLendon, because he's driving.
- So, Butch, the soldier, the stranger, or Will Mayes is missing. Keep this in mind as you read the rest of the story.
- The car drives on in the dust.
- Hawkshaw continues walking to town, injured slightly from his jump.