Croaker and Snuffer meet again after Croaker's unusually brief trip to the netherworld which even he cannot explain as Sub-Lord Chance-Medley has gone missing. Croaker scolds his partner for wasting his time at a USC basketball game and so he returns to trying to persuade Henry to do away with himself. At the end Snuffer's entreaties seem to be convincing his victim and the reader is left wondering is this the end of Henry?