Monday’s Not Coming: Chapter 53. The Before Summary & Analysis

Ma scrubs the house all morning. When Claudia hears the doorbell ring, she comes downstairs. She stops short when she sees Detective Carson in the doorway with a woman. The detective’s mouth drops open when he sees Claudia. The woman introduces herself to Ma as Detective Woods and introduces Carson. Ma introduces herself, Daddy, and Claudia, and Carson acts like he’s never met Claudia. Claudia, angry, takes a seat next to Ma.

Woods pulls out some files and explains that Mrs. Charles is denying everything except for August’s death—she insists Monday ran away and has no idea how Monday ended up in the freezer. Pointedly, Claudia says she wonders why Mrs. Charles didn’t file a police report. Carson offers Claudia his condolences and asks if they can talk. Claudia wants to scream, but she knows he’ll have to live with his guilt for the rest of his life.

Woods and Carson ask all sorts of questions about Monday. Finally, Carson asks Ma when she last saw Monday. Ma says that Monday stopped by a week after Claudia went to her grandmother’s and seemed frazzled. She was wearing a pair of tribal-print shorts that Ma had originally bought Claudia; Monday often wore Claudia’s clothes and it didn’t bother Ma. Woods pulls out a photo and slides it to Ma. Ma gasps and asks if Monday was wearing those shorts when she died. The detectives can’t say for sure.

Carson asks Claudia if he can help them figure out where Monday’s journal might be; they found the key to it in Monday’s pocket. Claudia initially refuses, but Carson says that April suggested Claudia might have taken it when she was at the house a few weeks ago. Ma screams at Claudia for going to the Charles’s house and Claudia agrees to fetch the journal. Carson holds out a Ziploc bag. Claudia feels a fog lifting. The journal is the last of her best friend and the only way to know what Monday’s life was really like.

Claudia asks if Carson will give the journal back. He explains that it’s evidence. Trembling, Claudia says the journal is all she has, and Carson owes her. Daddy agrees that this isn’t fair and Claudia collapses into Daddy, sobbing. Ma joins them and cries. After a minute, Daddy says it’s time. Claudia drops the journal into the bag, feeling like she’s dropping her heart in there as well. When Carson asks if Claudia has anything else, she thinks of Flowers in the Attic. But she tells him she doesn’t have anything else.

Claudia gets to school 40 minutes late. Ms. Clark gasps and her eyes fill with tears; Mr. Hill nervously asks Claudia how she is. Claudia asks for a late pass and then Mr. Hill walks her to class. He promises to talk to her teachers about her grades and finals. Claudia already regrets coming to school, and this feeling deepens throughout the day. Wherever she goes, she hears people whispering that they found her best friend in the freezer.

At lunch, Claudia tells herself she should go home. A broken light flickers above and she can hear it buzz. She can almost smell Monday’s dirty mattress and hear Mrs. Charles cackling. Suddenly, Trevor and Carl tap Claudia on the shoulder and grin at her. Trevor apologizes for Claudia’s “girlfriend” getting murdered. Though Claudia turns away, Trevor insists on getting her attention. Carl shouts at Claudia too. Claudia tries to ignore them, but she hears a loud buzzing in her ears. Trevor calls Claudia a “dumb bitch” and says she was stupid for not knowing Monday was dead.

From the next table over, Shayla shouts at Trevor and Carl to stop. Carl cackles about thawing Monday’s body like a turkey as the buzzing in Claudia’s ears gets louder. Jacob steps over and shoves Carl. He shouts that it’s not funny; they all knew Monday and now she’s gone. “She’s gone” rings like a bell in Claudia’s head. In her and Monday’s secret language, Claudia says, “she isn’t dead,” and that they have to save her. She screams until Ms. Valente comes over and holds her. The nurse finally sedates Claudia. This is her last day at school.