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1/01/1915 We learn something of the Bates family history; pp 22-29. Characters: Barry Bates, Sissy Bates, Ascher Beitman, Hannah Beitman, Kato Priest, Willie Rotter, Bobby Blankenfeld.
6/14/1937 Buster Sterling is born in Tupelo, Mississippi; pp 213-214. Characters: Buster Sterling.
5/18/1946 Marc Gaudet teaches Barry Bates to make Gumbo; pp 37-38. Characters: Marc Gaudet, Barry Bates, Sissy Bates, others.
4/16/1952 Abby Sommer’s background is explored; her father Josef emigrates from Belgium; pp 245-246. Characters: Abby Sommer/Bates, Josef Sommer, Celia Sommer, Abel Sommer, Nancy Cox.
5/06/1957 Rory’s mother, Mary Alice Reardon, dies; Rory is not yet 15; pg 147. Characters: Rory McVey.
3/15/1959 George Pearce divorces Marilyn Pearce; pp 117-118. Characters: George Pearce, Marilyn Pearce, Sarah Pearce.
10/03/1960 Karen Kilbourne’s father dies in car accident in Tishomingo County, Mississippi; pg 149. Characters: Karen Kilbourne.
8/28/1961 Rory begins first term at University of Mississippi, Ole Miss; pg 148. Characters: Rory McVey.
3/03/1962 Irwin Corker beats all hell out of Rory McVey; pp 150-153. Characters: Irwin Corker, Rory McVey, Karen Kilbourne, others.
8/27/1962 Rory enrolls at Memphis State University; pg 154. Characters: Rory McVey.
4/15/1964 Sheriff Misty Jeffers introduces his new fleet of squadcars; pp 77-78. Characters: Misty Jeffers, Marc Gaudet, Grady Berke, others.
6/15/1964 Tony Brown meets Claudie Mae Taylor; pp 87-88. Characters: Claudie Brown, Tony Brown.
1/03/1967 Gator is drafted and sent to Vietnam; pp 66-73. Characters: Gator Bates, Cletus Vescovo, Don Mills, Jim Lillie.
6/02/1968 Gator discovers a sea of marijuana at the Gator Ranch; pp 74-76. Characters: Gator Bates, Doug Perle.
7/12/1968 Sheriff Jeffers meets Gator in a field of marijuana; pg 78. Characters: Misty Jeffers, Gator Bates.
1/13/1969 CT McVey, Rory’s father, dies; a month later Rory assumes leadership of McVey Asset Management; pg 156. Characters: Rory McVey.
5/08/1969 Rory meets Abby Sommer; pp 160-162. Characters: Rory McVey, Abby Sommer/Bates, Headmaster Garrett Kincaid.
8/18/1969 Lacey Gaston begins her first term at Auburn University; pp 176-180. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling.
9/07/1970 Lacey meets Grazia Beland; pp 177-198. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Grazia Beland, Giselle Maréchal, Byron Hildebrand, Ethel Hildebrand, others.
5/05/1971 Abby shows up at Rory’s office looking for a job; pp 166-167. Characters: Rory McVey, Abby Sommer/Bates, Deborah Chubb.
7/06/1971 Abby borrows Rory’s new Mercedes; pp 171-173. Characters: Rory McVey, Abby Sommer/Bates, Sergeant Arthur Patchett, Gordon Whitfield.
9/15/1971 Abby is sentenced to almost 30 years at the Illinois Penitentiary for Women; pg 175. Characters: Abby Sommer/Bates.
1/06/1972 St. Andrew’s Academy board takes action to integrate staff and student body; pp 92-93. Characters: Barry Bates, others.
3/30/1972 Josef and Celia Sommer are at Abel’s birth at the Illinois Penitentiary for Women where his mother, Abby, is incarcerated; pg 246. Characters: Josef Sommer, Celia Sommer, Abby Sommer/Bates, Abel Sommer, others.
3/30/1972 Abel Sommer’s early history is revealed; pp 246-249. Characters: Abel Sommer, Josef Sommer, Celia Sommer.
7/06/1972 Gator attempts to prop Ray-Ray up and is crushed in the process; pp 80-85. Characters: Gator Bates, Ray-Ray Persons, Tony Brown, Claudie Brown, others.
8/01/1972 Barry Bates offers a merger between his company and the Brown’s; pp 90-92. Characters: Barry Bates, Claudie Brown, Tony Brown, Omkar Katzen.
3/07/1973 Barry Bates dies; pg 93. Characters: Barry Bates.
3/07/1973 Gator quits his marijuana business; pg 95. Characters: Gator Bates.
3/13/1973 Lacey is accepted to graduate school at Boston University School of Music; pg 176. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling.
7/31/1973 Sissy Bates has a stroke; pp 94-95. Characters: Sissy Bates, Beaux Bates, Esther Bonds, Tony Brown, Claudie Brown.
9/04/1973 Lacey arrives unannounced in France to live with Grazia; pp 176-198. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Grazia Beland, Giselle Maréchal, Alain-René Abadie.
10/01/1973 Gator has a vision of his future; pp 95-97. Characters: Gator Bates, Doug Perle, Misty Jeffers, Charlie Olman, Garnett Trapp, Skeeter Andre.
10/19/1973 Gator gets lessons in laundering; pp 101-105. Characters: Gator Bates, Misty Jeffers, Hollis Braden.
12/09/1973 Baron Puce dies at the Gator Ranch; pp 104-105. Characters: Gator Bates, Misty Jeffers, Baron Puce, Sonny Crisp, others.
1/19/1974 Gator takes possession of 8,000 acres acquired from Garnett Trapp; pp 107-110. Characters: Gator Bates, Doug Perle, Arnie Carter.
2/16/1974 Lacey marries Rory; pg 196. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Rory McVey.
5/25/1974 Sarah Pearce falls under the Svengali influence of Cab Cummings and has a son, then a daughter; pp 119-121. Characters: Sarah Pearce, Marilyn Pearce, Cab Cummings, others.
12/01/1974 Ian Reardon McVey is born to Lacey and Rory; pg 196. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Rory McVey, Ian III McVey.
1/10/1976 Constance Taylor McVey is born to Lacey and Rory; pg 196. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Rory McVey, Taylor McVey.
1/10/1978 Gator sweeps up five million dead crickets and meets Sarah Pearce; pp 110-115. Characters: Gator Bates, Tony Brown, Claudie Brown, Sarah Pearce, others.
1/15/1979 Rory McVey becomes embroiled in Hunt brother’s silver boondoggle; pp 145-146. Characters: Rory McVey, Nelson Bunker Hunt, William Herbert Hunt.
5/06/1982 Taylor McVey’s experience of the car wreck that killed her brother is described; pp 199-200. FALSE.
5/06/1982 Rory is at fault in the accident in which his son, Ian, is killed; pp 122-131. Characters: Rory McVey, Ian III McVey, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Taylor McVey, Floyd Brown, Charles Nunn, Emmett Cole, Federal Judge Not Found, CalvinPeters, others.
2/01/1983 Floyd Brown’s trial; pp 133-137. Characters: Floyd Brown, Libba Grimes, Evan Vanderfluit, Judge Horace Gibbs, Gator Bates, Tony Brown, Claudie Brown, Rory McVey, LaceyMcVey, others.
4/28/1983 Gator contemplates universal matters; pp 2-5. Characters: Gator Bates, Arnie Carter, Angus Gant, others.
4/28/1983 Rory rouses into a nightmare; pp 6-11. Characters: Rory McVey, Gator Bates, Angus Gant, Arnie Carter, Harvey Bacon, Bob Alexander, others.
4/28/1983 Gator’s injuries are treated; he plans retribution; pp 12-15. Characters: Gator Bates, Beaky Sills, Angus Gant, Rembert Cates, Antoine Piscout, Arnie Carter, Gordon Whitfield, others.
4/28/1983 Gator’s girlfriend welcomes him home; we learn that he’s also known as Beaux Bates; pp 16-21. Characters: Beaux Bates, Sarah Pearce, others.
4/29/1983 Gator’s academic career is explored further; pp 31-36. Characters: Gator Bates, Miss Fordyce Pilkington, Doug Perle, Dr. Adele Koppinger.
4/29/1983 Beaux proposes to Sarah; pp 139-140. Characters: Beaux Bates, Sarah Pearce.
9/11/1983 Sissy Bates dies; pg 141. Characters: Sissy Bates, Beaux Bates, Tony Brown.
10/06/1986 Bisty Alexander outwits Taylor; pp 201-203. Characters: Taylor McVey, Bitsy Alexander, Sue Collins, others.
5/06/1989 Rory is killed; pp 205-210. Characters: Taylor McVey, Rory McVey, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling.
2/11/1990 Lacey meets Buster Sterling; pp 216-219. Characters: Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Buster Sterling, Claude Parks.
2/09/1991 Taylor meets Abel Sommer; pp 220-222. Characters: Taylor McVey, Abel Sommer, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Ellen Estermann/Klein, others.
8/25/1991 Abel Sommer is caught up in a sting; pp 228-233. Characters: Abel Sommer, Taylor McVey, Tyrone Vance, Vince Dacus.
12/20/1991 Seal Sterling is born; pg 229. Characters: Taylor McVey, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Buster Sterling, Seal Sterling.
3/10/1992 Josef Sommer watches as Abel is sentenced to 55 years in prison; pg 249. Characters: Abel Sommer, Josef Sommer, Vince Dacus, others.
3/12/1992 Parole hearing for Abby; she is scheduled for release in less than a month; pg 251. Characters: Abby Sommer/Bates, Josef Sommer, Nancy Cox.
4/30/1992 Abby is released from the Illinois Penitentiary for Women and is introduced to her parents new home in Memphis; pp 251-253. Characters: Abby Sommer/Bates, Josef Sommer, Celia Sommer.
5/05/1992 Claudie Brown hires Abby to work at Bates Investments; pp 253-255. Characters: Abby Sommer/Bates, Celia Sommer, Claudie Brown.
1/20/1995 Duke Puce causes an oil rig explosion; pp 236-237. Characters: Duke Puce, others.
3/04/1995 Sarah Bates, her boyfriend, and Charlotte Bates are killed during a burglary gone bad; pp 240-243. Characters: Duke Puce, Caesar Puce, Sarah Pearce/Bates, Charlotte Bates (ne: Pearce), Tad Studdard.
3/14/1995 Claudie Brown annouces she will not run for reelection to the Memphis City Council; pp 256-257. Characters: Claudie Brown, Celia Sommer, Abby Sommer/Bates, others.
10/07/1995 Deaton Bates meets Taylor McVey in Berkeley, California; pp 277-281. Characters: Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Taylor McVey, others.
10/07/1995 Taylor and Deaton meet in Berkely, California while attending Stanford and UC Berkely respectively; pp 277-281. Characters: Taylor McVey.
10/31/1995 Gator begins to perform in the lobby of the Peabody; pp 259-260. Characters: Gator Bates, Larry Lupkin, others.
5/01/1996 Beaux and Abby’s courtship; pp 260-263. Characters: Abby Sommer/Bates, Gator Bates, Claudie Brown, Tony Brown, Larry Lupkin, others.
8/31/1996 Gator and Abby become engaged at the Peabody; pg 263. Characters: Beaux Bates, Abby Sommer/Bates, Claudie Brown, Tony Brown, others.
12/12/1998 Taylor receives MBA from Boston University’s Urban Planning Program; pg 284. Characters: Taylor McVey.
2/15/1999 Taylor begins work for the City of Memphis; soon promoted to Administrative Assistant to and confidant of the Mayor; pp 284-285. Characters: Taylor McVey, Lee Kesselman, Battle Vaughn, Dalton Stone, others.
1/08/2001 Review of new computer system for City of Memphis begins; pp 286-293. Characters: Battle Vaughn, Taylor McVey, Dalton Stone.
8/08/2001 Deaton Bates pursues a train and the vapors of his dreams; pp 268-273. Characters: Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Gator Bates, Floyd Brown, Ito Shin, others.
10/15/2001 Battle Vaughn disappears; pp 295-303. Characters: Taylor McVey, Battle Vaughn, Dalton Stone, Sam Osbe, others.
10/16/2001 Martin Snow investigates the disappearance of Battle Vaughn; pp 304-311. Characters: Martin Snow, Taylor McVey, Dalton Stone, Anthony Agar, Peggy Pretti, Thelma Hughes, others.
3/21/2003 The City’s computer system is installed; Taylor announces her engagement to Dalton Stone; they are married; pp 312-314. Characters: Taylor McVey, Dalton Stone, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Buster Sterling, Mayor Willie Herenton.
8/17/2003 Seal begins seventh grade at St. Andrew’s Academy; pg 319. Characters: Seal Sterling, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Taylor McVey, Emilia Gaston.
9/24/2003 Dalton Stone falls to his death at his home in Minneapolis; pp 314-319. Characters: Dalton Stone, Taylor McVey.
3/15/2005 Taylor invests in Deaton’s company, AditBellum; pp 282-283. Characters: Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Taylor McVey, Angus Gant.
4/01/2006 Beaux and Floyd learn of Deaton’s engagement to Taylor; pp 265-266. Characters: Beaux Bates, Floyd Brown.
5/27/2006 Seal describes Taylor’s wedding to Deaton at the Collegiate Club; pp 320-327. Characters: Taylor McVey, Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Seal Sterling, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Beaux Bates, Abby Sommer/Bates, Arnie Carter, Judge Walker Walsh, AntoinePiscout, others.
6/06/2008 Seal shares intimacies with Deaton; pp 328-337. Characters: Seal Sterling, Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Taylor McVey, Laurie McVey (ne: Bates).
11/26/2008 Hallucinogens trigger a Thanksgiving reckoning with Seal’s heritage; pp 338-345. Characters: Seal Sterling, Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Taylor McVey, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Krista Myszak, others.
12/01/2008 Seal searches for Deaton, in the process she begins her exploration of the McVey history; pp 348-355. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow, Molly Deere, others.
1/14/2009 Deaton resurfaces; Taylor concludes sale of AditBellum to Google; pp 355-357. Characters: Taylor McVey, Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), Beaux Bates, Seal Sterling, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling.
3/04/2009 Taylor files for divorce from Deaton; pg 365. Characters: Taylor McVey.
3/14/2009 St. Andrew’s Academy wins girl’s state basketball championship; pp 358-360. Characters: Seal Sterling, Birdie Sinclair.
6/25/2009 Mayor Willie Herenton announces retirement; Taylor and Claudie Brown file to run for the position; 3B Bayliss contacts Taylor; pp 365-369. Characters: Taylor McVey, Claudie Brown, Tony Brown, 3B Bayliss.
9/28/2009 Buster Sterling dies; pp 360-363. Characters: Buster Sterling, Seal Sterling.
12/15/2009 Taylor and 3B come to an understanding; pp 369-370. Characters: Taylor McVey, 3B Bayliss.
3/03/2011 Aryan Brotherhood influence is explained in the absolute; an innocent man is murdered; pp 369-372. Characters: 3B Bayliss, Arlen Nowak, Matthew Stiles, Anton Bose, others.
3/15/2011 Taylor’s brand is indelibly linked to the Aryan Brotherhood; pp 373-375. Characters: Taylor McVey, Arlen Nowak, 3B Bayliss, Abel Sommer, others.
4/01/2013 Seal reflects on her time at the University of Missouri and explores the McVey history; pp 378-385. Characters: Seal Sterling, Pam McVey/Schroeder, CT McVey.
2/15/2014 Perry ends his relationship with Seal; Seal meets Tazio Cherubini; pp 386-389. Characters: Perry Cates, Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Ella McNatt, Peter McNatt, Bettina Conti, Carmella Rossi.
2/20/2014 Seal takes a job at the Snow Detective Agency; pp 389-393. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow, Miriam Burch, others.
3/18/2014 Seal and Martin meet Arthur Bennington, President, Heartland Maritime; pp 397-401. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow, Arthur Bennington, 3B Bayliss.
3/19/2014 Seal steps on a hornet’s nest outside of Fulton, Mississippi; pp 403-415. Characters: Leonard Beck, Seal Sterling, Buck unknown, Al Singleton, Ken Tate, Martin Snow, others.
3/19/2014 Seal and Martin make an appeal to 3B concerning Heartland Marine; pp 423-431. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow, Miriam Burch, Arthur Bennington, 3B Bayliss, others.
3/19/2014 Seal learns the scope of the Aryan Brotherhood enterprise on the Tombigbee Waterway; pp 324-325. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow.
8/13/2014 Seal begins at Cecil Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis; pg 437. Characters: Seal Sterling.
9/02/2014 Fat new contracts pour into the Snow Agency; Seal tells Martin about her law school commitment; pp 433-435. Characters: Seal Sterling, Miriam Burch, Martin Snow.
9/05/2014 Tazio makes his intentions clear to Seal; she announces that Tazio should meet Taylor; pp 435-438. Characters: Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini.
11/25/2014 Seal and Tazio have dinner with Taylor and make a pitch for her to support Tazio’s next film project; pp 441-445. Characters: Taylor McVey, Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini, Jason Severs.
1/05/2015 Seal sets a course toward discovering her father; pp 443-445. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow, Ellen Estermann/Klein, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling.
1/06/2015 Seal learns more about 3B and his involvement with Abel Sommer; she studies the history of the Aryan Brotherhood; pp 446-449. Characters: Seal Sterling, Martin Snow.
1/07/2015 Seal gets a lesson in criminal laundering; she discovers her family’s wash has not come clean and that she is not who she thought she was; pp 449-465. Characters: Martin Snow, Seal Sterling, 3B Bayliss, Kaleigh unknown.
1/08/2015 Seal visits Taylor’s headquarters and discovers a grandmother; pp 470-475. Characters: Seal Sterling, Adrian Claire, Taylor McVey, Jasmin Rice.
1/08/2015 Seal learns the story of Rory’s death; pp 476-480. Characters: Seal Sterling, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling.
1/09/2015 Seal embraces a part of her life she did not know existed; pg 481. Characters: Seal Sterling, Abby Sommer/Bates.
5/27/2015 Seal acquires a Tennessee private detective license; pg 482. Characters: Seal Sterling.
5/14/2017 Seal earns her law degree; pg 482. Characters: Seal Sterling.
7/07/2017 Seal passes the Tennessee Bar exam; pg 482. Characters: Seal Sterling.
8/12/2017 Seal and Tazio are married; pg 482. Characters: Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini.
5/01/2018 Seal learns that Deaton is in trouble and the stakes are high; pp 483-493. Characters: Seal Sterling, 3B Bayliss, Martin Snow, Beaux Bates, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Jo’ Berg, Deaton Bates (ne: Pearce), others.
5/03/2018 Seal makes a Grizzly discovery that changes her status and Tazio’s; pg 495. Characters: Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini.
5/10/2018 Seal confronts Taylor with knowledge of her nefarious life; pp 496-502. Characters: Seal Sterling, Taylor McVey, Adrian Claire, 3B Bayliss, Al Singleton, Martin Snow, others.
5/15/2018 Martin reports the indictments against Taylor with gruesome detail; pp 505-507. Characters: Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini, Martin Snow.
5/26/2018 Epilogue: The play is not done till the actors are burnished in the sun; pp 511-515. Characters: Seal Sterling, Tazio Cheubini, Beaux Bates, Abby Sommer/Bates, Lacey Gaston/McVey/Sterling, Claudie Brown, Tony Brown, Floyd Brown, Molly Deere, others.