On Tuesday, September 3rd, Moose’s first day of 8th grade, Piper coolly ignores him, in school and out. Moose drops by the canteen to visit Jimmy, hoping to resolve the friction between them. Jimmy seems sad, though his fly collection appears to be flourishing. Finally, he tells Moose and Theresa that both his father and Moose’s father have been put on probation for allegedly reporting to work at the guard tower in a state of intoxication. Moose and Theresa scoff at this, with Theresa claiming that her father has never been drunk in his life; but Jimmy insists that the charges are real, the result of someone lying about them.

Back at the Flanagan house, Moose’s mother confirms the story, and says that they must all be very careful until the probation is lifted, since any infraction now could cost Cam his job. Complicating this is that Natalie will be visiting on Friday, followed by the big party for Eliot Ness that weekend. Cam, she says, wants them to remain calm until this “mistake” is straightened out.

However, Mrs. Flanagan suspects that Piper is behind the false accusation. She notes that Piper has been distraught lately about the new baby and about her mother’s ailing health, and adds that, however pretty she might be, Piper makes more trouble than “stirring up a hornet’s nest” (137).