IVIV20: Looks real enough, 361-363

[Paul Nightingale]

Returning to his office means Doc will first discover the casino's cheque;
he seems suspicious, not quite believing his eyes (361). Then he will take
the call from Hope and hear her say: "... I don't know what to believe"
(362). Doc for one might have done better: "... the betting lines at certain
other casinos to the south of here would have provided a vastly more
lucrative payoff" (361).

The section, and the chapter, ends with the brief exchange between Doc and
Coy, the latter clinging on: "You saved my life ..." etc (363). Doc wants
none of it. Up the page: "There were sounds, annoying after a while, of
prolonged kissing ...". Embarrassment? Perhaps. Forced to witness/eavesdrop
on a private moment, he has to deal with his exclusion from the narratives
of others. And this follows the news that he missed "the massive Surfadelic
Freak-In" (362), a public experience, one that can never be recovered:
"Scott's gonna be so pissed-off" (363).

Here, Doc hangs up on Coy. At the end of Ch19: "Bigfoot's not my brother
..." etc (350). Or leaving Sauncho in 20.3: "You're probably in a mood to
celebrate ... but I should look in at the office" (359).

The exchange with Coy returns us to Doc's dream. Flying to Hawaii might be a
nod at both technological advance and VL, but it brings distance from the
Golden Fang. Burke Stodger has also been redeemed, perhaps.