The Body in the Woods: A Point Last Seen Mystery

Chapters 1-8

Reading Check

1. Her mother (Chapter 1)

2. She has been strangled. (Chapter 6)

3. Bran Dawson (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. They are the three newest volunteers with the least experience. (Chapter 2)

2. Nick’s father was in the army and died serving his country; Nick wants to be brave like him. Nick believes he would fit in better in the army, where he would be judged for his courage and strength rather than treated with suspicion because he is biracial. (Chapter 4)

3. Ruby says that there are three of them and that the killer cannot attack them without making a noise, so they should be safe. (Chapter 7)

Chapters 9-19

Reading Check

1. The killer’s (Chapter 9)

2. Bran (Chapter 11)

3. Cameras (Chapter 19)

Short Answer

1. Ruby is very observant, has an excellent memory for detail, and makes logical deductions about what she sees. (Chapter 10)

2. Ruby’s parents struggle to accept her for who she is, and they are worried that search and rescue reinforces Ruby’s preoccupation with death. (Chapter 12)

3. He notices that she does not have some gear that others depend on, such as painter’s kneelers, and that other items are inappropriate for the weather, such as her thin jacket. (Chapter 15)

Chapters 20-28

Reading Check

1. Her red hair (Chapter 20)

2. Shoe prints (Chapter 22)

3. Oogle (Chapter 25)

Short Answer

1. Nick tries to use the newspaper article and his work with search and rescue to impress others, but no one seems very impressed. (Chapter 21)

2. She worries that her mother will be hospitalized or die and that she will be sent to foster care or end up homeless. (Chapter 24)

3. Nick is the one to find George, and George hugs him in gratitude. Nick feels as if he has done something genuinely helpful and his father would be proud of him. (Chapter 27)

Chapters 29-37

Reading Check

1. Bran (Chapter 30)

2. Birds (Chapter 31)

3. A collection (Chapter 35)

Short Answer

1. They think that the police may have arrested the wrong person and that the man walking the dogs is a more likely suspect. They decide that since the police will not listen to Ruby, Nick and Ruby will follow the man themselves. (Chapter 29)

2. Ruby’s parents ground her and take her car keys. They tell her that they will call the search and rescue and remove her from the program and that they have signed her up for horseback riding lessons instead. (Chapter 33)

3. He says that he is campaigning for Ruby for mayor, but since the election just happened the week before, the man immediately thinks that Nick is lying. He asks Nick if he knows Mallory and then tells him to leave. (Chapter 37)

Chapters 38-46

Reading Check

1. A birding journal (Chapter 38)

2. Spotted owl (Chapter 41)

3. The binocular strap (Chapter 43)

Short Answer

1. He calls Ruby to warn her, Alexis, and Nick to stop meddling in his case. (Chapter 40)

2. He thinks about his father, who was brave and carried on even though he was outnumbered, and decides that he can be courageous like him. (Chapter 42)

3. Ruby sees from Becker’s footprint that he was the one who left the footprint by Miranda’s body, and she realizes he is the killer. (Chapter 44)

Chapters 47-54

Reading Check

1. Kisses her on the temple (Chapter 49)

2. A rock (Chapter 50)

3. Puts them in a scrapbook (Chapter 52)

Short Answer

1. He drugged her with GHB and planted a tracking device in her backpack. (Chapter 47)

2. Alexis stops Becker by hitting him on the head with a rake. (Chapter 51)

3. Their differences make them fit together perfectly and make them a good team. (Chapter 53)