Tyrants and bullies hold on to power by keeping their victims afraid, and John’s shooting sends the Busby family spiraling into a year-long vortex of almost constant fear. Initially, the main concern is for John’s recovery, but when his survival is imminent, that concern shifts to fear for both him and his family as John wonders if Meyer will make a second attempt on his life. What makes the fear more visceral is that Meyer is no idle threat; he follows through. He has left a path of death and intimidation in his wake; John knows it, and the entire Falmouth Police Department knows it. To make matters worse, no one seems to know exactly how far Meyer’s reach extends, or how many cops and politicians are under his thumb. This awareness leads John down a rabbit hole of paranoia. When he doesn’t recognize one of the officers assigned to his security detail, he immediately imagines the worst. He suspects any fellow officer he doesn’t personally trust of conspiring with Meyer. Even in the isolated woods of Maine, when a stranger wanders past, his response is to pull out a weapon. The fear and uncertainty lead to a host of unsubstantiated theories, and the fear and anger feed on themselves in a vicious cycle.