Bag of Bones: Chapter 20 (pages 331-355)

It looks as though this chapter is the start of Part II in this book. Max Devore and the custody battle seem to be gone. In this part it looks as though Sara Laughs will be the new focus of the novel, but who knows for sure?
Mike goes to the park to meet Mattie and Kyra for lunch. Mattie discusses with Mike that the magnets on her refrigerator have been spelling out words. They've even given a crossword clue, "ninety-two down" which is different from Mike's clue, nineteen down. Mattie says that most of the words are names and one of them is Carla. Mike goes in for this kiss after lunch and Mattie reciprocates and invites him over for (presumably) sex later on that night after Kyra goes to bed. Mike hesitates and "needs some time."
Mike goes home and takes a cold shower (literally) and calls Jo's brother, Frank, for information on what Jo was working on when she came up to Sara Laughs. Frank tells Mike that he was the man Jo was with at the softball game in 1994. Mike is relieved that she wasn't having an affair. Frank also tells him that she took him up to the Sara Laughs but wouldn't let him in because the house was "dangerous." Frank wants to know what's going on but Jo can't tell him. Frank asks if she has told Mike but Jo says that Mike's working on a book and needs to focus on his work. But if he finds out on his own then it's "meant to be." Jo goes into the house, presumably to confront the spirits somehow and after a little while she comes back out looking very relieved. That's when her and Frank go to the softball game. She mentions to Frank that she's been talking to the town's people and mentions Royce Merrill (who is a 95 year old, portrayed as evil by King, who saw Mike with Kyra when they first encountered each other on the highway then went telling the whole town about the incident). Jo says Mike shouldn't talk to him because Royce, "might let the cat out of the bag." Mike thinks this refers to what Max Devore said when he said that Mike's family came from around the TR. Jo also told Frank that Mike had picked out Sara Laughs, that it, "called to him." This "demolished one of the basic assumptions I'd made about my married life." (page 351). Mike always thought that Jo had picked out Sara Laughs and is shocked to remember that he had been one who saw it first and liked it.
Mike gets off the phone with Frank and calls Royce Merrill but he doesn't answer. He finds on the refrigerator the words "Lye still" and associates them with old tombstone sayings. Then proceeds to write until bedtime.
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As I said before, I think this chapter represents the second part of this novel. A number of the plot points have been resolved (seemingly), evil Max and the custody battle and Mike and Mattie's growing affection that they can't express (will they or won't they?) seemed to be cleared up. And Mike's suspicion that Jo was having an affair seems to be explained. What's left? The haunted house, Sara Laughs and the mysteries surrounding the town and it's people (including whether or not Mike's family is from the TR, meaning he might have a different father or grandfather from the one he knows) seem to be what the rest of the book will be about but we'll see as we read along.