Max Devore and Kyra Devore

Max Devore and Kyra Devore are grandfather and granddaughter, but their relationship is shaped less by ordinary family contact than by Devore’s effort to take custody of Kyra from her mother, Mattie. He presents himself as the person who will decide what must be done for the child, while the surrounding custody process exposes how money and local influence can press on a family even before a judge rules.

The Custody Dispute

Kyra’s well-being becomes the stated subject of a court-ordered deposition. George Footman serves Michael Noonan with notice to appear before Elmer Durgin, who has been appointed Kyra’s guardian ad litem. Durgin is to gather information about Noonan’s knowledge of Kyra for the Castle County Superior Court, with a stenographer present; the deposition is described as the court’s own proceeding, not one conducted on behalf of either litigant.

John Storrow explains that a guardian ad litem is a lawyer appointed to protect a child’s interests, but that the appointment carries practical weight: judges commonly follow the appointed lawyer’s advice. The arrangement is meant to represent Kyra, yet it also gives Durgin’s account of the case considerable influence over the custody outcome.

Noonan warns Mattie that Devore can marshal lawyers and sympathetic witnesses, while she may have no comparable support. In explaining the danger, he points to the possibility that sexual equality could work against Mattie before Judge Rancourt. The dispute therefore places Kyra’s future within a legal contest where the resources available to each side are sharply unequal.

Influence Beyond the Courtroom

Devore’s pressure is not confined to legal argument. Mattie loses her position at the Four Lakes Consolidated Library after its director, Lindy Briggs, calls the decision belt-tightening. Noonan suspects the stated reason conceals financial pressure: Devore has been a major supporter of the library, and Briggs may have been expected to cooperate with him. Mattie recalls that Storrow had predicted Devore would try to leave her in the weakest possible position before the hearing, including by making her unemployed.

The episode makes employment another front in the custody conflict. Mattie’s job loss does not itself decide who should care for Kyra, but it threatens to become evidence against her in court. Devore’s influence thus operates through institutions and appearances as well as through his direct demands.

Storrow also advises Noonan and Mattie to take precautions in their communications: they may speak by telephone, but should assume a line could be tapped, and should avoid visits to Mattie’s trailer. The advice reflects the extent to which the dispute has turned ordinary contact into a potential vulnerability.

Devore’s Demand and Its Limit

In a direct confrontation, Devore tells Noonan to leave Mattie and Kyra to him, presenting his intervention as a matter of taking charge. His demand makes plain that he regards Noonan’s support for Mattie as an obstacle to his own intended control of Kyra’s future. The exchange is not a court ruling; it is Devore asserting what he wants to happen before the legal process has concluded.

Devore’s suicide ends the immediate custody contest in a decisive sense: as Noonan observes, a dead man cannot be awarded custody. A television report identifies Devore’s death as suicide and shows Rogette Whitmore discussing his final evening. The legal question over Kyra’s care, however, does not disappear with Devore. Later, Noonan describes the continuing strain of dealing with Maine’s court system and the Department of Human Services, while Kyra has been placed in two foster homes since Mattie’s death. Devore’s claim ends, but the instability surrounding Kyra’s guardianship remains.

Significance of the Relationship

The relationship shows how a custody dispute can make a child’s welfare the declared legal purpose while leaving that welfare exposed to disparities in money, influence, and institutional access. Devore can support local organizations and assemble extensive legal representation; Mattie faces the prospect of losing both income and credibility. Kyra is consequently positioned at the center of a conflict conducted largely by adults and institutions, with the court-appointed guardian ad litem serving as an important interpreter of her interests.

The ending distinguishes the end of Devore’s personal claim from the resolution of Kyra’s needs. His death removes him as a possible custodian, but it does not provide Kyra with lasting security. The later account of foster placements makes that distinction concrete: defeating Devore’s bid and securing a stable home are not the same outcome.