December 5, 1976

December 5, 1976, marks the date of a letter from Joe McKennedy to Charlie Decker, written while Charlie is confined at Augusta State Hospital after being found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of Jean Underwood and John Downes Vance. The letter is the only direct communication from the outside world that the reader sees during Charlie's institutionalization, and it serves as a vital epilogue to the hostage crisis, revealing the divergent paths taken by the surviving classmates and the enduring, if strained, connection between Charlie and his best friend.

The Letter's Context and Content

Joe McKennedy writes from Boston, where he is now a student at Boston University, taking sixteen hours of coursework. He describes his English class, where an instructor assigned James Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice, a book Joe enjoyed and on which he earned an A. He jokes about majoring in English, attributing the influence to Charlie, "the brains of the combination." Joe reports that he saw Charlie's mother, Rita Decker, just before leaving Placerville, and she told him Charlie is "just about all healed up" and that the last of the drains were removed three weeks prior. Joe notes with concern that Charlie "isn't talking much," a departure from his usual loquaciousness, and urges him not to "clam up and just scrunch in a corner all day."

News of the Classmates

The letter is filled with news about the other hostages from Room 16. Sandra Cross, whom Joe dated a couple of times over the summer, decided not to attend college and is "just sort of hanging around, waiting for something to happen." She asked Joe to say "hi" to Charlie. Joe mentions that Carol Granger's valedictory speech was reprinted by Seventeen magazine, its title something like "Self-Integrity and a Normal Response to It," which Joe sarcastically notes they would have "had some fun ranking out." Irma Bates is now dating a "hippie" from Lewiston, and the two were arrested during a demonstration when Robert Dole came to Portland to campaign, though they were released after Dole flew out. Joe imagines Irma trying to brain Dole with a Gus Hall campaign sign. Grace Stanner, described as "that cute little chick," is getting married, a local sensation. Joe also reports that Pig Pen (John Dano) and Dick Keene have been involved in something so shocking that the letter is censored at that point, with the passage marked as "possibly upsetting to patient." Joe reflects, "you can never tell what people are going to do, can you?"

The Enduring Friendship

Despite the distance and the horror of what Charlie has done, Joe's letter is warm and affectionate. He addresses Charlie as "Ferd" and expresses hope that the hospital is treating him right. He promises to be the first in line if visitors are allowed. The letter closes with a powerful declaration: "There are a lot of us pulling for you, Charlie. Pulling hard. People haven't forgotten. You know what I mean. With love, your friend, (Joe McK)." This final sentiment, combined with the news of the classmates' lives moving on, creates a poignant contrast between Charlie's static, institutionalized existence and the dynamic, often surprising, futures of those he held hostage. The letter itself becomes a fragile link to a world Charlie can no longer inhabit, and a testament to a friendship that has survived the unthinkable.