Minneapolis is the city Clarisse chooses as the first destination in her escape after killing Sheriff Hock. She reaches the morning train with money, luggage, and a plan to leave Argus; although Roy predicts she will go to ground there, the narrative never confirms that she was found or even seen in the city.

Destination and Escape Plan

On Christmas Eve, while preparing to leave, Clarisse considers the practical sequence of her departure. She intends to withdraw her money from the bank, pack lightly but sensibly, and plan her route. Even amid the consequences of Hock’s death, she hopes to attend Midnight Mass as she always has, sleep for a few hours, and take the morning train. Minneapolis is not yet described as a settled home or a known refuge; it is the first named stop in a carefully organized flight from Argus.

The Train and Roy’s Prediction

Roy later tells Delphine that Clarisse boarded the morning train carrying a large brown valise and a small round red hatbox, with a ticket to Minneapolis. His account frames the city as a place where she could evade pursuit rather than simply wait to be caught. He expects her to go to ground, change her identity, and perhaps remake herself, drawing on his knowledge of her elusive relatives to describe her as an agile survivor.

An Unconfirmed Refuge

After several days of shock and speculation in Argus, Clarisse has disappeared. The sheriff’s body is taken to the coroner in Fargo, his house is locked, and the town gradually resumes its daily life while the killing becomes a subject of years of talk. The narrative says Clarisse apparently got off in Minneapolis and changed trains and names, but no one reports seeing her there; she is neither captured nor confirmed to have remained in the city. Minneapolis therefore marks the threshold of an unresolved escape: a plausible destination, not a documented new life.