hidden in the third drawer, right-hand side, of the Rev. Mr. Merrill's desk. Although Owen is now dead, somehow his voice tells Johnny where to look. Johnny realizes that Rev. Merrill is his father--who then asks for his forgiveness. Johnny also learns that when his mother waved to Merrill--feeling no shame in their brief affair--Merrill silently wished she would drop dead. When she does--having been hit by the baseball--Merrill instantly loses his faith. He believed that his terrible prayer had worked, and that since he had prayed for something bad, God was punishing him for tampering with the purpose of prayer.
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