had had shrewd business sense, short stature, and thoughts of killing their wives - all qualities that C.B. has inherited. When he was young, he moved to Mexico, and dreamed of being an artist or poet. His father called him back to Empire Falls, where he took up the family business as well as an unhappy marriage to Francine Whiting. Generally unhappy, C.B. killed himself roughly 20 years before the time the book takes place. Francine Whiting—The widow of the wealthiest man in central Maine. The manipulative Francine holds puppet strings over the town, in particular Miles, and has no problem pulling them when it suits her unscrupulous agenda. Her condescending manner veils a cunning woman with ulterior motives. Cindy Whiting—Francine's daughter. Despite being permanently disabled by a car accident, she is a sweet woman with high spirits. She has a long-standing attraction to Miles; he is aware of it and is sympathetic, but does not feel the same way. Walt Comeau—Janine's fiancé and the owner of a fitness club. Walt is extroverted and arrogant. He lives with Janine in Miles' old house, trying to develop a fatherly relationship with Tick. Walt makes daily appearances at the restaurant to challenge Miles to an arm-wrestling match. He has a couple of skeletons in his closet, hidden (temporarily) from Janine. John Voss—Tick's awkward, introverted classmate. He is from a deprived family, wears ragged, dirty clothing, and is known to have lived with his grandmother after his parents abandoned him. He's constantly ridiculed by Tick's ex-boyfriend, Zack Minty. John's history has created a dangerous aura about him, which eventually escalates. No one but Tick pays enough attention to him until it's too late. James "Jimmy" Minty—A dull-witted, unscrupulous police officer and former classmate of Miles'. Jimmy is not well liked by most of the town, although he believes he is. Francine keeps him in her pocket by providing perks, such as a red sports car. He has an eye on becoming Chief of Police one day and has the unfortunate hobby of making copies of every key he gets his hands on, boasting to his son that he can open any door in Dexter County - which ability he makes frequent use of. He works directly for Francine, doing odd jobs, on a fairly regular basis. When acting as her bodyguard, Jimmy and Miles ultimately come to blows. Zack Minty—Jimmy's son and Tick's