The Farmer's Inn on Catamount St.

Hello, new account here, but lurker of TSH theories.

I finished my second reading of TSH a few days ago and just like the first time, I can't stop thinking about it.

One of the points I cant let go of is whether or not they killed the farmer, and if Bunny's murder was over nothing. The first read through, I was convinced that a cougar killed the farmer. The second time, I was certain it was Henry, based on his size, strength, and the previously described fight from Judy Poovey.

But then, rehashing it with my husband, I went back to the Greek tragedy of it all and now think they probably stumbled upon the farmer's body after a cougar killed him. It would coincide with the theme of things things not being what they seem/illusions/seeing only what you want to see (Henry wanting to believe the ritual worked).

Anyway, what kind of slapped me in the face about it is on page 362-363, instead of going to Brasserie, Charles tells the taxi driver to go to 1910 Catamount St. Then Richard says, "the place where we wound up" was a bar called the Farmer's Inn. The Farmer's Inn being on Catamount Street, and Tartt's choice of wording - "wound up" - suggests to me that the group "happened upon" farmer after he was attacked by a cougar.

Would love to know what others think. This theory has almost been discussed to bits but I haven't seen anyone talk about that specific excerpt and I missed it completely during both readings. I only found it when I was looking for something else.