Jim Baxter
Number Three. Up before everyone.
Mr. Baxter lives at number three. He lights his fireplace earlier in the fall than anyone else on the court, and he picks up his newspaper in his robe every morning, rain or shine. He hasn't spoken to the Pattersons since a property line dispute in 2021, and his climbing rose has crossed the shared fence in three places, which the committee discusses at length. He surprises Claire by coming to the welcome party.
Spoilers ahead
The rest of this page covers the whole book, ending included.
Once you click, spoilers stay open on every wiki page for you.
Quinn talks with him for twenty minutes one afternoon, and he goes back inside looking "almost cheerful," according to Margaret. Once Claire noticed his trash cans hadn't gone out for two weeks and quietly checked on him. In the last chapter, his chimney is cold.