 He reveals his belief that their meeting was not an accident, but fate, though Tom is still suspicious of the circumstances.A child psychologist, and the central character of the third-person narrative, Tom originally proclaimed Danny capable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality, and of understanding the notion of death as a permanent state.Tom's testimony in court effectively ensured that Danny was tried as an adult, despite being only eleven years old, and sentenced to twelve years in juvenile prison for the murder of Lizzie Parks.