Cal Hooper is the protagonist of the narrative. He is a retired police officer from Chicago. Cal moved to Ardnakelty, Ireland after his retirement because he liked the idea of living in the country. Cal develops a paternal relationship with Trey in The Searcher, which stems from Johnny not being present in his daughter’s life. Cal acts as a mentor figure for Trey. He teaches her carpentry, which he does by himself to pass the time in his retirement. They develop a small carpentry business for the Ardnakelty townspeople out of Cal’s workshop in his house. He enjoys carpentry because it allows him to fix the basic, tangible problems in front of him. Cal’s relationship with Lena Dunne prevents Ardnakelty from viewing him as a complete outsider, even though they do not treat him as their equal.

Cal’s main internal conflict stems from his desire to stay out of the criminal investigation. Cal wants to forget about his past and focus on his retirement. However, when Johnny returns to Ardnakelty, he feels pulled into everything because he wants to protect Trey from whatever scam Johnny concocts. Even though he used to be a police detective, Cal does not feel a strong sense of duty to enforce the law.