Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is a graphic novel set in the fictional small town of Woodbrook, a community populated entirely by anthropomorphic animals. The story follows Samantha Strong (Sam), a brown bear and beloved local shop owner who hides a secret life as a serial killer.

The story opens as Woodbrook prepares for its Bicentennial Days celebration, with the local newspaper, the Woodbrook Wanderer, announcing a parade and festivities. Sam goes about her daily routine, greeting neighbors, running her hardware and supplies store, and projecting the image of a model citizen. She interacts with townspeople including Melody Davis, a young local woman; Charlie, a fellow shop owner; Bertie, a local resident building a parade float; and Martin, a bespectacled resident. Beneath this warm exterior, Sam's internal monologue reveals her true nature. For over twenty years, she has traveled to the nearby city to select strangers, kill them, and bury their remains in the surrounding woods. She describes the ritual as "replenishing" (13), something that "muffles the voice in [her] head" (14). Her cardinal rule is that she never kills anyone local, ensuring that "no one has ever been the wiser... except for Mother Nature" (16). Over dinner with Lola, an older cat and her only real friend of roughly forty years, Sam maintains her careful facade. The Bicentennial Days parade arrives, and the community gathers in celebration, but the festive mood shatters when Martin is found murdered. Sam recognizes that a local killing could trigger an investigation that might uncover her own crimes. She calls the situation "a major fucking problem" (23).

The town reels from Martin's death, the first murder in Woodbrook in over forty years. Sheriff Patterson calls a community meeting, informing residents that the killer is likely someone local and imposing a curfew. Paranoia spreads quickly. Sam observes the townspeople's mounting fear with clinical detachment, noting that "their poor brains are starting to short-circuit already" (27), and privately resolves to find the killer herself, reasoning that "this town isn't big enough for two psychopaths" (28). She begins investigating by visiting Bertie, who reveals that on the night before the parade, Melody was helping him arrange lavender decorations but left abruptly. Sheriff Patterson questions Melody separately; she explains she made a routine trip to the nearby town of Centerville. Cherry Gherkins, a loud and combative local pig, publicly berates the sheriff and declares that anyone who threatens her will regret it. That night, Cherry is found murdered and decapitated in a scene suggesting the killer is taunting the community. Fear escalates sharply.

As Woodbrook descends further into suspicion, Sam deepens her investigation. Residents stay indoors, businesses close, and neighbors regard one another with quiet terror. Sam reflects that "when you're trying to hide a monster... you can't trust your eyes" (54). Someone breaks into Sam's shop, and she discovers signs that someone has been watching her home. Lola confronts Sam, revealing she has suspected Sam might be the killer. Lola notes that Sam was with Bertie on the night lavender decorations were being arranged and that Sam is allergic to lavender, which would explain her abrupt departure from the scene. Sam learns that Lola carries her own hidden pain: Since the death of her husband, Franklin Warner, in 1982, Lola has worn a mask of normalcy so people would stop worrying about her. She admits to deep loneliness, confessing that she keeps something in bed with her for comfort and sometimes nearly forgets it is not real. At the funerals for Martin and Cherry, Sam performs the expected social rituals convincingly enough to avoid notice. She admits she does not understand grief but acknowledges that her own killings have inflicted this same pain on countless others. She also notices Mary, another resident, wearing a perfume made with lavender oil, a detail she files away.

Sam's intimate knowledge of Woodbrook's routines underscores how deeply she is embedded in the community. During a visit to Lola, Sam meets Nigel Albright, Lola's adult son, who returned to Woodbrook about a year earlier to care for his aging mother. Nigel reveals that he has been following Sam and has discovered her secret. After returning to town and finding everyone around him fake, he began trailing Sam, eventually following her to the city and into the woods. He tells Sam he considers them kindred spirits. Sam warns him bluntly to stop, telling him Woodbrook is a delicate town and that his reckless local killings are destroying it. Nigel erupts in fury, calling Sam a phony, and storms off. Sam recognizes the danger he poses: He knows her secret, he is volatile, and he is consuming her thoughts. Nigel escalates by framing Sam for the murders, killing Charlie and planting incriminating evidence at the scene, including a paint can that links back to Sam. The sheriff issues a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert identifying Sam as armed, extremely dangerous, and the prime suspect in all of Woodbrook's murders.

Now a fugitive, Sam drives toward the city, counting on its size to conceal her. She tries to blend into crowds but finds too many police searching for her. She escapes into an unfamiliar forest and discovers an isolated cabin containing disturbing evidence of Nigel's violent nature. In a contemplative, surreal sequence in the wilderness, Sam confronts the fundamental truth of her identity, reflecting that the urge to kill "has always been a part of you, from the very first beat of your heart" (109). She encounters a mysterious elephant-like figure who affirms that what she is belongs to the natural order. Sam resolves to return to Woodbrook, reasoning that the town "isn't ruined" and that "it's nothing that can't be fixed... with the right tools" (118). She gathers supplies and prepares for a final confrontation.

Sam returns to Woodbrook and paralyzes Nigel using curare, a neuromuscular blocking agent that leaves him unable to move. While he lies immobilized, Sam reveals that Lola had agreed to help expose him as the killer. She confronts Nigel about killing his own mother: Nigel stabbed Lola because she was preparing to inform the authorities. Sam kills Nigel and stages the scene to appear as self-defense. A television news report announces that the town's nightmare is over. The official account states that Nigel framed Sam for the murders, then attacked both women at Sam's home to silence them. According to the report, Nigel stabbed his mother to death and was mortally wounded in a struggle with Sam over a firearm. Sam is fully exonerated, and life in Woodbrook slowly returns to normal. She comforts Lola's grieving family, returning Lola's wedding ring, which Lola and her late husband Frank had worn on chains near their hearts because their fingers were too stubby for rings. Sheriff Patterson visits to apologize personally, admitting he cannot believe they ever suspected Sam. He asks, somewhat sheepishly, for her endorsement in his upcoming reelection campaign. Sam tells him she will think it over. In the final moments, Sam reflects that "Woodbrook is a special place" (143) and that she is glad to be home. She declares it is time for "this bear to take it easy... maybe hibernate for a bit while things calm down" (143), implying she will temporarily pause her secret killings. The story ends on a note of dark irony, as the true long-term serial killer settles back into her life, her secret entirely intact and her reputation stronger than ever.