Witness X shares “Rule #4: Let People Underestimate You” (99), describing how her father hid his dangerous nature behind the persona of a philandering fool. She recalls her childhood, where her father’s quiet demeanor was more menacing than her mother’s loud anger. The narrator recounts a memory of her ex-boyfriend’s father, a quiet accountant who saw through her “ditzy, nice-girl act” (100) and correctly accused her of being a manipulative user. The accuracy of his words filled her with a deep sense of shame and exposure. She states that the only other time she has ever felt that same intense humiliation was on the night that the murder victim, Anton Smythe, died.

Ninety-eight days before the trial, at Newcastle Crown Court, Leila’s solicitor, Davina, warns her that journalists know she is married to the prosecutor. Outside the courtroom, they meet Eddie Sorrington, a crime boss and Jack Millman’s employer, with his wife, Daniella. Eddie implies a threat, telling Leila to secure Jack’s acquittal.

In court, Jack pleads not guilty to murder. Julian immediately complains to the judge, His Honor Judge Byson, that Leila has not served a defense statement, making her appear incompetent even though he knew she was unable to. The judge admonishes Leila and warns Jack that his silence could be used against him at trial.

Later, in the cells, Jack tells Leila that Anton Smythe was not as respectable as people thought and suggests clues can be found on the deceased judge’s phone. He still refuses to provide a defense, telling Leila to figure it out herself by looking into events on the day of the murder. As he is led away, he reminds her of her own past advice: “Don’t trust anyone” (109).

In a flashback to five years earlier, Jack Millman has just been sentenced to four years in prison for assault. Leila apologizes for the outcome, attributing the loss to a key defense witness failing to appear. Jack is convinced the witness was paid off by the victim, crime boss Tony Flanagan. Leila admits her critical mistake was serving a defense statement, which revealed their strategy and allowed Flanagan to sabotage their case. She advises Jack that in high-profile cases, it is sometimes better to reveal nothing until the trial, ambushing the prosecution. A barrister’s job is then to persuade the jury. Her final words of advice to him are, “Don’t trust anyone. Especially lawyers” (114).

Eighty days before the trial, Leila is forced to represent her firm at a university law fair, where she encounters Julian’s ex-wife, Sienna Fox. Sienna is unexpectedly friendly, offering support and citing their shared working-class backgrounds. Leila remains suspicious of her motives.

At the fair, Leila also meets Daniella Sorrington, who runs a beauty stall. Daniella apologizes for her tense demeanor at the plea hearing, explaining that the recent death of her son has strained her marriage. She implores Leila to take care of Jack, whom she and her husband Eddie care for deeply. Before leaving, Daniella warns Leila that Sienna has been staring at her intently. Leila observes Sienna and finds her manipulative and difficult to read, concluding she is either a poor actress or an excellent liar.

Witness X discusses “Rule #5: Be a Good Liar” (122). She explains that her abusive father taught her to lie convincingly to his creditors. She became skilled at weaving truth into her deceptions, a tactic her father also used to convince her that his abuse was normal. Her perspective was shattered at age 15 when she visited her friend Kallie Dawson’s home and, for the first time, encountered a safe, loving family environment. The experience made her realize the depravity of her own situation and motivated her to plan her escape. While she waited for the right moment, she lived in a fantasy world, vowing to one day achieve a perfect life like that of Leila Reynolds, whom she describes as a “Smug, fake bitch” (125).

Seventy days before trial, Leila and her solicitor, Davina, analyze new evidence at the Boat Club. Jack Millman’s phone records show he sent over 1,200 texts to an untraceable burner phone in the seven months before the murder, suggesting he is protecting the recipient. The most important evidence comes from cell site analysis, which tracks a phone’s location. On the night of the murder, Jack’s phone was at his apartment at 10:41 pm before its signal was terminated. He was arrested shortly after making a 999 call at 11:07 pm. Forty-six minutes later, at 11:27 pm, his phone’s signal reappeared 12 miles away in the village of Pickford, just outside Anton Smythe’s home. Since Jack was in police custody at this time, it proves someone else had his phone. Davina discovers that the judge who sent Jack to prison in 2014, callously ignoring his plea to be with his dying foster mother, was Anton Smythe. Leila realizes that Julian will argue that Jack’s motive for the murder was revenge.

Sixty days before the trial, Leila tells Julian about his ex-wife Sienna’s friendly behavior, and he warns her that Sienna is two-faced. Later, at her legal chambers, Leila’s boss, Chester Vernon, dismisses his earlier suspicions about his wife, Demi. When Demi arrives, she privately confronts Leila about a Latin quote she wrote in Chester’s birthday card. Demi pointedly remarks that she is surprised Leila knows Latin given her working-class background.

Later, Leila tells Julian that Demi is acting strangely and asks him about Chester’s estrangement from his daughter Elise. Julian recounts how Elise cut all ties with Chester after he had an affair during his first marriage. Chester kept his lover’s identity a closely guarded secret, leading people to conclude that the mystery woman was married to a powerful man.

That evening, Leila receives another message on her blog from the user @JustAnotherDumbBlonde. The message reveals non-public information about the case—that Anton visited Jack’s flat at 10:30 pm on the night he died. Leila is unnerved, realizing the sender has inside knowledge of the murder.

Forty-six days before the trial, tensions between Leila and Julian escalate. Over dinner, Leila questions Julian about the contents of Anton Smythe’s phone, but he refuses to disclose anything without a formal defense statement. She confronts him with the suspicious cell site data placing Jack’s phone at Anton’s house after the arrest. Julian dismisses it with weak explanations, telling her the case is unwinnable and she should just go through the motions.

Later, Leila overhears Julian in a furious phone conversation, telling the caller they will both be “finished” if “anyone finds out” (146). He lies about the call, claiming it was work-related. Deeply suspicious, Leila waits for an opportunity to enter his locked study. Inside, she finds and secretly photographs the file containing Anton’s phone records. As she finishes, Julian nearly catches her. Leila now understands she can no longer trust her husband.

Forty days before trial, Leila, Davina, Julian, and Detective Chief Inspector Brady attend a site visit at Jack’s apartment, the scene of the crime. DCI Brady is condescending toward Leila, but confirms that the kettlebell used as the murder weapon was found propping open the bedroom door. While mentally reconstructing the events, Leila realizes a critical inconsistency. Anton was killed in the kitchenette. If Jack had been in a struggle there, he would not have had time to run to the bedroom, retrieve the kettlebell from its place as a doorstop, and return to strike Anton before Anton could flee through the nearby exit. Leila concludes that a third person must have been present in the bedroom and was involved in the attack. She tells Davina she is now certain Jack did not act alone.

Witness X reflects on “Rule #6: Never Lose Your Cool” (154). She learned this from her father, who was most terrifying when he was calm. She recalls being trapped at home with her husband during the first COVID-19 lockdown, where she was forced to confront his malevolent side daily but never showed her anger. She reveals that her husband knows only a persona she created and is unaware of her true nature. For the seven months leading up to Anton’s death, she experienced real love for the first time, which made her happy but also caused her to make mistakes by breaking her own rules. She now depends on Jack Millman to remain silent to protect everyone involved in the “sordid story” (155).

On the evening of the site visit, Julian ignores a phone call, which Leila suspects is from the person he was secretly arguing with. To get him out of the house, she pretends to need an ingredient for dinner and sends him to the store. Once he is gone, Leila uses a copied key to enter his study and finishes photographing Anton Smythe’s phone records, barely escaping before Julian returns. Later, while in the bath, she examines the photos. She discovers texts Anton sent to an unknown number on the day he died. One message arranges a meeting at the “Diamond Lounge 6 pm” (161). The final text, sent minutes later, reads: “This will be sorted by tonight. I’ll make sure of it. I love you” (161).

Thirty-nine days before trial, Leila shows the illegally obtained texts to Davina. They agree they must identify the recipient. Using their firm’s untraceable phone, Leila calls the number while posing as a police officer. She fabricates a story about a theft investigation to trick the man on the other end into revealing his identity. The man identifies himself as Quinn Smythe. Leila and Davina realize that on the day of his murder, Anton was sending secretive, reassuring text messages to his own son.

Leila and Davina immediately go to the Diamond Lounge, the bar mentioned in Anton’s text. Davina knows the security guard, Keany, and persuades him to show them the CCTV footage from the day of the murder. They see Anton arrive at 6:06 pm, looking anxious. He is soon joined by a young bar employee, whom Keany identifies as Anton’s son, Quinn. Keany reveals that Quinn worked there over the summer and that his last shift was the night his father died. He also recalls that a week earlier, Quinn had a panic attack after an intense conversation with a muscular, tattooed man. When Davina shows Keany a mugshot of Jack Millman, Keany confirms Jack was the man who upset Quinn.

Thirty-three days before trial, Leila and Davina review CCTV footage from a week before the murder and confirm that Jack Millman met with Quinn Smythe. During their intense conversation, Quinn appeared agitated and pleading. Cell phone data reveals Jack deliberately left his phone behind for the meeting. In prison, they confront Jack, who is evasive and smug. He refuses to explain his connection to Quinn, warning that people can “go missing” (174) for talking. He also taunts Leila by throwing her own past legal advice—to stay silent and let the barrister build the case—back at her. Before being led away, Jack asks Leila if she still has her notes from his 2019 trial and tells her to re-read them. Davina suspects the old notes contain an important clue.