That night, Jill is unable to sleep, rattled by the text. She believes Ted’s suggestion that the text came from Burnley but it makes her nervous that a man with a criminal history is interested in them. Jill begins to think about Lara: She has noticed her friend encouraging her to confide and share any secrets. She wonders if Lara suspects something and even considers if her friend could be the one behind the texts. The idea that Lara suspects them is more frightening to her than Burnley’s potential threats. 

Meanwhile, Ramirez is also awake, still obsessed with the belief that the Westcotts got away with murder. Although the investigation has been closed for weeks, Ramirez sometimes drives to their home at night just to watch the house.

The following evening, Ted receives a second text from the same number: “YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH IT” (153). At first, he tries to stick with the same suggestion of ignoring the messages. At Jill’s insistence, he agrees to attempt to trace the source of the messages without going to the police. Jill confides that Lara has been acting strangely and wonders if she could be the one sending the texts. Ted dismisses the suggestion, since Lara is their close friend and she and Ben have their own money (and thus no reason to envy them). 

The next morning, Ted visits a tech store to find a way to trace the number but is told that it is nearly impossible due to the use of anonymous apps and burner phones. He tells Jill that he will change his number and keep the new one secret. A couple of weeks later, on the day of Greg’s memorial, Jill is getting ready when her phone pings with a new message from the anonymous texter: “MURDERERS” (158).

Ted soothes Jill and promises her he will find the source of the texts. At Greg’s memorial service Ted is shocked to see John Burnley. He confronts Burnley about the texts, but Burnley denies sending them. Ted then spots Ramirez, who confirms the investigation into Greg’s death is not closed. Minerva also attends with her boyfriend, Robert Carrera. Later, Ramirez approaches Jill while she is speaking with Lara, making Jill visibly uncomfortable. Ted wonders if Ramirez’s investigation has made Lara suspicious of them and if she is the one sending the texts.

After the memorial, Ted and Jill return home and discuss the day’s events. They are alarmed that Ramirez doesn’t seem to be giving up and wonder if he could be responsible for the texts. Ted also reveals that when he confronted John Burnley about the texts, Burnley denied sending them. Impulsively, Jill picks up her phone and replies to the most recent text, demanding to know who is sending them. Ted continues to urge that they ignore the texts and possibly take a trip. Suddenly, Jill notices a glint on a bookshelf in their favorite room. They investigate and discover a tiny hidden camera, realizing with horror that someone has been recording their private conversations.

Panicked, Ted smashes the camera. Both Ted and Jill are terrified that the camera may have been used to record the many conversations in which they openly discussed their crime. They have no idea how long it has been in the house. As Jill becomes more agitated, Ted tells her that whoever sent the texts must also be responsible for the camera. He tries to convince her that someone is blackmailing them by claiming to know about the crime. They discuss who would have access to the house in order to plant the camera; Nadya (who has keys to the house for her weekly cleaning) is the obvious suspect, but Jill points out that Lara also has a spare set of keys. 

Fearing there may be more cameras, Jill and Ted search the house. Ted rushes out to purchase a handheld detection device. He sweeps the house, finding a second camera hidden in a kitchen light fixture, which he also destroys. Soon after, Jill’s phone receives another text: “SO YOU FOUND THE CAMERAS. NOW YOU KNOW I’M NOT BLUFFING” (175). 

The next morning, Jill and Ted confront Nadya. Nadya is shocked and denies planting any cameras, reminding them that Lara also has access to the house. Ted and Jill let Nadya go, telling her to take the day off with pay. Privately, Nadya recalls Peter’s keen interest and wonders if he could have planted the camera. She also notes that Ted and Jill would only be upset about the cameras if they had something to hide.

Ted and Jill conclude that Nadya is likely innocent and not technologically savvy enough to be the blackmailer. They review their list of suspects: Lara, Burnley, Ramirez, and Minerva. Ted suggests that whoever is blackmailing them will make a demand soon and they should wait to see what they ask for. Jill counters that “they’ll ask for more and more until we don’t have anything left!” (181). When Ted tries to embrace and comfort her, Jill shoves him away. She thinks resentfully that her husband’s poor financial decisions drove them to commit the murder. 

Determined to take control, Ted calls John Burnley and arranges to meet him at the pond in Central Park. However, after Ted waits for over half an hour, Burnley never shows up. Feeling manipulated and unnerved, Ted leaves the park and sits in a nearby coffee shop to figure out his next move.

While Ted is out, Lara pays a surprise visit to Jill. Lara shares that she and Ben are trying for a baby. Jill struggles to act normally but is distracted by trying to determine if her friend could be the one who planted the cameras. Lara asks why Ramirez attended the memorial and Jill explains that Ramirez is obsessed with his suspicions that she and Ted played a role in Greg’s death. Lara seems to side with her friend, agreeing that Ramirez is being ridiculous. 

Meanwhile, John Burnley appears at the coffee shop and joins Ted. Ted immediately accuses him of planting the cameras and sending the texts. Realizing Ted is being blackmailed by someone else, Burnley sees an opportunity to bluff. He plays along, never explicitly admitting guilt but allowing Ted to assume he is the one responsible. Ted demands the recordings from the camera although he privately concedes that he will never be sure that all copies are deleted and realizes he will have to kill Burnley. Burnley demands $4 million for the recordings and Ted agrees but tries to stall for time, explaining he cannot access funds from the inheritance until Greg’s estate is settled. Burnley says he won’t deliver any recordings until he has the money. 

Burnley leaves the coffee shop confident that he will get the money even though he doesn’t have any recordings and doesn’t know anything about the cameras. He believes that Ted will find a way to get the money because he is desperate to cover up his crime.

Ted returns home and tells Jill that Burnley is the blackmailer. When he explains he has agreed to a payoff, Jill objects that Burnley will keep demanding more money. Ted declares he will “take care of” Burnley although he doesn’t yet have a plan for how (191). Jill makes him promise to include her in his plans; Ted also admits that since Burnley wants money immediately, they will have to figure out how to get some. 

An omniscient narrator reveals that the couple missed two other hidden cameras (one in their bedroom and another in the front room) and that the real blackmailer is watching their conversation on a live feed. Meanwhile, at her home, Nadya resolves that she needs to speak with Peter. When he arrives home, she tells him that Jill and Ted found hidden cameras and accused her of being the one to plant them. She asks Peter if he planted the cameras, but he denies it and claims to know nothing about them.

Lara tells Ben that she is worried about Jill but Ben dismisses her concerns. Meanwhile, Ted tries to figure out how to kill Burnley but struggles to come up with a plan because he is distracted by Jill’s worry and distress. He suggests a vacation, hoping that a change of scenery will calm her. They book a spontaneous getaway to Venice, a city they both love. That night, Jill has a nightmare in which Greg transforms into Agent Ramirez and drowns her. Waking in terror, she wanders the house, which no longer feels like a sanctuary.

In Venice, Jill continues to feel anxious. She and Ted struggle to come up with a viable plan to kill John Burnley without attracting police attention. While in their hotel room, Jill’s phone receives a new text: “SOON I WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH I WANT” (201). Since Burnley already agreed to an amount ($4 million) in his conversation with Ted, this message confuses him. Jill raises the possibility that Burnley is not the true blackmailer. Ted is overcome with panic, fearing he made a terrible mistake by agreeing to a deal with Burnley (who now knows they have a secret that they are desperate to conceal). Jill demands that Ted text Burnley and ask to see one of the recordings as confirmation that he has them. With Jill’s help, Ted composes and sends a text warning Burnley that the deal is off unless he sends immediate confirmation that he has the incriminating files.

In Manhattan, Burnley receives the text from Ted and realizes his bluff has been called. He replies, refusing to send any proof of the recordings (since he doesn’t have them) and accepts that Ted will likely not give him the money they agreed to. However, Burnley now knows that someone is blackmailing Ted and wonders if he could extract money by offering to help the latter deal with the blackmailer. 

Burnley’s reply is composed in a different font and style from the other blackmail texts and Jill knows that he is not the one who has been messaging them. She is furious with Ted for creating more problems by being duped by Burnley. The following evening, they are surprised to run into Lara and Ben. 

Lara explains that Nadya told her that Jill and Ted were on vacation in Venice; Lara decided to plan a spontaneous trip and surprise her friend. Jill fears that the trip is evidence that Lara is the true blackmailer. The two couples go to dinner, where Lara brings up Ramirez’s investigation and his insinuations that Ted and Jill knew about the inheritance before Greg’s death. Ted continues to insist that they didn’t know.