Lies He Told Me

Recalling the lifeguard rules, Marcie resisted the urge to dive in after David and called 911. David remained underwater for more than a minute as passersby recorded the scene on their phones.

When a rescue helicopter arrived, David clung to its ladder with one hand, holding the SUV’s driver above water with the other. Police officers hauled David and the driver onto a rescue boat.

David was treated for hypothermia at St. Benedict’s Hospital, and the driver of the SUV, who crashed during an epileptic seizure, also survived. Meanwhile, the video of David’s heroism went viral. David declined to speak at a press conference, leaving by the hospital’s back entrance to avoid reporters.

One month later, Marcie and David get their children, 10-year-old Lincoln and 12-year-old Grace, ready for school. They inexplicably find the coffee pot in the washer-dryer and Grace’s lunchbox in the yard. Their dog, Lulu, also goes missing from the enclosed back garden.

Marcie and David search the neighborhood for Lulu. Marcie reaches the town square where a statue of Hemingway Grove’s founder, fur trader Abner Hemingway, stands. Tourists often visit the town because they mistakenly believe it was named after Ernest Hemingway. Marcie talks to a red-haired stranger on a bench who suggests that Lulu will return home “like she never left” (32).

Marcie is a family law attorney and has a court appearance that morning. When she reaches the courthouse, her ID is missing from her bag. Later, Marcie and David return home simultaneously to find Lulu barking in the backyard.

David became an orphan at the age of four and grew up in foster care. He is now the owner of Hemingway’s Pub. Marcie struggles to understand why her husband chose this career, as he is mathematically brilliant. As the couple supervises their children’s bedtime, they see a fire in the backyard.

Marcie and David realize someone has lit their outside grill. Marcie suggests calling the police, but David dismisses the incident as an early Halloween prank.

Marcie receives a text from defense lawyer Howard Shimkus, a senior partner at the Chicago law firm where she used to work. Howard reminds Marcie it is the 15th anniversary of the Halloween Massacre when three trial witnesses were killed in the government detention center where they were being protected. The dead witnesses, who were due to testify against the mob boss, Michael Cagnina, included Howard and Marcie’s client, Silas Renfrow, an assassin who worked for Cagnina.

Tommy tails Darlene Farraday into the parking lot of Hemingway’s Pub. Noting the giant statue of Ernest Hemingway outside, he reflects that it must have been expensive. He wonders how the bar’s owner can afford a million-dollar house without a mortgage. When Darlene enters the establishment, Tommy hammers a nail into her Jeep’s tire.

When Darlene leaves the pub, Tommy “rescues” her by changing her tire. They go to a diner, and Tommy claims to be a journalist researching an article on David. Darlene was a sorority sister of Marcie, but they were not close. She says that Marcie was smart and ambitious and could not wait to leave Hemingway Grove for Chicago. Some people believe Marcie returned to Hemingway Grove for Kyle Janowski, her high school boyfriend, who is now a police officer. However, Darlene suspects that “something went wrong” (53) at Marcie’s Chicago law firm.

The morning of Halloween, Marcie sets the house alarm before leaving for work. Marcie represents Diane Worley in a court hearing, arguing that her client should receive more financial support for her three children. Diane supported her husband through medical school, but he divorced her for a younger woman once he became a wealthy radiologist. The elderly white judge rules against Diane, suggesting she does not deserve to profit from her husband’s success. As the hearing concludes, the home alarm company calls Marcie, saying there has been a break-in.

Kyle hears a break-in report on his police radio and recognizes the address as Marcie’s.

Kyle arrives at Marcie’s house to investigate.

After searching the Bowers’s home, Kyle concludes that the intruder has not disturbed or stolen anything.

Marcie tells Kyle about Lulu’s disappearance and the other strange occurrences.

On Halloween evening, Lincoln returns home with trick-or-treat candy. Inside one of the wrappers is a dead rat.

Lincoln reveals that a person standing on a corner dressed as Darth Vader gave him the package. David asks Marcie if someone connected to her work could be targeting them.