Love in the Time of Serial Killers

The next morning, Phoebe wakes to the sound of her phone’s ringtone. She can’t read the caller’s name through the cracked screen and remembers the previous night’s events. She hears a knock at the door. It must be Conner, but she grabs her old electric guitar to use as a weapon in case the creepy guy has returned. It’s Conner. He smiles broadly but then asks what’s up with her desk. She looks at her car: the desk is no longer strapped to the roof. Instead, it’s pushed up next to the house, tucked into a spot that isn’t visible from the street. That guy last night must have moved it, she thinks. She lets Conner in, and the two contemplate the house. It’s a mess. They have about six weeks to get it ready to put on the market, and they’ll be busy.

They head out for breakfast at Waffle House, their old favorite. Over eggs and bacon, Conner shares that he plans to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Shani. Phoebe wonders if they’re too young to get married but then remembers that they’ve been dating since high school. Conner adores her and always has. Phoebe reflects that she might just be jealous: Her own love life has been almost nonexistent in recent years. Talk moves to the house. Their father had other debts, so they won’t have much money for repairs. The real estate agent only requested a thorough cleaning. Phoebe must finish her dissertation that summer and asks Conner to do his share to help with the house. When they return, the guy from the previous night is there. During the day, he looks innocent, but Phoebe wouldn’t be surprised if something sinister lurked beneath the surface. Conner laughs at her, telling her that her dissertation (which examines society’s fascination with true crime) is getting to her.

Phoebe and Conner work together to begin clearing the house of its considerable clutter. After Conner leaves, Phoebe is too tired to work on her dissertation, even though she owes her advisor a chapter the following week. When a box labeled Samuel Demmings is misdelivered to her father’s house, Phoebe realizes it’s for the neighbor, the guy from the night before. She takes it over to him and again notes that he is very attractive. They have a stilted conversation during which he offers condolences for her father’s death, and she doesn’t know how to respond. She worries that she appears rude. Later that night, however, she looks out the window to see him covered in what looks like blood and lugging a large roll of plastic sheeting around. Her worries return, and she calls her brother to ask what he thinks of Sam. Conner tells her to “chill” and reiterates his position that she spends too much time reading about serial killers. He knows little about Sam but assures Phoebe that he always seemed like a nice guy. He has lived next door for about a year. Phoebe knows that she has never been “chill” but contemplates Conner’s characterization of her. She enjoys studying serial killers but had trouble initially getting her English department to greenlight her dissertation topic. Conner may be right, but she can’t help but find Sam’s behavior suspicious.

Phoebe is missing her copy of Helter Skelter, a book she needs in order to write her dissertation chapter, and she heads to the library to grab a copy. She finds a couple other books that might help in her analysis of subject-author relationships in true crime writing and tries to pull up her online application for a library card as she walks up to the counter. There, she’s surprised to see her old friend Allison working. Allison recognizes her immediately, smiles as she says hello, and explains that she completed her master’s degree in library science the previous year. As Allison happily recalls their shared love for reading, Phoebe recalls the dramatic end of their friendship. Finding it odd that Allison doesn’t seem to remember it, she finds herself unable to converse normally. Allison clearly thinks Phoebe’s response is rude, so Phoebe is surprised that, when she begins to walk away, Allison tells her, in a heartfelt voice, that it seems like she’s doing okay and that she’s glad.

Phoebe recalls that their fallout was silly, really. They drifted apart after Phoebe moved out of her dad’s house. One day, they were messaging, and Phoebe made a joke (a distasteful one, she now admits) about being so bored she was going to swallow a bottle of pills. Allison told her parents and called Phoebe’s parents. Phoebe was livid, and their friendship ended.

When Phoebe returns to her dad’s house, she finds Sam mowing the lawn. She explodes in a fit of anger and accuses him of being sexist for assuming that she was incapable of mowing the lawn. He responds calmly, explaining that in the months leading up to her father’s death he became too weak to mow his lawn, so Sam stepped in to help. Mollified, Phoebe mutters that if he wants to, Sam can keep mowing her father’s lawn.

Phoebe has a call with Dr. Nilsson, her somewhat intimidating dissertation adviser. She explains the next steps in her project and emails Dr. Nilsson the chapter she just completed. Curtly, Dr. Nilsson tells her that she can expect feedback next week. She then asks Phoebe about her job materials. Phoebe intends to go on the academic job market in the fall but hasn’t even started compiling everything she’ll need for her applications. She knows she should be grateful for Dr. Nilsson’s input, but the conversation fills her with anxiety and she’s happy to hang up. She sees Sam carrying an alarming amount of bagged ice into his home and wonders why.

Conner and Shani surprise Phoebe that night by stopping by with burritos. She’s thankful for both the food and the company. However, Phoebe finds the conversation frustrating: Both Conner and Shani are worried about her. They think that her dissertation topic has led to an unhealthy fixation with serial killers and that her obsession with Sam is a manifestation of unresolved grief about her father’s death. They explain that they would like to move in with her until the house is sold. Phoebe vocally objects, noting her need for peace and quiet to finish her dissertation. The conversation sours, and, noticing that Sam is having a party, they decide to head over.

The party is in honor of one of Sam’s coworkers, who’s retiring. They learn this from Josue, one of the guests, who is a gaming friend of Conner’s. Sam, Josue, and Barbara (the soon-to-be retiree) all work together at an elementary school. Sam is the music teacher. Phoebe has another awkward, stilted conversation with Sam but chats readily with Barbara. As the party continues, however, she can feel Conner and Shani radiating judgment. It’s obvious that they’re now even more amused by her theory that Sam is a serial killer. Mortified, Phoebe desperately wishes she could return to her father’s house.