Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door

The two flee Dickie’s apartment and shuffle through the halls, convinced that there’s another intruder. Riley gets distracted when she notices that Nick has an erection. They sexually tease each other, forgetting that they might be in danger. Finally, they deduce that the potential intruder must have been Mrs. Penny coming home late.

Riley takes a run with Gabe to distract from the sexual tension in her and Nick’s relationship. Over breakfast afterward, she and Gabe continue discussing Dickie’s case and Riley’s visions. Gabe gives her exercises to control the messages she receives. Then she gets a vision of Griffin, and she wonders if he has something to do with the murder. Another vision shows her working at Nature Girls. Texts from Nick interrupt her. They make plans to meet up later.

At work, Nick tries to control his thoughts of Riley. She arrives for their meeting, Gabe in tow, and the three discuss the prospect of Riley working a shift at Nature Girls to do some investigative work. Nick forbids it, but Gabe insists that he’ll pretend to be a bouncer and protect her. Nick suddenly wishes he were actually dating Riley so that he could influence her. Riley reminds Nick that Dickie may have been running a “gambling ring through Nature Girls” (213) and that she must follow this lead. Nick reluctantly gives in.

Riley secures a serving job at Nature Girls, where she meets her new coworkers, Betsy, Liz, and Deelia. They’re immediately suspicious of Riley when she starts asking questions about Dickie, but she doesn’t give up. She soon learns that Dickie had a silent partner at Nature Girls and confirms that “illegal gambling” is occurring at the bar.

Nick waits outside SHART for Riley after work. She doesn’t want to see him because he was so worked up about her night at Nature Girls. They continue talking and discover that the police have been trailing both of them. They head to a café and continue discussing the case. When Weber and Jones show up, Nick confronts them for stalking Riley. Riley has a vision about two people named Fat Tony and Beth. When she asks the table who they are, Weber and Jones become uncomfortable and leave.

Riley does some social media work for Wander’s studio in her downtime. She’s proud of Wander but can’t help feeling a little jealous of her sister’s confidence and success. Late that night, Mrs. Penny sneaks through the hall and asks Riley for a ride. Although confused, Riley agrees. Finally, they arrive at a rundown house, where Mrs. Penny dons a ski mask and tells Riley to keep the car running. Riley obliges but worries that Mrs. Penny is up to no good. Eventually, she races out of the house with a clan of masked bandits and a pack of dogs. Then sirens wail, and Mrs. Penny urges Riley to help her and her friends escape.

Riley invokes Nick’s help. He drives Riley and Mrs. Penny’s bandits (her other neighbors and friends) away from the crime scene. The group reveals that they were freeing dogs from an animal abuser. They often take cases like this into their own hands. Riley and Nick are surprised but get the elderly vigilantes to safety. Back at Front Street, Riley and Nick turn in for the night. They bring one of the rescue dogs, Burt, with them.

The next morning, Riley and Nick lie in bed snuggling. Nick refuses to let go of her when she tries to get up. Finally, she gives in, and the two engage in sexual foreplay until Burt interrupts them. When they get out of bed, they run into Gabe, who’s there to continue Riley’s training.

Before work, Nick takes Burt to his place, a barren apartment where he lives alone. A knock at the door unnerves him. He draws his gun, only to find Fat Tony and his colleague waiting for him. They want Nick to prove that Tony wasn’t involved in Dickie’s murder. He has been involved in other crimes, but he’s innocent in this case and suspects that the cops are dirty. Nick takes Tony’s payment and agrees to help him.

Riley struggles through another long day at SHART. She procrastinates by watching more Channel 50 videos. This morning, she sees Griffin’s report on the vigilante dog rescue. Afterward, she distracts herself by practicing her psychic control techniques. She’s unnerved when she sees a vision involving Nick, Weber, and a young woman named Beth.