The next morning, the day of Otto’s funeral, fear has settled over Shady Hollow. Vera picks up Lenore, and the two walk to the cemetery together. A large crowd surrounds the grave. Ruby attends in a veiled hat; the von Beaverpelt women are present without the still-recovering Reginald. Edith von Beaverpelt loudly performs her grief and wonders aloud what “madness” could link her husband and Otto. The comment sparks a quiet exchange between Vera and Lenore, who suggests that the pond is the connection and wonders if someone is trying to drive creatures away from it—possibly to shut down the sawmill. Vera finds this alarming, rather than convincing, but files it away.

The eulogy, delivered by Parson Conkers, reveals details few townspeople knew: Otto had sailed the world, worked as a stevedore, and served as a spy during the Third Gator War. Conkers calls on the community to pursue justice. The crowd responds with unusual energy.

The wake is held at Joe’s. Ruby cheekily tells Orville that she was entertaining a private guest the night Otto died and declines to name them. Afterward, Vera and Lenore agree that they are stuck without a motive. Lenore argues that poison is a calculated weapon requiring planning, not the weapon of a creature acting in rage. They briefly consider whether someone framed von Beaverpelt by stabbing Otto after the poisoning, but that theory fails to explain why von Beaverpelt was also poisoned. Lenore is cautiously optimistic the killer made a mistake somewhere; Vera admits she currently understands nothing.

The morning after the funeral, Vera visits the police station to share what she knows about the poison. Orville reports that the doctor’s lab tests of the poison were inconclusive. Vera tells him the substance is called heartstill and explains Sun Li’s connection. Orville takes careful notes and decides to confiscate Sun Li’s remaining supply, though Vera points out the killer already has more than enough to be dangerous.

Lefty the raccoon can be heard singing in his cell. Orville attempts to release him, concluding he is not guilty, but Lefty panics and begs to stay locked up, too afraid of the killer to go free. Orville, bemused, agrees.

Orville shows Vera his suspect list—nearly every adult in Shady Hollow—with almost entirely blank alibi columns, and the two fill in what they know together. Orville notes, with an almost teasing tone, that Vera has no one to confirm her own alibi, though he adds that her relentless pursuit of the story argues against her guilt.

The moment is broken when Chief Meade storms in, hears about heartstill, and demands to know why Sun Li has not been arrested. Orville defends the panda, saying that he had no motive, and the poison was likely stolen before he realized it was missing. The chief then spots Vera and reprimands Orville for talking to the press. Vera smoothly claims she was the one providing information and leaves.

At Nevermore Books, Vera and Lenore go over the case. They confirm Heidegger’s alibi: While flying out of town that night, he spotted a mid-sized creature near the pond, then arrived at a colleague’s shortly after moonrise and stayed well past the time of Otto’s death. Finding this unidentified creature might at least produce a witness.

Reviewing motives, they note that general dislike of Otto is too broad to be useful and that von Beaverpelt is effectively cleared, since he would not have poisoned himself. They theorize that Otto may have stumbled onto dangerous information through his habit of trading gossip. Lenore briefly suggests Gladys as a suspect, but Vera dismisses this, citing the hummingbird’s genuinely overwrought reaction to finding the body.

Lenore circles back to Ruby and the wine bottle, but Vera counters that Ruby seemed upset by guilt over her carelessness at having left the bottle lying around, not by having committed a crime. Stuck, Lenore says they need one more piece of evidence. Vera grimly jokes that the next piece will be another body, then makes the traditional woodland sign to ward off the ill-spoken words.

Still frustrated, Vera heads to the Herald office and finds a message slip: Reginald von Beaverpelt wants to see her at his home. At the mansion, Stasia refuses Vera entry, claiming her father is too ill for visitors. Vera pushes past her and strides upstairs to the master bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Reginald, bedridden and visibly diminished, tells Vera that he knows who poisoned him. When she presses for a name, he hedges, afraid the killer will act before the police can. Vera offers to involve Orville, but Reginald refuses emphatically. He then offers Vera an exclusive story with additional payment if she will report it precisely as he frames it, a deeply suspicious proposal.

Before she can extract anything more concrete, Edith, Stasia, and Esme force the door open with a spare key. Reginald whispers that they will talk later and collapses back against his pillows. Vera slips out past the furious women, acutely aware of how close she came to a breakthrough.

Returning to the Herald, Vera turns over Reginald’s behavior in her mind: He is clearly afraid, possibly even of his own family, and his offer of a bonus looks uncomfortably like a bribe. A second anonymous message slip awaits her on her desk, instructing her to come alone to a stand of old oaks north of town at midnight for a “scoop.”

Vera informs Lenore before heading out, but Lenore strongly objects and urges her to tell Orville instead. Vera refuses, convinced no informant would trust a police officer. They compromise: Lenore will fly out separately and wait at the river beyond the oak grove, intervening if Vera does not appear within a few minutes of midnight.

Vera spends the remaining hours writing her article and delivers the copy to the newsroom just before deadline. She finds BW angling for a sensational headline, shuts him down, and hints she will have fresh material by morning. On her way home, she runs into Lefty, who has been expelled from jail by Chief Meade. Frightened, Lefty cryptically admits he took on a job without asking questions and fears the killer may be coming for him next. Before Vera can press him, he bolts down a side street.

About an hour before midnight, Vera sets out for the oak stand. The forest is unusually empty. Arriving at the ancient oaks, she finds no one and sits on a fallen log to wait. After a long silence, she hears a low rumbling from the dark hillside, followed immediately by Lenore screaming a warning from above. A massive boulder barrels down the slope directly toward her. Vera throws herself aside at the last moment, feels a sharp impact, and loses consciousness.

Vera comes to with Lenore crouched over her. She is too dizzy to stand. Professor Heidegger happens to fly overhead, and Lenore flags him down to fetch Orville. Orville arrives at a run. Heidegger and Orville investigate the hilltop and return with a clear finding: A branch had been used as a lever to dislodge the boulder, and the ground in its path had been deliberately cleared. The rock was aimed straight at the fallen log. Orville concludes without doubt that the attack was intentional. He carries Vera home while Lenore flies ahead to open her den.

Sun Li is waiting at Vera’s den. He examines her, bandages the head wound, and confirms that she has no serious injuries but must rest. After he leaves, Orville begins his questioning. Lenore explains the anonymous note and the clandestine meeting. Vera adds that she suspects the note may have been from von Beaverpelt and wonders whether his illness is as serious as he has let on. Lenore cuts the conversation short, insisting Vera needs sleep. Orville agrees to return the next day, telling Vera as he goes that she takes too many risks. Vera wonders whether her investigation is getting uncomfortably close to the truth, then falls asleep mid-sentence.