The scene at the pond is chaotic. Edith and her daughters collapse over Reginald’s body once it is pulled from the water. Lenore and Gladys escort the family home, while Orville and others carry the body to the police station. Vera photographs the scene and follows.

At the station, Orville confronts Chief Meade, who has unexpectedly turned up for work, and informs him that von Beaverpelt has been killed. Checking the cells, Orville discovers Lefty is gone; Meade admits he released the raccoon, citing a lack of evidence. Orville draws a connection between the release and von Beaverpelt’s death. Vera records the exchange before Orville orders her to leave. She complies.

Later, Orville notes a large wound on von Beaverpelt’s head and sends pigeons to neighboring towns asking them to watch for Lefty, though he doubts it will amount to much.

That evening, Lenore visits Vera and finds that she has finally put a lock on her door. Vera blames herself for not pressing harder to speak with Reginald, believing he was trying to warn her. Lenore firmly says the responsibility lies with the murderer alone and urges Vera to stay careful.

In the days following Reginald’s murder, town gossip holds that Edith has no idea how to run the sawmill, so it will close down and ruin the town. Everyone plans to attend the funeral, expected to be far grander than Otto’s modest service.

Vera arrives to the funeral late, the bandage still visible on her head. Parson Dusty eulogizes Reginald as a respected local figure, then reveals that he was born poor under the name Reggie Pelt and built his empire through hard work. Growing impassioned, he pounds the pulpit and calls for justice before composing himself and announcing a reception at the mansion.

The entire town floods into the mansion, eager to see the opulent furnishings. Vera and Lenore notice that the ancestral portraits suggest old family wealth, leading them to speculate the money was Edith’s, not Reginald’s—which, Lenore suggests, may explain why he never sought a divorce.

The afternoon’s defining moment comes when Ruby Ewing arrives in mourning clothes. Edith erupts, publicly denouncing her as a “homewrecker,” flanked by her daughters. Ruby holds her ground long enough to say quietly that she loved Reginald too, then leaves. Edith, spent, is taken upstairs to rest. On the way home, Vera mentions to Lenore that Orville has asked to meet at the station the following morning to compare notes.

The next morning, Vera wakes early after nightmares about the boulder attack and reviews her notes. She stops at Joe’s, where Joe confirms he spoke to Ruby after she left the reception but keeps the details private. Vera picks up two coffees and heads to the station.

Orville is studying the autopsy reports, which reveal that Reginald, like Otto, was poisoned. They discuss the near-impossibility of verifying alibis for Otto’s murder, since his time of death spans an entire night. Orville shares one solid lead: Lefty has a girlfriend named Rhonda in Elm Grove, a small village downriver. He visited her after Lefty’s release, and though she denied seeing him, he has placed her home under watch. He also notes that she seemed genuinely shocked to hear of von Beaverpelt’s death, suggesting Lefty never told her about the second murder. Vera argues that Lefty was in jail when Reginald was first poisoned and has no apparent motive for either murder. Orville remains unconvinced.

Afterward, Vera goes to the cemetery and stands at Reginald’s grave. Ruby Ewing appears silently beside her, still in mourning. Ruby confesses that she and Reginald were in love and had planned to leave Shady Hollow together, with Reginald quietly setting money aside for their escape. She accuses Edith of killing him rather than allow him to leave, and of poisoning Otto beforehand as a test.

Vera points out that Otto was also stabbed, which Ruby dismisses as an act of jealous rage. Ruby provides alibis: She was with Reginald in the woods on the night Otto died, and she was on duty at her nursing home job when Reginald was killed. She says she may leave Shady Hollow for good. Vera departs with a new set of serious allegations to pursue.

Vera goes straight to the police station to report Ruby’s accusation of Edith. Orville counters with news of his own: A raccoon paw print was found inside the von Beaverpelt home. After Vera relays Ruby’s account and alibis, Orville balks at arresting the wealthiest creature in the county but agrees that evidence must come before any arrest. He confirms he will continue pursuing Lefty based on the physical paw print.

Back at the newspaper office, Vera decides not to publish Ruby’s accusation without independent corroboration. She reflects on something Ruby said: Reginald had been saving money, yet Parson Dusty claimed he had come from nothing. Where was that money coming from? The question connects to Howard’s earlier comment about financial irregularities at the sawmill, and Vera goes to his house.

Howard brings out the account books and explains that small errors in the records grew over time into large unaccounted sums, which von Beaverpelt always dismissed. While Howard briefly attends to his sick wife, Vera examines the books and spots a pattern: $500 went out every month to a recipient identified only as “B. S.” Howard confirms he found no match among known sawmill contacts. The payments stopped the week Reginald was murdered. Vera insists they bring the books to Orville, and after some hesitation, Howard agrees to do so the next morning.

At lunch, Vera visits Lenore at the bookshop and explains her frustration. Lenore identifies the core problem: Both victims were poisoned, meaning the killer could have introduced the poison well before either death and simply waited, rendering alibis almost meaningless. She advises Vera to focus on motive instead. The suggestion sparks something in Vera, and she dashes out.

The next morning, Vera and Howard Chitters present the sawmill account books to Orville. Howard explains the hidden monthly payments to “B. S.,” but Orville struggles to follow the accounting and can only commit to filing a report. He asks whether there have been any break-ins or sightings of Lefty at the sawmill; Howard reports none.

A woodchuck carpenter from the sawmill arrives with word that Edith von Beaverpelt has summoned Howard to the mansion. Vera asks to tag along. Before they leave, Orville draws Vera aside and warns that if Ruby’s accusation is correct, pressing Edith too hard could be dangerous.

At the mansion, Edith confesses to Howard that she has no understanding of the sawmill’s operations and fears financial ruin without Reginald. Howard methodically lists what needs to be done to reopen and agrees to handle everything himself before leaving to get started.

Edith then turns to Vera, who frames her questions as background for a tribute article about Reginald’s life. Edith is evasive at every turn, claiming not to remember their courtship or their first meeting. When Vera casually mentions their wedding, Edith’s demeanor shifts. She leans forward and issues a threat, making clear that creatures who pry into her business come to regret it. Vera ends the interview and leaves. Though she obtained nothing concrete, Edith’s threat solidifies her position as Vera’s prime suspect.