She Didn't See It Coming

Detective Kilgour reads Alice her rights, and the interview continues. Jayne tells Alice of their proof (mostly video evidence and hotel stays) that Derek has cheated on Alice in the past. Jayne lies and claims that the police know that Bryden was one of the women with whom Derek had an affair, but Alice does not respond to this probe.

Then, Jayne asks Alice about her mother’s death. Alice states that she was close with her mother and explains that she gave Derek half of the inheritance to start his company. She claims to have been at home with Derek on the night her mother was killed. Jayne presses Alice on whether Derek killed Mary, but Alice does not respond.

Driving home from Clara’s day care, Lizzie thinks about how she misses her sister, but she is also somewhat relieved that Bryden, the “perfect daughter,” is no longer around. She reflects that Sam responded in shock to her insinuation that she could help him, and she resolves to hide her online obsession with true crime more effectively in the future.

Donna goes to Paige’s apartment and asks her about Bryden’s affair and Bryden’s marriage to Sam. Paige says she thought that Bryden and Sam were happy and claims to be shocked to learn of the affair. Paige reassures Donna that she does not think Sam murdered Bryden.

Alice returns home after the police interview and angrily confronts Derek, who once again insists that he was not having an affair with Bryden and did not kill her. Alice is worried because the police are looking into her mother’s death and believe that Derek was involved. Derek retorts, “We both know that you killed your mother, Alice” (194). She says that if Derek had not been having an affair with Bryden, the police would not now be investigating Mary’s death.

Tracy’s husband, Henry, returns home from work, elated that the police have eliminated him as a suspect. This makes Tracy think about Kayly Medoff, the woman who accused Henry of abducting and raping her. She decides to look for Kayly and talk to her about what happened.

Meanwhile, Jayne decides to tell the police in New Hampshire that Derek Gardner is a person of interest in Mary’s hit-and-run accident.

While Lizzie’s parents are out looking at funeral homes, she stays home to review the online comments about her sister’s murder. A poster named “Susan Day” states her belief that Bryden had been having an affair, but when Lizzie asks for evidence, the poster admits that this is just speculation. Lizzie searches online for information about Derek Gardner.

Jayne tells Detective Kilgour that there is no physical evidence linking Derek Gardner to the crime scene, even if he has a potential motive. Then, a witness named Francine Logan arrives at the police station and reports having seen someone with a suitcase in the elevator around the time of Bryden’s murder. Francine was looking down at her phone and did not notice whether the person was a man or a woman.

Alice cooks beef bourguignon to calm herself down. While she cooks, she recalls how she carefully planned and executed her mother’s hit-and-run. She used her mother’s own pickup truck to commit the crime, then returned it to the driveway of her mother’s house, knowing that the police most likely would not check the victim’s own car. Then, Alice drove home in her own car and told Derek what she had done. He agreed to provide her with an alibi for the night. Now, she decides that even if Derek killed Bryden, she is “okay with it” (210). She hopes that the recent series of events will make Derek think twice about having any future affairs.

People in the Facebook group are now debating whether they are “Team Sam” or “Team Derek,” (i.e., whether they think that Sam or Derek murdered Bryden). A poster named “Deep Diver” reports that Derek has been cleared as a suspect. Jealous of the attention that Deep Diver is getting, Lizzie posts under the name “Emma Porter” that she knows Bryden was asphyxiated with a plastic bag because she knows people involved with the police investigation. Feeling thrilled by the resulting attention, Lizzie goes further, stating that she was the one who suggested to the police that they use dogs to search for Bryden’s body.

That evening at dinner, Donna worries about Lizzie, wondering what Lizzie has been doing alone in her room. Donna says they have made progress planning Bryden’s funeral. They are not going to ask Sam for his input because they think he murdered Bryden. When Donna asks Lizzie if she is all right, Lizzie responds, “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” (221). Her parents find this a strange response.

Derek returns home and reassures Alice that as long as they stick to their story, the police will have no evidence to convict her of the crime.

Jayne talks to her boyfriend Michael about the case. He says that whoever committed the crime gave in to their animal instincts and transgressed civilizational norms, but he still believes that people can always choose to do good.

The next morning, Lizzie decides to go to Sam’s. He insists that he did not kill Bryden. She tells him that she believes him, but her parents do not.

Lizzie takes Clara to the park. While she sits at a park bench, Alice Gardner sits next to her. Lizzie is surprised and says she thinks Derek “probably” killed Bryden. Alice says she thinks it was Sam who committed the murder. Alice says she has a message for Sam: “I’m Team Sam” (232). Then, she walks away.

Lizzie is shocked by the interaction with Alice. She realizes that Alice must be in the Facebook group and that she is following the discussion of Bryden’s case. She takes Clara back home and tells Sam about her interaction with Alice. He tells her to notify the police.

Lizzie goes to the police station and tells Jayne that Alice approached her in a threatening manner at the park, but she does not tell Jayne about the “I’m Team Sam” message. Lizzie asks Jayne for information on how the investigation is progressing, but Jayne does not tell her anything. Lizzie retorts, “If it weren’t for me, you probably wouldn’t have even have found her by now” (235). (This comment arises from Lizzie’s pride over suggesting the cadaver dog.) After Lizzie leaves, the detectives note that Lizzie is “pretty intense” and very involved in the case.

Lizzie returns home, frustrated that the police would not share any information. When Donna urges her to have patience, Lizzie storms off to her room. Donna is worried.