She Didn't See It Coming

The narrative skips forward six weeks after the fender-bender. Bryden is eating breakfast with Clara and her husband, Sam, who is a “portfolio manager” for an investment firm. After Sam leaves for work, Bryden drops Clara off at daycare. She returns to their condo to work from home for the day.

At 5:30 that evening, Sam gets a call from Clara’s daycare and learns that Bryden is late picking Clara up and is not answering phone calls or texts. Sam begins to worry. He picks Clara up from daycare and returns home to find Bryden’s car in the parking lot and her cell phone and laptop on the dining-room table. Sam takes Clara to the neighbor, Angela Romano, and then calls Bryden’s sister, Lizzie, who says that she has not heard from Bryden all day. He calls Bryden’s best friend, Paige, but she does not pick up the phone. Lizzie tells Sam to call the police while she makes her way to the condo.

At 6:51 pm, Detective Jayne Salter from Albany Police Department gets the call about Bryden’s disappearance. Ten minutes later, she arrives at the condo (unit 801) and notices that Sam and Lizzie seem upset and nervous. She directs her partner, Detective Tom Kilgour, to search the building. Sam reports that Bryden was reliable and hardworking and that it was out of character for her to leave. He claims that their marriage did not have any problems. He cannot remember whether the door was locked when he arrived home. Jayne decides to treat the condo as a crime scene.

Lizzie is anxious about her sister, but as a nurse, she is trained to stay calm during emergencies. She has called her parents in Florida, and they will arrive in Albany the next day.

Jayne interviews the building manager, who reports that there is only CCTV coverage of the front and back entrances of the building. The CCTV cameras in the underground parking lot do not work. Then, Jayne interviews Sam and Bryden’s neighbor, Angela, in unit 808. Angela reports that she was good friends with Bryden and that Bryden had not mentioned any problems in her life. Angela advises Jayne to investigate the man who lives in unit 811 with his wife.

Jayne goes to unit 811. She is met by Tracy Kemp, who seems extremely anxious at the sight of a police officer. Tracy reports that she has lived there for three years with her husband, Henry, but was never close with Bryden. Tracy tells Jayne that a woman “made a false claim” (28) against Henry two years ago but that all charges were dropped. Henry tells Jayne that he was at work all day, and the two allow Jayne to search the apartment. After Jayne and her colleague leave the condo, Henry reassures Tracy that the police will not bother them again.

After the detectives leave the Kemps’ apartment, Jayne’s colleague, Detective Kilgour tells Jayne that Henry was accused of abducting and raping a woman in a van. However, the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. Jayne continues to canvass the neighbors, none of whom has any information about Bryden’s whereabouts. Jayne reviews the CCTV footage, but Bryden cannot be seen entering or leaving the building by either of the main entrances, so she must have left via the garage. They check the empty units on the first and eighth floor of the building, just in case Bryden is somewhere in the complex, but there is no trace of her.

After the detectives have left, Sam goes over to Angela’s condo. He is shocked to learn about the accusations against Henry Kemp and suspects that Henry might be involved in Bryden’s disappearance. Sam takes Clara home.

Jayne returns to the police station to brief the team. She notes it is “interesting” that Bryden had requested that no one contact her during the workday. They have very little evidence and have found no signs of foul play. They will be checking Henry’s alibi and putting him under surveillance. Jayne is skeptical of the theory that Henry is involved.

Tracy Kemp reflects that she wishes she could believe her husband Henry was not involved in the abduction and rape of a woman. Even though the charges were dropped, she still does not know the truth of what happened. She wonders if Henry is involved in Bryden’s disappearance.

Sam and Lizzie get up early the morning after Bryden’s disappearance. Lizzie wonders if Henry might have something to do with Bryden’s disappearance. Sam asks Lizzie if Bryden ever told her about anything he is not aware of. Lizzie insists Bryden never kept secrets from her and says that Bryden did not have any problems. Sam privately reflects that Lizzie and Bryden “[had] their issues” (44) and were not necessarily very close. Lizzie offers to take Clara for the day; they are going to pick up Bryden’s parents from the airport.

Jayne reviews Bryden’s laptop and financial records. Bryden had last saved the document she was working on at 12:42 pm. The only unusual financial activity was a cash withdrawal of $2,700, which is related to a series of calls from a man named Derek Gardner. Jayne gives a press conference at 9 am, asking for the public’s help finding Bryden.

Jayne goes back to the Frost condo and interviews Sam, who tells her he was at work all day yesterday downtown, except for the time frame between noon and two pm, when he was eating lunch in a park. He explains that the cash payment to Derek Gardner was intended to cover the damage to Derek’s Tesla. Sam tells Jayne that he and Bryden “were very happy” (49) in their marriage. Jayne notes that he is using the past tense to describe his wife.

Derek Gardner is a cybersecurity expert. He lives in Albany with his wife, Alice, a part-time researcher at the university. Jayne goes to Derek’s house to interview him. He tells Jayne that he did not know Bryden well. They had met once at a coffee shop called the Daily Grind after Derek had had his rear bumper repaired; Bryden had paid for the repairs in cash.

Jayne believes Derek’s story, although she finds him to be “rather full of himself” (53). She returns to the police station, where Detective Kilgour reports that they have verified Henry Kemp’s alibi; Henry is eliminated as a suspect. Another officer reports that no one at Bryden’s work had any knowledge of what might have happened to her. Jayne notes that it is unusual that Sam Frost took a two-hour lunch break on the day of Bryden’s disappearance.

Lizzie picks her parents up from the airport and is struck by how much the stress of the situation has aged them. Clara is also distressed by the disappearance of her mother.

That afternoon, Angela calls Tracy Kemp, Henry’s wife, and asks if Tracy thinks that “Henry took Bryden” (57). Tracy hangs up. Meanwhile, Sam, Lizzie, Clara, and Lizzie’s parents are at the condo, feeling anxious and nervous. The detectives arrive and tell the family that Henry Kemp is no longer a suspect. They believe Bryden left the apartment building around one o’clock and exited through the parking lot. They want to interview everyone in the family individually.