Miv confronts Sharon, who admits that Ishtiaq is now her boyfriend. Sharon explains she did not want Miv to feel left out and assures her they will be friends forever.

At the holiday club, Miv wonders whether Mr. Spencer is ill because his behavior remains erratic. Paul suggests that the vicar is drunk. That evening, Miv tells Austin and Aunty Jean that she is the narrator in the end-of-week show. She is delighted when Austin suggests they could go for an ice cream after the show with Sharon and Ruby.

On the night of the show, Mr. Spencer goes missing. After her performance, Miv finds Mr. Spencer collapsed in a pool of vomit, reeking of alcohol. Mrs. Spencer declares her husband is “unwell.”

Paul and Hazel compliment Miv on her brilliant performance and invite her to dinner one evening. Delighted by Paul’s invitation and praise, Miv’s thoughts are elsewhere at the ice-cream parlor. After dropping Sharon and Ruby off at home, she and Austin see emergency vehicles outside Omar’s shop. The air is thick with smoke.

Omar is at the wholesale warehouse buying stock when he learns that his shop is on fire. He rushes home and collapses from relief when a police officer assures him that Ishtiaq is safe.

Miv learns that the fire was started by a petrol-soaked rag shoved through the letterbox, leaving the shop a burnt-out shell. Ishtiaq and Omar go to stay with their family in Bradford. Sharon is furious and distraught.

Miv sees Brian Lockwood standing outside what is left of Omar’s shop. He is not wearing his usual yellow hat, and Miv notices his dark hair and mustache. Sharon is skeptical when Miv suggests Brian could be the Ripper. However, she agrees to investigate when Miv suggests he may also be responsible for the fire.

Miv finds her mother sitting blankly in the living room, while her father and Aunty Jean argue in the garden. She overhears Aunty Jean tell Austin his behavior must stop, or she will move out. Miv is horrified at the prospect of Aunty Jean leaving.

Miv and Sharon call on Valerie Lockwood, claiming to be doing odd jobs to raise money for the church. Valerie asks the girls to dust, and they eavesdrop as she talks to her friends, confiding that she is worried about Brian’s state of mind. Taking the girls outside, Valerie shows them Brian’s shed and says she will ask her son if he would like it cleaned. When Valerie’s back is turned, Miv takes a potential piece of evidence.

On the way home, Miv remarks on Brian’s suspicious-sounding behavior. Sharon responds that Brian could be depressed and that they should leave the investigation to the police. Miv is hurt by Sharon’s reaction and does not show her the petrol-drenched T-shirt she found in the shed. She walks to the police station and asks to speak to DS Lister. Miv tells the police officer about Brian’s suspicious behavior and gives him the evidence. Outside, she sees Paul and realizes that DS Lister is Hazel Ware’s boyfriend.

The following day, Miv returns to Valerie Lockwood’s house alone. Valerie is anxious and reveals that Brian has gone missing.

Helen reflects on how much she misses Omar as she notices a group of women talking in the street. She learns from the women that Brian Lockwood has died by suicide. His body was found hanging in the woods.

Miv learns about Brian’s death from her father, recalling that death by suicide is what her mother tried before she became silent. Triggered by the news of Brian’s death, Miv’s mother is hospitalized. Meanwhile, Miv tries to persuade herself that she is not responsible for recent events.

The next day, Miv visits Sharon to confess what has happened. Sharon listens to her story and then tells her to go. The following week, when Miv calls for her friend before school, Ruby tells her Sharon is unwell.

After a week’s absence, Sharon returns to school looking thinner. She gently tells Miv that she still wants to be her friend but will no longer participate in the list, as their interference in other people’s lives could have disastrous consequences. Sharon adds that Ishtiaq has returned, and she wants to focus on “real” people rather than the Ripper. At school, Sharon holds Ishtiaq’s hand, ignoring the other children’s remarks. Richard and Neil stare at Sharon and Ishtiaq with hatred.

After choir practice, Miv discovers Alison, a nine-year-old, crying in the parking lot. Alison tells Miv that she dislikes it when one of the church helpers, “Uncle Raymond,” tickles her. At the next choir rehearsal, Uncle Raymond smiles and winks at Miv, making her feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, she realizes why Alison dislikes being near him. Miv writes Uncle Raymond’s name on the list.

Miv observes that Uncle Raymond shows favoritism toward three or four girls in the choir, including Alison. She dislikes the way he smiles and winks at the girls, but cannot articulate why. Paul Ware shares her belief that there is something unsavory about the church helper. Miv asks her father and Aunty Jean for their opinion. Aunty Jean jokes that she was surprised when Raymond married, as she had assumed he was “a confirmed bachelor” (351).

Miv goes to the park across the street from Uncle Raymond’s house. She notices Gary and Helen Andrews walking to a house divided into flats. Gary opens the front door, then slams it in his wife’s face, leaving her outside with her shopping bags.

Miv meets a younger girl who claims Uncle Raymond tried to kiss her. When Uncle Raymond emerges from his house in his bus driver’s uniform, Miv follows him to the depot. As she boards his bus, he strokes her hand and winks. Miv gets off at the next stop and vomits.

Once Omar is settled in his rented flat, he visits Valerie Lockwood. Valerie tells Omar that Brian could not have been responsible for the fire, as he was with her at the time. She adds that her son would never have attacked the shop because Omar was one of the few people who were kind to him.

Miv decides to set a trap for Uncle Raymond. She asks Linda and Gail, two of the girls he favors, to assist her. Gail agrees to help Uncle Raymond clear up after choir, while Miv and Linda secretly observe. However, the plan goes awry when Mrs. Spencer finds Miv and Linda loitering in the hallway. Mrs. Spencer tells Uncle Raymond that he can go home, as the girls will take care of the cleaning. Miv is baffled when he promptly accepts this offer and leaves.

Soon afterward, Uncle Raymond is arrested. At the Sunday church service, Mr. Spencer, now fully recovered, announces that he knew nothing about Uncle Raymond’s crimes. That night, Aunty Jean asks Miv if Uncle Raymond ever did anything to her, revealing that he abducted Alison and “hurt her.” Auntie Jean warns Miv that if anyone ever tries to touch her inappropriately, she must tell someone.

The next day, Miv is visited by DS Lister and Constable Halliwell. They ask her to tell them about the events immediately following choir practice. Miv tells them about her plan and how Uncle Raymond failed to take the bait, leaving early instead. The police officers explain that, when Uncle Raymond left early, he must have discovered Alison waiting for her parents in the parking lot and abducted her. Miv decides not to tell Sharon, reflecting that the events are too similar to those surrounding Brian’s death.

At the next choir practice, Linda and Gail snub Miv after revealing that their parents were furious about her plan.

Miv expects her 13th birthday to be unremarkable. However, at school, Sharon presents Miv with a lip gloss and blusher, while Paul gives her a card inviting her to Sunday lunch. Miv thinks about the kiss written inside Paul’s card all day. Later, Aunty Jean surprises Miv with a homemade birthday cake.

The day is ruined when Austin tells Miv he has been offered a managerial job and that they will be moving away from Yorkshire.

During a visit to Valerie, Helen learns that Omar and Ishtiaq have returned and are now living in a flat around the corner from her own home. Helen resolves to visit them that evening, as Gary is going to the pub after work.

As Helen walks toward Omar’s flat, Gary pulls up in the car and asks where she is going. When Helen claims she needs to buy teabags, Gary insists on driving her to the shop. Once they are back home, Gary points out that Helen was walking in the wrong direction for the shops and was instead heading toward Omar’s flat. Gary sarcastically declares that it’s “a shame” someone set fire to Omar’s shop. Helen asks if Gary was responsible, and the assault she has been expecting begins.

Miv tells Sharon about her father’s job offer. After going to bed, she hears her father answer the phone. Austin defends himself to the caller, saying that he had to tell his daughter first. He then reveals that the police came to his workplace asking where they all were at the time of the Ripper murders. Austin tells the mystery caller he doesn’t know what to say to the police.

Miv is suddenly aware of her father’s suspicious behavior—making secretive phone calls and slipping out at night. She tries to recall if he was at home at the time of the murders. Miv adds Austin to the list.

Miv wonders if her mother’s silence was triggered by the realization she was married to a murderer. Unable to broach her suspicions to Sharon, she decides to confide in Helen Andrews. Going to her flat, Miv hesitates outside, hearing sounds of violence and Helen crying. She calls emergency services and waits for the ambulance to arrive. Helen is carried out on a stretcher while Gary walks beside her, holding his wife’s hand.

Back home, Miv calls Sharon, but Ruby answers, abruptly saying her daughter is busy. Shortly afterward, Aunty Jean arrives, declaring that Helen Andrews is in the hospital after breaking her arm in a fall. Helen plans to stay with her father and Jim after her discharge.

Miv and Sharon visit Arthur, Jim, and Helen. Sharon challenges Helen’s story that she was injured in a fall, noting the bruises on her neck are from fingermarks. When Miv reveals she heard the assault and called the ambulance, Helen sobs that Gary is sorry for what he did. Arthur hugs Helen and asks the girls for a moment alone with his daughter.

Miv goes for Sunday lunch at Paul’s house. When Hazel asks what she wants to be when she is older, Miv surprises herself by saying she would like to be a detective. DS Lister states that she would make a good one.

When Miv gets home, her father announces that Aunty Jean has gone back to her own flat. Later, from her bedroom, Miv hears Austin make a call, arranging to meet someone. Following him, she realizes he is heading to Sharon’s house. Ruby opens the door and passionately kisses Austin.

Miv decides to spare Sharon the devastating knowledge of their parents’ affair. She resolves to investigate Healy Mill, the only remaining item on the list.

Paul asks Miv if she wants to go to choir with him after school, but she claims she is meeting Sharon. Meanwhile, she tells Sharon she is seeing Paul.

On the way to Healy Mill, Mr. Andrews pulls up beside Miv, accusing her of interfering in his marriage. He instructs her to get into the car, saying he is on his way to retrieve Helen from her father’s house. Miv runs away and uses a phone box to warn Arthur of Gary’s imminent arrival.

Omar calls at Arthur’s house, determined to talk to Helen about her domestic abuse. Helen assures him that she will report Gary to the police. She also apologetically admits that she believes Gary was responsible for the fire. After taking Miv’s call, Arthur calls the police. Shortly afterward, a police officer arrives at the door and asks to come in.

Snow falls as Miv reaches Healy Mill. Inside, she finds a sports bag containing leaflets and stolen iron piping. She surmises the bag belongs to Richard Collier or one of his friends. When she hears voices, Miv climbs a staircase to the roof. Once outside, she realizes there is no other exit.

Paul emerges on the rooftop, followed by Sharon and Ishtiaq. Sharon explains that they guessed where Miv would be once they realized she had lied about her plans.

The group is shocked when Richard Collier and Neil Callahan also emerge onto the rooftop. Richard is wielding a pipe and orders everyone but Sharon to leave. He reaches for Sharon, who steps backward to avoid his grasp, and falls off the rooftop. Richard and Neil run off while the group finds Sharon’s inert body below. Miv holds Sharon’s hand while Paul runs for help. An ambulance arrives along with Hazel and DS Lister.

At the hospital, Omar comforts Ishtiaq while a woman reaches for Miv, calling her, “My poor Mavis” (420). Miv realizes the woman is her mother.

After learning about the accident, Jim drives Omar to the hospital while Arthur and Jim follow. In the waiting room, Helen sees a strange woman stroking Miv’s hair. A nurse announces that Sharon couldn’t be saved, and Miv screams.