The Widow

Between December 26 and 30, Netty declines rapidly. The medical team, including Dr. Lilly and Dr. Connor Wilkes, diagnoses pneumonia and places her on a ventilator. The doctors later tell Simon that Netty shows no brain activity. Because he is not family, he defers the end-of-life decision to them.

On December 30, the doctors remove the ventilator and pronounce Netty dead. Simon arranges for cremation. An anonymous informant calls 911 to report the death as suspicious. Detective Roger Barr goes to the funeral home and halts the process. He then visits Simon’s office, where Matilda alerts Simon to his presence. Barr questions Simon, who agrees to delay the cremation.

On December 31, Teddy Hammer, the Korsak brothers’ new flashy attorney, petitions Judge Mary Blankenship Pointer for an emergency hearing. Hammer argues that the circumstances of Netty’s death are suspicious. Simon counters that the doctors diagnosed pneumonia and an autopsy is unnecessary.

Hammer produces a conflict between Netty’s older burial policy and the new advance directive calling for cremation. Judge Pointer issues an injunction stopping cremation, orders an autopsy, and suspends probate proceedings. After the hearing, Hammer tells Simon he believes Netty did not die of natural causes.

On December 31, Detective Barr inventories and photographs Netty’s hospital room. He collects uneaten brownies and two boxes of Saigon ginger cookies as evidence. Authorities transport Netty’s body to the state crime lab for the autopsy.

Over the next two days, Simon unravels. He drinks and gambles heavily at Chub’s Pub. Hungover, he drives to Shenandoah National Park and spends a day hiking to clear his head.

From January 4 to 7, medical examiner Dr. Dendra Brock and toxicologist Dr. Henry Roster conduct the autopsy and determine that thallium poisoning caused Netty’s death. The lab analyzes the cookies and confirms that all 11 Saigon ginger cookies contain significant levels of thallium.

Barr goes to Tan Lu’s, the restaurant where the cookies were purchased. A waitress identifies Simon as the buyer. Barr confronts Simon, who refuses to turn over Netty’s will. Realizing his exposure, Simon hires Raymond Lassiter, a prominent criminal defense attorney who is proud of his impressive record at trial. Lassiter lays out the strength of the evidence and agrees to represent Simon pro bono until an indictment.

Simon calls Thackerman and threatens to report the hidden self-dealing bequest in the will Thackerman drew up for Netty, deterring Thackerman from opposing him. Simon and Lassiter then meet with Barr and disclose that they have an unopened safe from Netty’s house.

The next day, Barr returns with Commonwealth’s Attorney Cora Cook and a warrant. Cook is described as an attractive older woman well-known for her revealing clothing choices and steely prosecutorial rigor. They open the safe and find only modest contents. Cook hands over the autopsy and toxicology reports, which confirm thallium poisoning via the ginger cookies. Cook decides to present the case to a grand jury the next morning—a formality in Braxton, where Cook’s grand jury’s always end in indictments. Lassiter warns Simon that his arrest is imminent.

A grand jury indicts Simon for murder. He tells a distraught Matilda, locks his office, and surrenders at the city jail. Deputies process him and place him in a cell with two other inmates. Lassiter calls to say Judge Pointer will not set bail until a Monday hearing.

Meanwhile, an anonymous source emails Iris Kane, a reporter for the Washington Journal, with the news of Simon’s arrest. That night, Simon lies awake and fixates on what the fallout means for his children.

Simon endures his first full day in jail. Iris Kane arrives in Braxton to report the case. At a local café, she listens as locals assume Simon’s guilt. She goes to the public library to check records, but when she tries to dig further, officials rebuff her requests for comment.

Kane receives a second anonymous email that directs her to Teddy Hammer. She calls Hammer, who agrees to a deep background conversation. He confirms that his clients acted to stop the cremation to purposefully create a damaging public narrative.

A guard hands Simon the Sunday Journal, which has a front-page story painting him as a greedy, manipulative lawyer. He calls Paula, who reports that reporters surround their home and that the children have seen the hostile online coverage. She says they must leave Braxton and Simon ruefully agrees. He is distraught over how the kids must be feeling.

Simon calls his mother. His unpleasant and seemingly financially abusive stepfather, Arn, refuses to help with bail money. Simon’s mother gets on the line and threatens to leave Arn over his refusal; most of the money is actually hers, but in their marriage, Arn has assumed control over their finances. Simon asks Paula to arrange for Lassiter to visit him.

Before dawn on Monday, police escort Paula and the children out of Braxton. Deputies transport Simon to the courthouse for arraignment. Lassiter, excited at the chance to be the attorney at a trial with so much publicity, surprises Simon by committing to represent him through trial. Judge Pointer sets bail at $300,000 and requires Simon to surrender his passport to prevent him from fleeing the country.

In a separate hearing, Judge Pointer denies Teddy Hammer’s petition and names a neutral attorney, Clement Gelly, as conservator of Netty’s estate. Unable to raise the $30,000 bail bond, Simon returns to jail. He calls Paula, who confirms that she and the children are safe but cannot offer financial help.

In the following days, Arn continues to refuse to contribute to bail. Spade, an associate of Chub, calls Simon at the jail and says Chub wants to help—Chub is grateful for Simon for warning him about the FBI investigation and believes that Simon had something to do with it ending. Simon asks Spade to see whether Chub will lend him money or buy his office building.

Matilda tearfully tells Simon she is quitting and moving to Florida because the stress and loss of clients have made her job impossible. Later, Simon’s mother calls back. She announces she intends to divorce Arn, leaving Simon guilt-ridden but also happy that his mother will finally get out from under the thumb of her bullying second husband.

Chub buys Simon’s office building, providing enough funds to post bond. After a week in jail, Simon walks out. Netty is buried, with Jerry Korsak representing the family. Simon drives to Richmond to see his children and promises he will find the real killer. He and Paula talk; she says she will not return to Braxton, and he explains his mother’s plan to divorce Arn, which Paula is happy to hear.

Later, Simon meets Landy at a hotel bar. She also plans to divorce. Simon asks for her help tracing the thallium source, and she agrees to consider it. The two begin a sexual relationship.

In mid-January, Simon enters a not-guilty plea, and Judge Pointer sets a trial date of May 23. Media coverage surges, and the case becomes a local spectacle. Simon shuts himself in his office and reconstructs Netty’s final days to prepare his defense.

Paula finds work in the town of Danville, Virginia, and moves there with the children. Landy’s search for the thallium source turns up nothing, and their affair cools. Matilda resigns and moves to Florida. After an emotional goodbye, Simon is left alone to face trial.