Lottie spends the afternoon continuing to try to contact Jax through his telemarketing company but is unsuccessful.. She then follows Kelsie to a yoga class and trails her home. Inside Kelsie’s cluttered house, Lottie hands over another $4,500 and pretends to need water for a pill.

When Kelsie turns her back, Lottie removes a claw hammer from her bag. In a flashback, she recalls a woman named Debbie who inspired her to buy a hammer for protection. Lottie attacks and kills Kelsie.

Lottie puts on gloves, pulls a plastic bag over Kelsie’s head, and drags the body to the bathroom. She places Kelsie in the tub and slams her head against a tile shelf to mimic a fatal fall. Using Kelsie’s face, Lottie unlocks her phone and deletes files about her Spokane past.

Lottie retrieves the $4,500 she just delivered and finds the envelope from the first payment in the trash. She turns on the shower to complete the accident scene and leaves. Back home, she realizes she inadvertently brought her phone to the crime scene.

Lottie panics because her phone tracked her to Kelsie’s house. Unable to sleep, she fixates on the error.

The next morning, pain and fatigue hit hard. Enraged at herself, she shatters a coffee mug. She reflects on her parents’ deaths and her own faltering health. She berates herself for the mistake with her phone, knowing that she never would have done that when she was younger.

On Sunday, Lottie brings a cane to church for the first time in public. Her friends Sheila, Glenda, Mary, and Suzanne, along with Pastor Doug, show concern. During the sermon, her thoughts drift to Kelsie’s undiscovered body. She declines invitations afterward.

On Monday, she tries to buy a non-internet “dumb phone,” but the clerk says only smartphones are available. At home, she repeatedly checks the news until an article reports Kelsie Harlow was found dead and rules it an accidental fall.

As an eight-year-old, Lottie wakes early when her mother takes her to bail out her father after a bar fight. Afterward, classmates ostracize her. Her best friend, Molly, stops speaking to her, and a classmate, Diane, gossips about her father.

A neighbor later calls the police during one of her parents’ arguments, reinforcing the town’s judgment. Young Lottie begins using her father’s batting cage to vent her anger, comparing it to her father’s use of alcohol to cope.

Lottie stalks Detective Rey Tula and observes his family life. She learns he spends his nights off retracing Plum’s last movements and concludes he needs a diversion. She reads Kelsie’s obituary and sees no suspicion surrounding her death.

In a flashback to 1985, Detective Kenneth Burke interrogates Lottie for the last time. He presents carpet fibers, lipstick, and a hair from a crime scene. Lottie realizes the hair cannot be hers because her hair color was different then and knows Burke’s attempt to trap her has failed.

Lottie attends Kelsie’s funeral to appear normal. Rey Tula spots her, and they enter together. After the service, they go to a diner to speak. There, Lottie claims Kelsie visited her twice to ask questions about Cole Fletcher and was secretly investigating him. Tula appears to shift his focus toward Kelsie’s hidden actions.

Tula follows Lottie to her house. Lottie invents a story for Kelsie’s last visit. She claims that Kelsie wanted to know everywhere that Cole went, then spent a long time in the bathroom. She found one of Plum’s earrings in there, then left, agitated and saying Cole’s name. In the bathroom, Tula points out faint graphite powder behind the faucet and suggests Kelsie left it while trying to lift fingerprints from the earring she supposedly found.

Lottie extends the lie, saying she later found the earring back. She tells Tula she went to Kelsie’s house on Friday evening to return it, providing an alibi for her phone’s location data. Convinced Kelsie hid evidence, Tula hurries out.

Lottie tours Oak Manor Senior Living with Tom Wallace, the director. She notes the impressive amenities and high cost. She then visits the more modest and affordable Serenity Village.

Back home, Lottie compares the options, weighing care against cost. She calculates whether selling her house could fund either option, knowing affordability depends on how long she lives.

At church bingo, Lottie brings a store-bought party tray, and Glenda makes a judgmental remark. Sheila and Bonnie express concern about her behavior. Lottie explains that she has been exploring senior living, which heightens their concern. However, she finds it difficult to put in the effort, instead thinking how she should make decisions for her future now before she’s no longer capable of doing so.

Lottie wins a game of bingo. She then privately imagines harming Glenda, something that always gives her comfort.

After bingo, Sheila shares that a woman named Norma told Pastor Doug that Lottie recommended the church. Lottie does not recognize the name.

The next day, Lottie searches online for Norma but finds nothing. She visits Pastor Doug, who confirms Norma attended church and is staying at the Harmony Hotel. Lottie drives to the hotel and waits but never spots her.

When Lottie returns home, a woman waits in her driveway. She matches Sheila’s description and introduces herself as Norma Dixon, Plum’s mother.

Lottie invites Norma in for tea and cookies. Norma says she went to Spokane to investigate Lottie’s past and accuses her of lying to police about seeing a bruise on Plum.

Lottie denies mentioning a bruise or burn and claims police invented it to frame Cole. She points out that there is no record of their interview with Lottie and that it is easier for them to blame Cole. If Plum fled to avoid his abuse, there is no need for them to continue the investigation. In response, Norma starts to cry.

Lottie consoles Norma. She excuses herself to use the bathroom. When she comes out, she gathers her things to leave, and Lottie tries to stop her. Norma acknowledges that she feels “stupid,” unsure who to believe, then angrily leaves.

After Norma’s visit, Archie calls and asks Lottie to smooth things over with his fiancée, Morgan. Lottie agrees, finding the last text message from Morgan with a picture of her bridesmaid dresses. She writes her a short reply, then hangs up with Archie.  

Lottie finds Norma’s social media profile. Posts show Norma is 51, single, and inconsistently employed, with many entries about nightlife, drinking, and cryptic complaints. Lottie plans to use these details to manipulate her.

Lottie sees a new post from Norma showing Bluebell Lane and questioning Plum’s disappearance and Kelsie’s death. Using a new prepaid phone, Lottie calls Rey Tula to her house and shows him the post, framing Norma as unstable and paranoid.

Tula says he will look into Norma’s behavior. Lottie then calls Morgan, eases the bridesmaid dress conflict, and asks for help with her computer.

By Friday evening, Morgan has helped Lottie set up a voice-changing program. Using the prepaid phone and software, Lottie calls Norma at the Harmony Hotel bar. She plays recorded warnings in a synthesized male voice, telling Norma not to trust “him,” then hangs up. She then prints an anonymous message on a note card.

After Sunday service, Lottie has lunch with Sheila and Bonnie. They worry about her mood and give her therapist referrals. Lottie deflects, feeling judged. She privately reviews her harassment campaign and recalls Tula confirming Norma reported the strange call and note.

She also recalls making a second call, using the software to impersonate Plum’s voice, which distressed Norma. She maintains her outward calm with her friends.

As a teen, Lottie took a trip to Las Vegas with her friend, Janet, treating Polaroid photos as proof of their experiences. In the present, she compares it to Norma’s need to post on social media about her escalating public investigation.

Lottie drives two hours to tour Tranquil Towers, a remote, castle-themed retirement home. During the tour, Archie calls about wedding details, and Lottie tells him she is at a doctor’s appointment. She likes the affordability and amenities but notes the isolated location.