42 pages 1 hour read

Gilly Macmillan

What She Knew

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

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Chapters 7-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary: “Day 7: Saturday, October 27, 2012”

On the seventh day of the investigation, Emma arrives to give Rachel an update on the poison pen letter aimed at John. She joins Rachel in her studio. This is the first time Emma sees Rachel’s photography. Most of the shots are of Ben at various stages of growth. Rachel explains that she let Ben run ahead on the day he went missing because she wanted him to learn independence. This revelation touches Emma, and she expresses how sorry she is for Rachel’s suffering.

After Emma leaves, Rachel thumbs through Ben’s sketchbook from school. She finds many colorful drawings of their weekly routine with various comments inscribed by Ben’s teachers. When she sees a drawing of Ben on the rope swing in the woods, she realizes that somebody at the school may have abducted Ben because the boy’s routine could be inferred from his sketches.

Rachel immediately tries to call Emma and Jim but receives no answer. In desperation, she calls John, and the two go to police headquarters to show the authorities Ben’s sketchbook. When the police receptionist can’t immediately produce Emma or Jim, Rachel grows belligerent and causes a scene. Another detective named Bennett calms her down and assures both parents that he will take the sketchbook directly to Fraser.