Ask for Andrea

Two years before the present, Brecia watches as James gets ready to meet Nicole (the woman he has been chatting with on the dating app); Brecia sees him take Rohypnol capsules (a common date-rape drug) with him and becomes even more worried and angry.

In the present, Ken and Skye’s mother review the security footage; they see James go into the café to purchase his hot chocolate and then leave, but neither of them notices that in the remainder of the security footage, his car returns to the café many times without him getting out. Skye realizes that “he had been waiting for [her] to get off shift” (69). Before Skye’s mother and Ken get to the end of the footage of Skye leaving the café at the end of her shift, Ken gets called away. Later, Skye’s parents watch that portion of the footage together. Unfortunately, James’s car is parked far enough from the café that the camera did not capture Skye getting into his car; she steps out of frame before that happens. However, Skye’s parents do notice her raising her arm and suspect (correctly) that she was greeting someone. They report the video to the police, who agree to review the footage and consider investigating the case. Skye’s parents also decide to see if any regulars from the café noticed anything; at this point, they think that the guy who ordered hot chocolate might be able to help them.

One year before, the woman in the car sits, crying for a while; she eventually gets out but then heads back to the car, while Meghan tries to urge her to stay and potentially find the body. The woman does notice the shoe and seems curious about it; before driving away, she takes several pictures of the site, and Meghan wonders whether this may mean that she intends to return or tell someone about the shoe (which could lead to Meghan’s body being found).

Two years before the present, Brecia hovers nearby, invisible, as James charms Nicole during their date. He doses her drink with Rohypnol, and Brecia tries to warn Nicole to stop drinking it. It is unclear whether Nicole intuits part of Brecia’s warning or simply becomes annoyed by James pressuring her to keep drinking, but the mood of the date sours, and Nicole leaves hurriedly, texting a friend that “[she’s] getting bad vibes” (84).

In the present, Skye’s parents station themselves outside of the café and question everyone they see, but no one knows anything. However, they do notice that a frozen yogurt shop next to the café also has a security camera, and this one has a different angle, meaning that it would have captured footage of what happened after Skye stepped out of frame.

One year before the present, Meghan returns to a childhood memory of her grandmother, Bubbie, and is astonished to find that she can interact with her. Bubbie explains that now that Meghan is dead, she can visit not only her own memories but also those of generations before her; for example, Bubbie can take Meghan back to memories of her own mother. However, Bubbie cautions Meghan that if she begins to explore these memories further and further away from her own lived experiences, she “won’t be able to get back to the other side. The side where [her] body is” (93). Meghan decides that she ultimately wants to stay longer in the world of the living, and Bubbie explains that if she decides she’s ready, Meghan can find her through the memories they have shared. Meghan comes back to the forest and is surprised to find a forest ranger standing nearby, inspecting the shoe.

Eighteen months before the present, the day after his date with Nicole, James and his family begin their drive to their new home in Utah. Riding with them, Brecia watches as James realizes that Nicole has blocked and flagged his account on the dating app. Furious, James tries to get his account reinstated but is told that he would have to undergo an interview alongside Nicole and gives up. For the first few months in Utah, James is a model husband and father, but after a few months, he creates a new profile on the dating app (using a different name and email address). Brecia accompanies James as he goes on various dates. Whenever James makes a woman uncomfortable, he quickly reports her profile, which “ma[kes] it virtually impossible for that woman to block or report his account in return” (98).

Brecia is very alarmed when James goes on a date with a woman named Elle and brings along a phone charger, which he has tested to see if it would be sufficient to strangle someone with. James drugs Elle during the date and goes back to her house, where the two have sex while Elle is semi-conscious. Afterward, James seems to be debating whether to kill her but is interrupted by an urgent text from April. Elle meets James for another date after the incident but seems more suspicious since she doesn’t have clear memories of what transpired. After the second date, Elle stops replying to his messages, and James drives to her house one night, lurks outside, and slashes her tires. That same night, when he gets home, Brecia watches as James meets Meghan on the app. 

In the present, Skye’s parents demand to see the security camera footage from the frozen yogurt shop, but the employee is hesitant to give it to them. They become increasingly desperate because some cameras automatically delete footage after 24 hours, and that time window has almost elapsed. Fortunately, a police officer named Officer Willis agrees to help them and obtains the security tape footage. The footage is black and white and poor quality; it shows Skye getting into a car with a man, but the man’s face is difficult to discern, and there’s no way to know what color the car is. The police review the tapes from the coffee shop and notice that the same car keeps coming back; they think that it is likely the same car that Skye later got in to. The police promise to run the plates for the car, leaving Skye to both hope and dread that her parents will soon learn her fate.

Nine months before the present, the forest ranger takes a few photos of the shoe and drives away; a few days later, a police cruiser shows up near the spot where Meghan is waiting with her skeleton. A police officer named Officer Domanska looks at the shoe and then begins exploring the area nearby; Meghan determines that the young woman who first noticed the bloody shoe filed a report. Domanska takes the shoe and prepares to drive away; in despair, Meghan decides that she is going to cross over to the other side to be with her deceased loved ones. She is astonished when she realizes that Domanska has gotten back out of the car and is now very close to the skeleton; Domanska even asks, “Are you here, Meghan?” (115). A moment later, Domanska catches sight of Meghan’s bones.