Holly

In their home on Ridge Road, Rodney Harris prepares dinner for his wife. Emily has been unwell lately. Her sciatica has flared up to the point that she needs the decoy wheelchair to get around. Yet she knows that “relief is now close” (87). Rodney prepares a cup of sorbet mixed with Peter Steinman’s brain matter.

Twelve days later, Emily’s sciatica is almost gone. Rodney’s arthritis is similarly improved. They agree that Peter Steinman was “a good one” (91) and set about cheerfully planning their annual Christmas party.

Driving up Red Bank Avenue, Holly contemplates her newly discovered inheritance. She has no idea what to do with the money. She suppresses her anger at her mother’s deception, redirecting her focus to the Bonnie Dahl case.

Holly visits the library and speaks to Bonnie’s coworkers, Edith and Margaret. Neither knows much about Bonnie, directing her to speak to Keisha instead, who is currently vacationing in Upsala Village. As Upsala is near Holly’s mother’s house, Holly resolves to try and meet Keisha after surveying the estate.

Returning to her car, Holly calls Penny. Penny agrees to send over Bonnie’s credit cards and financial information. Despite herself, Holly is beginning to believe that Bonnie is likely dead. She wonders if Bonnie was intercepted by someone pretending to need help, but then imagines the voice of her late mentor, Bill Hodges, cautioning her not to commit too hard to an early theory.

In early December, Bell College announces that all spring classes will be held remotely due to the pandemic. Emily and Rodney are disappointed that their annual Christmas party will have to be canceled until Emily has the idea to hold a Zoom party. They hire a group of young students and faculty to act as “elves,” delivering food to the houses of their friends in the city. The party is a huge success.

One of the hired elves is Bonnie, who makes deliveries using her bike. Emily invites Bonnie into the Harris home, surreptitiously asking about her daily habits and her routine. She learns that Bonnie lives nearby and bikes everywhere because she doesn’t have a car. Emily gives Bonnie her number and extends an offer of future employment.

Jerome visits the home of Vera Steinman. Vera answers the door with a glass of gin in hand. They sit down in the living room, and Vera tells him about Peter’s disappearance, periodically excusing herself to the kitchen to refill her glass. Jerome is surprised at how well she maintains her composure.

Peter disappeared pre-COVID, so his case was investigated well. The police concluded that Peter had run away because, in the years before his disappearance, he’d struggled to cope with his mother’s alcohol use disorder. His grades had slipped, and he’d confessed to a school counselor that he was thinking of leaving.

Vera tells Jerome that after Peter’s guidance counselor contacted her, she joined AA. At the time of Peter’s disappearance, she’d been sober for over a year, and they had mended their relationship. After her son vanished, she waited six weeks before resuming drinking. Deep down, she suspects that he is dead.

Jerome asks where Peter’s skateboard is, and Vera shows him to Peter’s room, which she has preserved just as he left it. His board was found in Deerfield Park, near the drive-in movie theater. As Jerome turns to leave, Vera collapses and begins seizing.

Rodney watches the January 6th insurrection—the illegal attempt to forcibly overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election by right-wing supporters of Donald Trump—on TV. Emily urges him to turn it off, but secretly feels a thrill at watching the events playing out. She finds herself supporting the rioters, and muses that the past nine years have changed her personality. Bonnie, who has been hired as an in-home assistant for the Harrises, helps Emily write out a batch of thank-you letters.

That night, Emily rubs Peter Steinman’s fat into Rodney’s arthritic hands, instantly bringing him relief. He asks her whether it isn’t too risky to abduct someone who is so closely associated with them. Emily reassures him that they’ll wait until winter, by which point Bonnie will have been out of their employ for 10 months.

Jerome calls Holly to tell her about what happened with Vera. Vera swallowed a mixture of pills in a possible suicide attempt. He rushed her to the emergency room, which was overwhelmed with COVID patients. Doctors pumped her stomach and promptly sent her home. Jerome wonders if closure about Peter’s fate might help Vera cope. Privately, Holly thinks that “closure is a myth” (126). When faced with grief, one either chooses to move past it or drowns in it.

Holly’s partner Pete calls Holly to report that Bonnie’s last credit card purchase occurred on June 27. Pete is still suffering from COVID, worrying Holly. After he hangs up, Holly finds herself thinking that Bonnie is certainly dead. She calls Keisha, who agrees to meet with her the following afternoon. Keisha agrees that Bonnie is likely dead.

Holly heads to bed. As she falls asleep, she decides to investigate other disappearances around Deerfield Park.