The Night She Disappeared

Sophie sits at her desk, not writing, but thinking about the strange tool the detectives found at the latest digging site. Sophie is troubled by something: Lexie told her mom that she saw the sign to dig from the balcony of their dwelling. But somehow Sophie knows Lexie was lying. Lexie’s is some kind of social media influencer who travels to luxurious destinations. But Sophie also knows that Lexie lies online: For instance, she passes off the grand entrance of a Maypole building as her own home’s façade. Kerryanne supports the lie, posting positive comments.

Liam visits Sophie. He has read her book; he points out that Sophie and her character Susie Beets dress the same and look similar. Sophie admits that she sometimes puts herself into her writing. Liam again tells her how much he loves her book, tapping its spine against his hand. After he leaves, Sophie considers that has forgotten much about her first book. She pulls it off the shelf to re-familiarize herself with the story. That’s when she sees something that startles her: A character comes across a sign the reads, “Dig Here.” She thinks about the way Liam tapped the book, as if to get her attention.

As Tallulah readies herself to go out with Keziah, Zach criticizes her for how she looks. Tallulah tells Zach she doesn’t want to move with him into the development. Zach counters that his mom doesn’t even believe Noah is his son—that’s why he broke up with her when she got pregnant. Tallulah is disgusted. But then Zach tells her he saw her one day with the baby—she looked so beautiful, he fell more in love with her. At that moment, he knew that Noah was his. Zach begins to cry, and Tallulah thinks he looks pathetic and desperate. With tears in his eyes, he begs Tallulah not to go out. Pitying him, Tallulah decides that if she and Zach can be nice to each other this night, then maybe they can build a healthier relationship. She decides to stay; they have their regular Wednesday night sex.

The weekend the twins arrive, Sophie worries about doing everything right. She still has to get their room together and shop for groceries.

Sophie checks Lexie’s social media comments. There are two; one from her mom Kerryanne and one from someone called @AmeliaDisparue. Only one picture is of interest to Sophie: a blurry shot of a swimming pool, a group of people huddled beneath a tarp, and someone holding a cigarette. However, it’s impossible to tell who the people in the picture are and there’s no caption. Sophie continues her social media lurking, finding that, oddly, everyone who had been at the party on the night of the couple’s disappearance has erased their social media feeds or posted uninteresting pictures. When she searches for @AmeliaDisparue, Sophie figures out that Amelia is Mimi, the only other person that was at the party.

In a YouTube video dated the day before, Mimi talks about something in her past: “the thing that cannot be named” (255). She makes her hand into a gun and makes a shooting sound. Sophie realizes Mimi must be talking about the fateful night.

Sophia races over to Kim’s. After watching the video, Kim says she can’t be sure if it’s Mimi. After they drop Noah off at the nursery, Sophie tells Kim she believes Lexie might have actually spotted the “Dig Here” sign from Liam’s window, which has direct line of sight to the tree. Near tears, Kim asks Sophie, “Why is someone not telling me what they know. Why are they being so cruel?” (259). Sophie considers telling Kim that someone is clearly using ideas from her book to reveal clues about the disappearance, but decides against it.

Scarlett, who is smart and intuitive, realizes right away that Tallulah didn’t break up with Zach like she said she would. Tallulah tells Scarlett everything that happened, including Zach’s tears, but assures Scarlett that she will still leave him. Zach is going to buy a flat, so even if they don’t stay together, he will have a place for Noah to visit. Scarlett jealously asks Tallulah about the Wednesday sex.

Even if she breaks up with Zach, Tallulah isn’t sure she can be with Scarlett, who can’t commit to monogamy: “I don’t think you’re capable of that. I really don’t” (262). Scarlett agrees, but promises to change. Tallulah needs to get things straightened out with Zach before she figures out how and Scarlett can be together. Scarlett worries about Zach’s hold on Tallulah: “don’t let him manipulate you. Ok? Don’t let him trick you into staying with him. Because I reckon he totally will” (263). Scarlett brushes her fingertips on Tallulah’s cheek, “leaving behind a flush of nameless dread” (263).

Kim tells Detective McCoy, whom she now calls Dom (short for Dominick), about Mimi’s YouTube video. He confesses he hasn’t seen it. He seems emotional and promises he will do whatever he can to solve this case. After they hang up, Kim remembers walking to Dark Place with Ryan after Tallulah disappeared; she recalls that Scarlett couldn’t make eye contact with her and that Scarlett called her daughter “Lula.” Kim thinks about Tallulah’s Sunday bike rides—she’d asked Tallulah where she went, but Tallulah was always vague. Finally, Kim remembers the tattoo on Scarlett’s foot: the letters “T.M.”—Tallulah’s initials.