The Unwedding

Masseuse-turned-influencer Morgan offers to massage guests, and Ravi ensures that he, Nina, and Ellery are first on the list. Ellery wonders how the spa is being powered. When Morgan refuses to tell the group where she met Maddox, Ravi suggests that she’s hiding something. While waiting for her massage, Ellery has flashbacks of the fatal accident she survived with Abby. She begins weeping during her massage and feels embarrassed, but Morgan assures her that people often get emotional during treatments. As they leave the treatment room, the power goes out.

Ellery is surprised to find Catherine and Olivia sitting with Ravi and Nina in the spa waiting room. Morgan assures them that she can give massages by candlelight, and Ravi offers to let the women take his place in line. Olivia leaves with Morgan while Nina waits with Catherine to honor the staff’s insistence on the buddy system. As Ravi and Ellery walk back to their rooms, Ravi wonders why Olivia and Catherine feel relaxed enough to get massages and suggests that they’re being too trusting. The power returns suddenly.

Ellery finds a note on her door inviting her to a memorial for Ben. She visits the main house after dinner and learns that two memorials are being held: one by Ben’s groomsmen, and another by Olivia and Andy. She suspects that Andy left the note but is surprised to learn that she was invited by Rachel, who questions her again about her investigation. Ellery wonders if Rachel is trying to protect herself but agrees to stay at Olivia’s request. The conversation is interrupted by a drunk groomsman named Trevor.

Trevor urges Olivia and Andy to join the larger memorial, apologizing to Andy for the groomsmen’s bad behavior. He insists that no one, including Olivia, knew Ben as well as Andy. Rachel tells Trevor that the group is trying to solve Ben’s murder; Trevor reminds them that Matt was killed too. Trevor reveals that he was the last one to see Matt the night before he died. Olivia reveals that Ben’s text calling off the wedding said simply, “I can’t do it. I’m sorry” (174). Olivia and Rachel believe that he didn’t send the text.

Trevor accuses Ellery of being an undercover detective and questions her motives for traveling to The Resort alone. Ellery obtains a wedding weekend schedule from Olivia and wonders why Andy didn’t attend the rehearsal brunch. Olivia assures Andy that Ben understood he was uncomfortable in formal settings and wasn’t upset. Trevor and Andy’s descriptions of Ben convince Ellery that he was a kind and thoughtful person who would not have left Olivia at the altar with only a simple text message. The friends’ obvious grief triggers memories for Ellery of the accident and the moment a student died in her arms.

Ellery wakes to the sound of a woman screaming, unsure whether it’s real or part of a nightmare. Confused and disoriented, she tries to turn on the lights before remembering that the power is out and briefly debates staying in her room or going to find Ravi and Nina. When the screaming returns, she dresses and runs outside to find Catherine screaming that Olivia is missing.

Ellery is shocked to learn that the room next to her is occupied. Rachel appears and explains that she moved into the room when the roof in her room started to leak. She tells Ellery that she walked to Olivia’s room only to discover that Olivia was missing. In addition, staffer Nat and valet Carlos have both left The Resort in hopes of reaching the police, who were supposed to arrive the previous night. Ellery tries to comfort Catherine and decides to enlist Gary for help in finding Olivia.

Retired judge Gary agrees to review the facts of the growing case for Catherine and her husband Rick, reminding them that he is not trained as a detective or investigator. Catherine reveals that Olivia left a note asking the family not to worry about her. When Maddox appears with bad news about the generator, Catherine suggests that he join the search party. Maddox insists on staying with Morgan. Grace appears, furious that her father was taken from their cottage while she slept. Gary insists that he can help. Craig enters with bad news.

Andy enters just behind Craig and assures the room that the bad news is not related to Olivia. Craig reveals that another piece of art was stolen, but has been recovered. Catherine inspects the piece and deems it undamaged and ready to be returned to its installation without any evidence it was gone. She insults Craig’s skills as a security officer and demands that he develop a plan for finding Olivia.

To determine the connection between the missing art and missing and dead guests, Ellery, Ravi, and Nina review a booklet with descriptions of The Resort’s art collection, which is scattered unmarked across the property. Together, they identify the locations of many of the large-scale pieces, determining that the pieces most likely to have been stolen are a small print by Andy Warhol and a painting by an artist named Cora Beck. Ravi notices that two of the artists share the same initials as Catherine Haring, and wonders if she is secretly the artist.