Chapter 20 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with detectives Reyes and Barr interviewing Caroline Temple, Walter's wife, in her living room. Caroline is visibly upset by the murders and insists on serving tea in proper china cups, an attempt to maintain normalcy during an abnormal situation. Reyes asks how well she knew Sheila and Fred Merton. Caroline corrects the assumption that she and Sheila were close, noting that Sheila was private and not one to bare her soul. She admits she did not care for Fred, despite Walter's friendship with him.

Caroline reveals that Sheila had confided things that made her dislike Fred. She describes him as having a mean streak, citing the way he sold the business out from under Dan. Caroline explains how hard Dan had worked, how upset he had been, and that he had not found subsequent employment. Fred had justified the sale by claiming Dan would run the business into the ground. Caroline notes that Sheila was unhappy about it but never stood up to Fred, and that nobody could change his mind.

When Barr asks whether Sheila seemed worried lately, Caroline confirms that Sheila had started taking medication for anxiety. Sheila would offer a bit of information and then withdraw, maintaining a stiff upper lip. Caroline recalls that the last time she saw Sheila, Sheila mentioned that the children would not be happy about their father's will—that it would not be what they expected. Sheila would not elaborate. Caroline also shares that the children did not get along with their father and that Fred seemed to enjoy mistreating them. She concludes by suggesting that Fred Merton was likely a psychopath, noting that many successful businessmen are.

Meanwhile, Ted has stayed home from his dental practice to support Catherine as she arranges a double funeral. Catherine is constantly on the phone, fielding condolences and food deliveries, and complains about the interruptions. Her laptop is open to catch news updates on the murders. Ted studies his wife and frets about what to do. He is certain the police will want to formally interview her, and possibly him. He worries about whether he should lie to support Catherine's story or urge her to come clean. He is angry at her for lying to the detectives, and he thinks about the record of her unanswered call to her mother's cell phone on Sunday night—a record the police will surely find.

Jenna arrives at the house. After the well-wishers leave, she tells Ted and Catherine that the detectives came by Dan's place the previous day. Dan seemed to fall apart after they left, convinced the police will blame him because of the business sale. Jenna reveals that Dan has no money. Catherine admits she knew. Ted suggests Dan should get a lawyer. Catherine insists they say nothing, and Jenna agrees. Catherine confirms Jenna did not tell the detectives about the Easter dinner incident. Jenna also reports that Dan called Walter and learned that Walter had not changed his will to benefit Audrey—he had made an appointment but had not completed it before he was killed. Jenna wonders aloud whether Audrey knows yet.

Key Events

Reyes and Barr interview Caroline Temple, who offers a critical portrait of Fred Merton.
Caroline reveals Sheila was on anxiety medication and predicted the children would be unhappy with the will.
Caroline suggests Fred may have been a psychopath.
Ted stays home to help Catherine arrange the double funeral and wrestles with the implications of her lie.
Jenna reports that Dan fell apart after police questioning and fears being blamed.
Catherine and Jenna agree to keep the Easter dinner incident secret.
Dan learns from Walter that the will was not changed to benefit Audrey.

Character Development

Caroline Temple emerges as a sharp observer of the Merton family dynamics. Though she distances herself from Sheila, she provides the detectives with significant insight: Fred's cruelty toward his children, Sheila's anxiety, and the warning about the will. Her suggestion that Fred was a psychopath adds a psychological dimension to the portrait of the victim.

Ted is increasingly conflicted. He is angry at Catherine for lying to police and worried about the phone record that could expose her. His internal struggle—whether to support his wife's deception or urge honesty—shows a man caught between loyalty and integrity.

Catherine remains guarded and controlling. She insists on silence about Easter dinner and manages the narrative among the siblings. Her weariness when Jenna mentions Dan's financial troubles suggests she knows more than she lets on.

Jenna serves as a conduit of information, reporting on Dan's state and the will news. Her smirk about Audrey suggests lingering family tensions.

Dan (reported) is unraveling—financially strained, convinced the police will target him, and falling apart after questioning.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Inheritance and the will — The will is central to this chapter. Sheila's warning that the children would not be happy, and the revelation that Walter had not changed his will to benefit Audrey, keep the inheritance dispute at the forefront of the investigation.

Family secrets and deception — Catherine and Jenna's agreement to conceal the Easter dinner incident, Ted's anxiety about Catherine's lie, and the general withholding of information from police all reinforce the theme of secrets within families.

Anxiety and mental health — Sheila's anxiety medication and Dan's visible unraveling highlight the psychological toll of the family's dysfunction.

Psychopathy and the mask of success — Caroline's suggestion that Fred was a psychopath, and her observation that many successful businessmen are, ties the theme of surface respectability to hidden cruelty.

Pretense of normalcy — Caroline serving tea in proper china cups during a homicide interview, and Catherine arranging a funeral while managing the investigation, both illustrate the effort to maintain appearances.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the portrait of Fred Merton as a cruel and controlling figure, giving the detectives—and the reader—a clearer motive for one of the children to have killed him. Caroline's testimony about the business sale, the will, and Sheila's anxiety adds weight to the suspicion that the murders were not a random robbery. The chapter also advances the subplot of the will: Walter had not changed it to benefit Audrey, meaning the inheritance remains as originally expected. Finally, Ted's internal conflict about Catherine's lie, and the siblings' agreement to conceal the Easter dinner incident, raise the stakes for the investigation and suggest that more secrets will surface.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Caroline Temple's testimony reveal about Fred Merton, and how might it affect the investigation?

Caroline describes Fred as having a mean streak, citing the sale of the business out from under Dan. She also reports that Sheila was on anxiety medication and had warned that the children would not be happy about the will. Caroline's suggestion that Fred may have been a psychopath reinforces the idea that the children had strong motives to harm him, which could steer the investigation toward the family rather than a random robbery.

2. Why is Ted so concerned about Catherine's lie to the police, and what specific evidence worries him?

Ted is angry that Catherine lied to the detectives about her whereabouts. He is particularly worried about the record of her unanswered call to her mother's cell phone on Sunday night. The police will see the time of the call and may conclude that Catherine knew her parents were already dead, when in fact they were alive for some time afterward. Ted fears the lie will make Catherine look guilty.

3. What does the revelation about Walter's will mean for the inheritance dispute?

Dan called Walter and learned that Walter had not changed his will to benefit Audrey. He had made an appointment but had not completed it before he was killed. This means the inheritance remains as originally expected, and Audrey does not benefit. Jenna's question about whether Audrey knows yet suggests this news could create further tension among the family.