Chapter 25 (Brynn): Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways

⚠️ 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

A week has passed since Brynn and Tripp discovered Mr. Solomon’s body, and Brynn is still reeling. Tripp has vanished—absent from school, ignoring her calls and texts—and Brynn’s worry is compounded by a barrage of accusatory messages from Charlotte, who blames Brynn for the chaos and demands Tripp’s address. Brynn refuses to respond, partly because she finds it strange that Charlotte, after four years of friendship, doesn’t know where Tripp lives, and partly because she feels it would be another betrayal to share information Tripp never offered.

At her internship, Brynn is on thin ice. She’s been stripped of nearly all responsibilities: she can’t work on news stories, she’s banned from the Pit (the newsroom’s central hub), and she now reports to a new supervisor, Andy Belkin, a PR manager with an obsessive eye for stapling details. Her only tasks are updating the website, proofreading documents, and compiling media clips—tedious work she hates but tolerates to avoid being fired. When she tries to tell Carly about a tip from Paul Goldstein—that Mr. Larkin took the Saint Ambrose job to be near his brother—Carly cuts her off, insisting the story has caused enough trouble and should have been killed already. Brynn doesn’t dare argue.

Desperate to scratch the investigative itch, Brynn calls her uncle Nick, who used to work at Saint Ambrose, and asks if Mr. Larkin had a brother there. Nick is bewildered, then furious. He accuses Brynn of still snooping after everything that’s happened, reminds her that he stuck his neck out for her, and hangs up. The call leaves Brynn shaken, especially since her mother is already angry at Nick for not telling her about Colin’s assault on Brynn.

Later, while walking past Lindzi’s office, Brynn overhears Lindzi on the phone with Carly, discussing a tip about Larkin that seems legitimate. Lindzi says she’ll email it to Carly. Brynn, hoping to catch a glimpse of the email, lingers. When Lindzi leaves her office without locking her laptop, Brynn hesitates—but then Andy interrupts, asking her to redo some packets. Brynn lies about needing the bathroom, waits for Andy to leave, and slips into Lindzi’s office. She finds the sent email titled “Larkin (?) Background,” forwards it to her personal Gmail account, and barely escapes when Lindzi returns.

At home, Brynn reads the forwarded email. It contains a tip from someone who recognized a man named Billy Robbins as looking like William Larkin. Lindzi’s research reveals a name change: William Dexter Robbins became William Michael Larkin eleven years ago. The email also includes a fourteen-year-old newspaper article from the New Hampshire Union Leader about a Lincoln man, Dexter Robbins, who reported his wife Lila and three-year-old son Michael missing after returning from a hunting trip. The article quotes a neighbor describing Dexter as ruling his family with an iron fist, and notes that Michael had asthma that Dexter refused to treat. The article includes two photos: one of Lila at age eighteen, and one of three-year-old Michael being carried by his fifteen-year-old half-brother, William. Brynn studies the photo and realizes that the sullen teenage boy could easily be a younger Mr. Larkin. She connects the dots: William Robbins changed his name to William Larkin, and the toddler who disappeared with his mother would now be seventeen—the same age as Brynn and her classmates. The phrase “I want to be at the same school as my brother” echoes in her mind, and she understands that Mr. Larkin’s brother is likely the missing Michael, now a teenager.

Key Events

Tripp remains unreachable, and Charlotte blames Brynn for his disappearance.
Brynn’s internship is heavily restricted; she is assigned to Andy Belkin and banned from the Pit.
Carly refuses to discuss the brother tip, and Brynn’s uncle Nick angrily hangs up on her.
Brynn overhears Lindzi discussing a promising tip about Larkin and forwards the email to herself.
The email reveals a name change from William Dexter Robbins to William Michael Larkin.
A newspaper article about a missing wife and toddler son connects the Robbins family to Larkin.
Brynn realizes the toddler in the photo is likely Mr. Larkin’s brother, now a teenager.

Character Development

Brynn is increasingly isolated and desperate. Her guilt over Mr. Solomon’s death and her role in the investigation weighs on her, but she refuses to abandon her search for the truth. Her decision to forward Lindzi’s email—a clear breach of journalistic ethics—shows how far she’s willing to go, even at the cost of her own integrity. She also demonstrates a surprising loyalty to Tripp by not giving Charlotte his address, despite her own frustration with his silence.

Uncle Nick reveals a new side: his patience snaps when Brynn brings up Larkin again. His anger suggests that the investigation has personal consequences for him, and that he may know more than he’s letting on.

Carly embodies the institutional pushback against Brynn’s digging, prioritizing damage control over truth.

Lindzi remains a sympathetic figure, but her secretive handling of the tip shows that even she is navigating the fallout.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Identity concealment and name change: The central revelation—William Robbins becoming William Larkin—highlights how people can reinvent themselves to escape a past.
Family control and abuse: The newspaper article describes Dexter Robbins as ruling his family with an iron fist, and the neighbor’s comments about Michael’s untreated asthma suggest neglect and control.
Sibling connection: The phrase “I want to be at the same school as my brother” becomes a key clue, linking Mr. Larkin’s motive to his missing half-brother.
Isolation and punishment: Brynn’s internship restrictions and social ostracism at school mirror the isolation she feels, while also serving as a form of punishment for her actions.
Trust erosion: Brynn’s relationships with Carly, Uncle Nick, and even Tripp are strained, and her own trust in the system is shaken, leading her to take unethical shortcuts.
Truth-seeking vs. journalistic ethics: Brynn’s forwarding of the email raises questions about whether the ends justify the means.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter delivers a major breakthrough in the central mystery. The name change from William Dexter Robbins to William Michael Larkin provides a concrete link between Mr. Larkin and a missing family, and the article’s photo of a teenage William with his toddler half-brother gives Brynn—and the reader—a plausible explanation for Larkin’s obsession with Saint Ambrose. The revelation that the missing brother would now be seventeen suggests that the person Brynn and her classmates have been searching for might be closer than they think.

The chapter also deepens Brynn’s personal stakes. Her isolation grows as she loses the support of her uncle and her mentor Carly, and her decision to steal the email marks a turning point in her character—she is no longer just an amateur investigator but someone willing to cross ethical lines. This sets up the next phase of the story, where the consequences of her actions are likely to unfold.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Brynn refuse to give Charlotte Tripp’s address?

Brynn refuses because she finds it strange that Charlotte, after four years of friendship, doesn’t know where Tripp lives. She also feels that sharing the information would be another betrayal, since Tripp has never offered it himself. 2. What does the newspaper article reveal about the Robbins family, and how does it connect to Mr. Larkin?

The article reports that Dexter Robbins’s wife Lila and toddler son Michael went missing, with a neighbor describing Dexter as controlling and neglectful. The photo shows Michael with his half-brother William, who is the same age as Mr. Larkin would have been. The name change from William Dexter Robbins to William Michael Larkin confirms that William is Mr. Larkin, and the missing Michael is likely the brother he wanted to be near. 3. How does Brynn’s decision to forward Lindzi’s email reflect her character development?

Brynn’s decision shows that her commitment to uncovering the truth has overridden her ethical boundaries. She is willing to invade Lindzi’s privacy and risk her internship to get information, indicating that she is becoming more desperate and more determined, even at the cost of her own integrity.

Navigation

← Previous Chapter | Book Hub | Next Chapter →