Chapter 20 Summary and Analysis: The Plot Thickens
⚠️ 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 on Thursday 15 December with the narrator meeting retired NYPD Lieutenant Deonte Hughley at Tom's Diner in Prospect Heights. Their connection goes back two years, when her American publisher connected them so Deonte could fact-check her first novel. He became an invaluable resource, and they've kept in touch since, though this is only their fourth in-person meeting.
The narrator frames her questions as research for her second book, but the reader understands she's really asking about her own predicament. She describes a fictional scenario: a girl receives a confession tape from a powerful man, and the crimes on it may or may not be real. She asks what evidence the girl would need to take it to police without leaving herself open to reprisal.
Deonte's response is practical and grounded. He advises that the girl needs to verify the people named in the confession are real people who are actually dead, and to examine the cause of death for anything suspicious. If victims are merely missing, that's trickier. If she finds a body with murky circumstances, she should lawyer up and prepare for a legal battle. He also delivers a crucial piece of advice: copy the tape. The narrator notes this hadn't occurred to her, and the importance of it hits home.
Deonte also asks why the killer chose this particular girl, a question that catches the narrator off guard. She deflects with a joke about spoiling the ending, but internally she reflects that Robert seems to see something in her—that she has more to lose than appearances suggest.
Back at the apartment, the narrator locks the tape recorder in a suitcase under the bed. She's only played a quarter of the cassette, and what she's heard scares her. She needs to act normal around Robert the next night, and the less she knows, the easier that will be. She considers cancelling but worries it would raise red flags.
She opens Facebook and searches for Samantha Belson, emailing twenty women in the right age bracket—Samantha would be sixty this year, if she's alive. By the time Edward comes home, she's received five replies, but none are from the right Samantha.
Edward arrives panicked because her phone has been dead all day. He reminds her she's pregnant with their baby, Harry—something she had completely forgotten. He tells her he's going out to dinner with a Chinese company, an important business opportunity for his tech company. She wants him to stay but lets him go.
After Edward leaves, she gets another email from a Samantha Belson. This one is just three words: Who is this? The narrator replies through her anonymous Gmail account, attaching the Getty image of Samantha laughing beside Eleanor Holbeck, and asks if she worked for the family between 1982 and 2002. She assures Samantha she's not a journalist and promises complete discretion.
Samantha's reply comes almost immediately: is she a member of the family, or does she work for them? The narrator considers how to answer—she can't explain she's about to marry into the family. She replies, I am not involved yet.
After half an hour, Samantha responds: it is her in the photo, she'll meet, she'll pick the venue and time, and the narrator must come alone. The narrator whoops triumphantly—Samantha is alive, Robert didn't kill her. But her smile fades as she realizes she has no way of knowing if the person messaging her is really Samantha Belson, or someone else entirely. She checks the Facebook profile, scrolling through photographs, and confirms it's the same woman, aged sixty, with the same curve in her smile and crinkle around her eyes. She replies with thanks.
Key Events
-
The narrator meets Deonte Hughley at Tom's Diner, ostensibly for book research but actually for personal advice
-
Deonte advises verifying that named victims are real and dead, checking cause of death, and copying the tape
-
The narrator locks the tape recorder in a suitcase under the bed
-
She emails twenty women named Samantha Belson; five reply but none match
-
Edward returns home, worried about her dead phone, and reminds her she's pregnant with Harry
-
Edward leaves for a business dinner with a Chinese company
-
A Samantha Belson replies Who is this? to the narrator's anonymous email
-
The narrator sends the Getty photo and asks about work for the Holbeck family 1982–2002
-
Samantha agrees to meet, insisting the narrator come alone
-
The narrator confirms via Facebook photos that this is the same Samantha Belson, aged sixty
Character Development
The narrator is increasingly consumed by the tape and its implications. Her decision to lock the recorder away shows both fear and strategic thinking—she needs to limit her exposure to the confession so she can maintain her composure around Robert. Her forgetfulness about her own pregnancy is striking evidence of how much the situation has overtaken her life. She's also becoming more paranoid, wondering if even Deonte could be compromised given the Holbecks' reach.
Deonte Hughley serves as a grounding presence. His practical, procedural advice cuts through the narrator's anxiety and gives her a concrete path forward. His question about why the killer chose her is pointed and reveals his instincts are still sharp.
Edward is briefly present but significant. His concern about her dead phone and his reminder about the pregnancy pull the narrator back to her normal life, which she's been neglecting. His business dinner also highlights the separate worlds the couple inhabits—his corporate ambitions versus her growing entanglement with the Holbecks.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Trust and paranoia: The narrator's doubt about whether she should even speak to Deonte—given that her connection to him comes through her publisher, and the Holbecks have demonstrated reach—shows how the tape has infected her ability to trust anyone.
Verifying evidence: Deonte's advice establishes a clear framework: confirm the people are real, confirm they're dead, examine cause of death. The narrator applies this framework immediately by searching for Samantha Belson.
Cat-and-mouse game: Deonte explicitly names the dynamic Robert has set up. The narrator must not reveal what she knows until she's certain the confession is real, while Robert watches her reactions.
Identity verification: The chapter's climax hinges on whether the person emailing is really Samantha Belson. The narrator's careful check of the Facebook profile mirrors Deonte's advice about verifying evidence.
Secrecy and discretion: The narrator uses an anonymous Gmail account, promises confidentiality, and carefully chooses her words to Samantha. The whole chapter is structured around what can and cannot be said.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in the investigation. Deonte's advice gives the narrator—and the reader—a clear framework for what would make the tape actionable. More importantly, the discovery that Samantha Belson is alive fundamentally changes the stakes. If Robert's confession named a woman who is still living, then either the confession is fabricated, or Robert is playing a more elaborate game than anyone suspected. The narrator's relief is short-lived, replaced by the unsettling realization that she can't even be sure who she's agreed to meet. The chapter ends with the narrator stepping deeper into the game, having committed to a meeting with an unknown person, alone.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does the narrator frame her questions to Deonte as fictional book research rather than telling him the truth?
The narrator has multiple reasons. She's not sure the tape is real, and she doesn't want to expose herself to reprisal if it is. She also knows the Holbecks have reach—her connection to Deonte comes through her publisher, and she briefly wonders if even he could be compromised. Framing it as fiction lets her get practical advice without revealing her involvement.
2. What specific advice does Deonte give that the narrator immediately acts on?
Deonte advises that the narrator needs to verify the people named in the confession are real and dead, and to look at cause of death for anything suspicious. He also tells her to copy the tape. The narrator immediately acts on the verification advice by searching Facebook for Samantha Belson and emailing twenty women with that name. She also locks the tape recorder away, though she hasn't yet copied it.
3. Why is the narrator's relief at finding Samantha Belson alive short-lived?
Her initial reaction is triumph—if Samantha is alive, Robert didn't kill her, and the confession may be a game. But she quickly realizes she has no way of knowing whether the person who emailed her is actually Samantha Belson or someone else entirely—possibly someone working for the Holbecks. She checks the Facebook profile and confirms it looks like the same woman, but the uncertainty remains, and she's now committed to meeting a stranger alone.