Keep It in the Family

The narrative returns to the present. Mia connects with Sonny and copes with the aftermath of Finn’s affair. Enjoying an afternoon in the park with her son, Mia realizes that she can still find hope and joy in life, even if she is grieving Finn’s betrayal. As she pushes Sonny in a baby swing, Mia realizes that she is living the moments she fantasized about—the moments that made her want to become a mother. Ordinary days spent connecting with her baby remind her that parenthood can be wonderful, and she feels grateful for her improving relationship with Sonny.

She has also found a friend in her old classmate, Lorna. After they met to discuss the death of Lorna’s little brother, Frankie, Mia and Lorna have rekindled the friendship they developed in college. Lorna’s support makes Mia feel that she has at least one ally amidst the turmoil of her life. Although Mia feels uncertain about the future of her marriage and family, she hopes to rebuild her life. However, her day out with Sonny is interrupted when she receives a call from the detective investigating their case.

The narrative shifts to Dave’s perspective as he works on a construction site. Surrounded by young immigrants from Romania and Poland, Dave compares their strength and energy to his own lost youth. He feels old, tired, and intensely aware of his own mortality. However, he is proud that he has spent his life providing for his family, and he resolves to continue doing so until he is physically unable. Although the reporter gave him £7,000 for selling the story of Finn’s affair, Dave has put this money away so that Debbie can use it after his death. Dave comforts himself with the thought that even betraying Finn was a form of providing for his family, and he feels confident that his actions were justified.

The narrative returns to Mia’s perspective as she anxiously waits for an update from the detective. After everything she has endured, she worries that his arrival will signify something new and horrifying. Instead, he admits that there are no new leads; he simply wanted to check on Mia and see how she is coping with the news about Finn. Mia suspects that the detective is harboring romantic feelings for her and realizes that she might be interested in getting to know him better. As Mia flirts with the detective, they discuss the case and focus on the specific brand of suitcases in which the bodies were found. Their conversation triggers a memory for Mia, and she sneaks back into Dave and Debbie’s garage, convinced that she will find a scrap of evidence that reminds her of the suitcases. She is just about to give up when she discovers a trap door cemented into the garage floor. Inside, she discovers more suitcases.

This chapter is narrated from the stalker’s point of view as they return to their childhood imprisonment in the attic decades ago. As the narrator’s mother prepares to murder her own child, the narrator’s father sneaks in and frees them from the attic, encouraging his child to run away. Once free, the narrator finds Precious and releases her as well; together, they run into town while Precious reassures the narrator that her family will help them both.

As they run, the narrator feels a sense of hope they have never felt before and whispers, “I am going to save her. I am going to save both of us” (212). However, their joy dissipates when Precious suddenly begins asking them questions about the house. The narrator’s answers unintentionally reveal too much, and Precious realizes that the narrator was not a fellow prisoner after all. Horrified, Precious realizes that she was kidnapped by the narrator’s parents, and she panics, believing that her new companion is trying to trap her again. The narrator runs after Precious, begging her to wait and to believe that they want nothing to do with their parents. But Precious is terrified and runs blindly into the road, where she is hit by a speeding car.

The narrative returns to the present. Under the trap door in the garage, Mia finds evidence that Dave and Debbie bought the suitcases in which the children’s bodies were found. She also discovers a deed to the house that she and Finn had planned to renovate, revealing that Dave and Debbie secretly owned the house. Lastly, she finds a paper trail proving that Dave reported Finn to the local newspaper, and a piece of paper with an unknown address. Horrified and desperate for answers, Mia lies to Finn about her plans and drives straight to the address, where she finds a derelict shed filled with more suitcases. Mia reaches to open one and realizes that Dave is behind her.

The narrative shifts to Dave’s perspective as he catches Mia in the shed. Although Dave does not want to harm or frighten Mia, he can see that she is already afraid of him. She believes that he is the serial killer responsible for murdering the children in the attic, and Dave does not refute her suspicions. When Mia asks how long the killing spree has lasted, Dave responds, “More years than I care to remember” (223). Suddenly, their conversation is interrupted by a notification from Mia’s phone. Dave takes her phone, hits Mia in the head, and ties her up as she loses consciousness.

The narrative returns to Mia’s point of view. She fears that Dave is going to kill her, but she promises herself that she will go down fighting and get some answers in the process. She goads Dave with questions about the bodies in the attic, demanding that he tell her how he selected his victims and how he murdered them. Dave becomes angry and argues with her, but he never confirms or denies his identity as the murderer. Instead, he begins to cry. Speaking more to himself than Mia, he reflects on all the flaws he sees in himself, his marriage, and his relationship with Finn. Lost in his own grief, Dave gives Mia her phone and tells her to call for help. He then slits his own throat and dies in front of her.

The narrative returns to the stalker’s point of view in the aftermath of Precious’s accident. The narrator stands over Precious’s body, along with the driver of the car that hit her. The young man is racked with guilt and sobbing as he begs Precious to forgive him. The narrator takes charge of the situation and realizes that the man was driving with his friends, all of whom were drunk and have now fled the scene. The narrator determines that Precious can still be saved if an ambulance reaches her in time; they send the driver to call for help while the narrator remains with Precious.

As they stand over Precious’s unconscious body, the narrator observes, “I should be just as panicked as the person who knocked her down, but I’m not. I’m weirdly calm and morbidly curious. Is this how my parents feel when they’ve had enough of playing with the kids in that room?” (233). As the narrator ponders their reaction, Precious regains consciousness and begins screaming. She threatens to tell the police that the narrator is evil, just like their parents. Panicked, the narrator runs away, desperate to avoid being returned to their family or sent to prison. As they flee the scene, they come across a sharp plank of wood, interpreting it as “a sign, an answer to my problems. There is a way to save Precious and myself too” (234).

The narrator bludgeons Precious with the plank until the driver of the car returns and finds the narrator standing over Precious’s bleeding body. Still in shock, the driver assumes that Precious’s trauma is a result of the car accident. The narrator encourages him to believe this and insinuates that the police will charge him with Precious’s murder if they do not flee the scene together. The driver agrees and introduces himself as Dave, to which the narrator replies, “I’m Debbie.”

Five months after Dave’s suicide, Mia thinks through the chaos of the past few months and reveals that she and Finn have separated. They now share joint custody of Sonny. Mia no longer lives in Finn’s family home; her parents returned from their sailing holiday and rented a property that they share with Mia and Sonny. For the first time, Mia feels close to her parents, and she is thankful for their support and grateful that she no longer lives with Finn and Debbie. She feels a chill run up her spine each time she approaches the house to collect or drop off Sonny.

She has also avoided Debbie since they last encountered one another at the police station. In the aftermath of Dave’s suicide, Mia was called in to give a statement, and Debbie was made aware of her husband’s alleged identity as a serial killer. Debbie refused to believe that Dave died by suicide; instead, she attacked Mia, beating her and screaming that Mia murdered Dave. Now, Mia is uncomfortable with Debbie’s involvement in Sonny’s life, but because Finn lives with Debbie, she concedes that her mother-in-law’s presence is a necessary evil. After dropping Sonny off and exchanging a tense conversation with Finn, Mia walks away with the realization that she no longer grieves the loss of her marriage. She feels ready to move on.

The narrative shifts to Debbie’s perspective as she spies on Finn and Mia through an upstairs window. Although Mia is Sonny’s mother and her presence is integral to their custody arrangement, Debbie compares Mia’s very existence to “the perseverance of a cold sore” (244). Debbie is still seething with anger over Dave’s suicide, and she still blames Mia. She does not believe Mia’s testimony, nor does she believe that Dave had stomach cancer. Even though Dave texted her a suicide note, Debbie is convinced that Mia killed him. As she watches Mia and Finn from the window, Debbie plots a way to permanently remove Mia from her family’s life.

This chapter is stylized as a transcript from a documentary entitled I Married a Serial Killer. Written from the perspective of a forensic psychologist, the transcript asserts that Debbie is the forgotten victim of the Hunter family tragedy and that her life has been destroyed by the shame of being married to a serial killer.