Sadie

As Sadie holds her switchblade to Caddy’s throat, he gives her the name Marlee Singer as someone who can tell her about “Darren Marshall.”

Sadie finds Marlee and tells her she is looking for Darren, whom she claims is her father. When Marlee goes to pick up her crying baby, it reminds Sadie of Mattie as a baby.

Marlee says Darren hasn’t been around in years and that his name is not really Darren, nor is it Keith. He was friends with her older brother, so she’s known him for many years. Marlee’s brother went to college and became successful. A few years ago, Darren came and stayed at Marlee’s place, and they dated. She found a photo in his belongings, “the kind of thing you can’t explain or defend” (68). Marlee threw Darren out, which estranged her from her brother.

Finally, Marlee tells Sadie that the man’s real name is Jack Hersh but gives no other information. Offering money, Sadie asks about Marlee’s brother.

Police in Farfield, CO contact May Beth when Sadie’s belongings are found there in a car. May Beth maintains that the police don’t care about Sadie’s case.

West tells Danny that there does not seem to be much to investigate in the story. Danny encourages West to look further and to discover the reasons behind Sadie’s disappearance.

West tells May Beth that he does not believe Sadie wants to be found. May Beth replies that perhaps that was the case at first, but she has a feeling things have changed. West says he needs more to go on than a feeling.

Marlee’s brother Silas Baker lives in Montgomery, CO. Sadie decides to get to him by meeting his daughter Kendall, whom she found on Instagram. She finds Kendall at a dive bar with friends.

Sadie sees a drunk woman with a man at the bar and thinks about when her mother met Keith. She imagines his interest when her mother said she had two young daughters.

Sadie joins Kendall and her friends, saying her name is Lera. Drinking alcohol makes Sadie feel bolder and alleviates her stutter. Noah, Kendall’s brother, declares that he likes “Lera.” Meanwhile, Sadie hits it off with Javi, a friend of Noah.

Sadie and Javi go out and sit in her car. Her invites her to Bakers’ house the next evening, which gives Sadie Silas’s address. Sadie gets Javi’s phone number and promises to call him. She imagines herself kissing Javi and memorizes his number “like how any other girl might do” (92). Sadie drives away to Montgomery.

West examines the possessions left in Sadie’s car. He finds a takeout menu for Ray’s Diner, so he calls the detective in Farfield who says nothing came of investigating Ray’s.

At the diner, West meets Ruby who tells him that she never talked to the Farfield police about Sadie. West shows Ruby a picture of Sadie.

Montgomery is a very affluent city. Sadie imagines living in a real house with a full refrigerator. She feels hatred and resentment towards the city and its inhabitants.

Sadie finds the Bakers’ house. She cannot imagine how Silas chose Keith over his sister. Sadie cannot imagine choosing anyone over Mattie.

A huge pickup truck pulls up with a very drunk Noah and Kendall inside. Sadie watches them stumble to the door, thinking about how her sister is dead. Sadie remembers caring for Mattie for all of her 13 years.

Sadie waits all night and sees Silas emerge in the morning. She follows him out of town and to an abandoned house on a dirt road. Sadie parks a mile away then runs back. She enters the dilapidated house and hides. Sadie hears Silas leave in his car.

Sadie searches the house and finds a lockbox. Sadie takes the box outside and beats the lock until the contents spill out.

Ruby says that Sadie was looking for her father, who used to be a regular at the diner. She thought that was “weird” because she knew Darren didn’t have children. Ruby adds that Darren lived with Marlee Singer in Wagner, but she has not seen him since they split up.

West tries to contact Marlee, but she does not answer. West calls May Beth, who insists that Sadie did not know who her father was.

A day later, West receives a call from Caddy Sinclair.

Sadie walks into a cafe, sick to her stomach but knowing that she’ll collapse if she doesn’t eat soon. She goes into the restroom, overcome with emotion. She feels like killing Marlee and Silas.

Sadie borrows a woman’s phone and calls Javi, asking him to meet her. He quickly arrives and buys her breakfast. Though Sadie feels overwhelmed and sick, she forces herself to eat. Javi gently asks her what’s wrong.

West introduces Caddy Sinclair. Caddy says that he’s well-known in town as a source of information. He asks West if Sadie is missing and then says that she is probably dead. When asked why, Caddy replies that if she attacked someone like she attacked him, she must be dead.

West asks if Caddy knew Darren. Caddy replies that he knew him from the diner. He adds that when Sadie pulled a knife on him, he told her that Darren lived with Marlee, briefly.

Over the phone, West asks May Beth if Sadie was violent. May Beth insists that she was not. West wonders if Sadie still has the switchblade, since it was not in her belongings recovered from her abandoned car.

Sadie returns to the Baker house and finds Kendall and Noah by the pool. Sadie feels angry at the dismissive way Kendall treats her but then feels sorry for her, explaining, “She doesn’t know her father is a monster” (128).

Sadie is shocked by the spectacular interior of the Baker home. In family photos, Silas looks so normal and safe. Kendall points out the pictures of the T-ball players her dad coached, including Javi.

Silas enters and Kendall introduces him to Sadie. Silas makes Sadie panic, so she goes to the bathroom upstairs.

Sadie remembers being 11 years old in the bathtub, when a man walked in on her. She shouted and called for her mother, but the man reminded her that her mother wouldn’t do anything. He told her, “We’re family now” (131).

Sadie quietly goes through Silas’s bedroom looking for clues, then returns downstairs. Silas is alone in the kitchen. Abruptly, he comments that he saw her car earlier. Noah comes in and asks for a sandwich. While Silas is distracted, Sadie grabs his phone from the counter and runs to her car. She scrolls through his contacts and finds “Jack H.” As she memorizes the address, Silas asks for his phone back.

West finally reaches Marlee Singer, who refuses to tell him details about her relationship with Darren. Marlee insists that she never met Sadie.

Frustrated by the lack of leads, West calls May Beth. She tells him the names of men that Claire was with, including Keith and Paul. May Beth cannot understand why Sadie would seek a man she called her father, nor what she might need that May Beth could not give her.

Silas asks who Sadie is, saying that he saw her follow him. Silas opens Sadie’s car door and grabs her throat.

Sadie reaches for her switchblade and presses it to Silas’s abdomen. Silas smashes Sadie’s face into the steering wheel, making her drop the switchblade. He threatens to call the police, but Sadie replies that he cannot.

Silas asks what Sadie knows then pulls her from the car. Silas stops reaching for her at the sound of Noah’s voice. Noah and Kendall stand in the driveway, shocked at the scene.

Silas tells his children that Sadie is not who she says she is, adding that she is a thief who tried to steal his phone. Kendall moves to call the police, but Silas stops her and bellows at Sadie to get off his property.

In a daze, Sadie gets in her car and drives away. She thinks about when she got extremely sick after Claire left. Mattie felt helpless and called Marty, Sadie’s boss. Sadie feels glad that Mattie is not alive to see her in her present state because Mattie never knew what to do when Sadie needed help.