The Good Lie

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore, who specializes in criminal behavior and treats patients who have violent tendencies, is listening to a voicemail from one of her patients, John Abbott. Based on recent sessions, she is worried that he will kill his wife, Brooke. Gwen has been treating him for over a year and has determined that he has pathological jealousy and obsessive fears that his wife will leave him for another man. Previously, he complained about Brooke’s interactions with their landscaper, whom Gwen suggested that he fire, and now, he is worried about their neighbor. Gwen is concerned because John’s fixation on his wife causes him to have violent fantasies about killing her. She attempts to call John back, but he does not answer. John Abbott does not show up for his shift at the pharmacy where he works, and he and his wife are found dead in their home.

Later, Gwen receives a call from her receptionist, who says that there is a detective in her office who needs to speak to her. Gwen deletes John’s frantic voicemail from her phone, fearing an investigation into her practice and a breach of her patients’ confidentiality. She goes to her office and meets Detective Ted Saxe, who tells her that both John Abbott and his wife were found dead; Brooke had a heart attack, while John apparently stabbed himself. Saxe asks Gwen questions about John’s treatment, and Gwen answers evasively. She is certain that John poisoned his wife, but she does not reveal this or any details about John’s true mental state or his confessions during therapy. Gwen specializes in treating people with violent obsessions and feels that she has a duty to protect her patients’ privacy despite the severity of their confessions. Detective Saxe leaves, and Gwen takes John and Brooke’s deaths as a personal failure on her part.

Gwen has lunch with her friend Meredith, also a psychologist, who attempts to reassure Gwen that John and Brooke’s deaths are not her fault and that she cannot be sure that John killed his wife. She suggests that Gwen order a toxicology screen to see if John (who was a pharmacist) gave Brooke drugs or if her heart attack was natural. Gwen does not want to run the risk of tarnishing her client’s name or threatening patient confidentiality if he is innocent, and she does not want to draw negative attention to her practice if he is found to be guilty.

They then discuss the Bloody Heart Killer. Gwen has been following the case closely, and Meredith announces that the killer has been caught; after escaping from the serial killer, Scott Harden accused a teacher at his high school.

Gwen has an appointment with Lela Grant, a woman who is having violent thoughts about killing her husband’s sister. Lela rants about her husband’s sister and fantasizes about stabbing her. Gwen knows that Lela is not really a killer; instead, she is simply bored and hates her sister-in-law and is therefore unlikely to kill her. However, as Lela leaves, Gwen reflects that she had been wrong about the likelihood that John would kill his wife, and she now wonders if she could be wrong about Lela as well.

Gwen attends John’s funeral, where she hears people talk about him “as if he were a saint” (20). She thinks back over their sessions, and in hindsight, she can see the signs that he was dangerous to Brooke; he would describe detailed fantasies of hurting or killing Brooke. Gwen blames Brooke’s death on her own “ego” and her assumption that her sessions with John would be enough to keep him from hurting Brooke. She also feels intensely guilty and responsible for what happened and thinks about how she might have changed the outcome if she had gone to the police.

She leaves the funeral early and goes to a bar nearby, ordering a bucket of beers in an attempt to drink away her guilt. A handsome man approaches her, introduces himself as Robert, and joins her at her booth. He was also at the funeral; John was his pharmacist, and Robert mentions that he was a frequent customer because his son “had” diabetes. Gwen gleans from his use of past tense that his son died recently. They talk about their respective professions, and Robert tells her that he is a criminal defense attorney. The two continue drinking together, and afterward, they go to Gwen’s house and have sex.

When Gwen wakes up, Robert is making coffee and breakfast in her kitchen. She reflects on the night fondly, but when she leaves her room and passes her home office, she sees Robert inside. He is looking at John Abbott’s client file. He says that Gwen should have told him that she was John’s therapist. Outraged, Gwen tells Robert to leave, and he does. She checks the phone and sees that he placed a call to his office: Cluster and Kavin law firm. She realizes that Robert is the father of Gabe Kavin, one of the boys who was murdered by the Bloody Heart Killer.

Robert leaves Gwen’s house and walks through her neighborhood. He reflects that his good opinion of Gwen vanished when he saw John’s file. He goes to a bar. The news is playing on the TV inside, featuring Scott Harden’s return, and Robert’s mood worsens. The news story mentions Robert’s late son, Gabe, and Robert immediately leaves the bar to catch a taxi.

Nita Harden is with Scott at home as he is questioned by Detective Erica Petts and Detective Ed Harvey. Nita notes that the latter seems suspicious, though she is not sure of whom. Erica Petts asks Scott how much he remembers about the day of his kidnapping, and Scott recounts going to his truck. Randall Thompson, a teacher at the school, had parked beside it. Randall Thompson allegedly asked Scott for help in getting something from his trunk, and when Scott bent down to help, Randall “stuck something in [his] neck” (39), rendering him unconscious. Scott then woke up tied to a bed.

The detectives ask if he can identify the house he was in, and Scott says that he cannot; when he ran away, he did not look at the house. He gives only vague details, claiming that he was drugged most of the time. Nita can tell that he is lying. Nita urges the detectives to arrest Randall Thompson immediately, but they are awaiting a search warrant. The detectives leave, and Nita is sure that Scott is keeping something from them, though she does not know what it might be.

Robert goes to his law office and meets with his partner, Martin Cluster. The two discuss the developments in the Bloody Heart Killer case. Robert says that the police found evidence in Randall Thompson’s house: a shoebox containing souvenirs from each of the boys, including Gabe. However, Robert is suspicious, believing that the box could have been planted. Martin disagrees, stating that with both an eyewitness and evidence, Thompson is almost certainly the killer.

Robert, however, is not convinced of his guilt and wants to represent Thompson in court. Martin is vehemently opposed to this, but Robert says that if the police think they have caught the killer, they will stop searching for the real one. Martin argues that this is a conflict of interest and that they will get sued if Robert loses, but Robert is certain that he will not lose.

Gwen is at home, feeling “paranoid” about her skill as a therapist. She reflects on her last meetings with John and realizes that she had been more focused on diagnosing the reasons for his insecurity than on considering the possibility that he might actually kill his wife. She also muses about an unpopular theory that she has regarding marriage: that at some point, all spouses secretly wish that their partner would die.

Robert rings her doorbell, bringing flowers and apologizing for looking at John’s file. Gwen accepts his apology and invites him inside. They talk, and their conversation veers toward Gabe and the Bloody Heart murders. Gwen apologizes to Robert for the loss of his son. Robert offers to hire her to create a psychological profile of the Bloody Heart Killer, saying that he can provide her with access to the case files for all six victims. Gwen accepts the offer, and Robert leaves. Gwen is thrilled at the thought of studying the case files, and her attraction to Robert has grown into a “fixation.”