Contents
Part Four — Chapter One
Overview
Theo finishes Alicia’s diary and is shaken by its revelations and abrupt ending. Connecting the diary’s “Dr. West” to a colleague at the Grove, he questions why this doctor never testified. Determined to investigate, Theo secures the diary and goes straight to Dr. C. West’s office to confront him.
Summary
Theo closes Alicia’s diary, stunned by how deeply it reveals her inner life. He turns over questions raised by the entries: whether Alicia identified her stalker, whom she confided in beyond Gabriel, Barbie, and Dr. West, and why the diary breaks off so suddenly. He wonders what Alicia intended by entrusting it to him—an act he reads as intimate yet possibly strategic.
Fixating on “Dr. West,” Theo realizes no such witness appeared at Alicia’s trial, despite the potential importance of her treating physician. He questions why Dr. West never came forward and how much he knew about Alicia’s mental state before the murder.
Suspecting a coincidence that may not be one, Theo decides to verify Dr. West’s identity. He first locks the diary away, then immediately retrieves it, choosing to keep it on his person. Coat over his arm and journal in pocket, he leaves his office.
Theo walks to a door marked “DR. C. WEST,” concludes this is the doctor from Alicia’s diary, and enters without knocking, intent on confronting him and uncovering what was withheld.
Who Appears
- Theo FaberAlicia’s therapist; reflects on her diary, questions its abrupt end, and moves to confront Dr. C. West.
- Alicia BerensonPatient whose diary prompts new questions about a stalker, confidences, and missing testimony.
- Dr. C. West (Christian West)Grove doctor Theo believes is the diary’s ‘Dr. West’; targeted for immediate questioning.
- Gabriel BerensonAlicia’s late husband; noted as one of the few people she confided in.
- Barbie HellmannNeighbor Alicia confided in about feeling watched, referenced in Theo’s reflections.