Contents
Part Four — Chapter Seven
Overview
Theo meets Paul in Cambridge and confronts him with Alicia’s diary, exposing Paul’s lie about not seeing Alicia recently. Paul admits gambling debts and asking Alicia for money, but denies knowledge of a stalker and describes their family’s silence. He reveals a childhood roof hideout and offers to show Theo, opening a new lead.
Summary
Theo travels to Cambridge to meet Paul at the White Bear. After tense small talk, Theo raises Alicia’s diary and highlights discrepancies with Paul’s previous account, specifically that Paul had claimed not to have seen Alicia for years.
Pressed, Paul falters. He admits he visited Alicia shortly before Gabriel’s murder because he was desperate from gambling debts and needed money. Paul insists Alicia didn’t give him anything and asks Theo to keep it from Lydia. Theo notes Paul is still evasive.
Theo asks about Alicia’s fear of being watched. Paul expresses surprise, suggests Alicia might have imagined it, and describes their family’s chronic silence, ruled by Lydia, with Vernon emotionally absent after Eva’s death.
Prompted by Tanya Berenson’s hint, Theo asks about an event after Alicia’s car accident. Paul reveals that upon returning from the hospital, he and Alicia climbed onto their house roof, a secret place from childhood, and spent the night there.
Deciding to show rather than tell, Paul stands and offers to take Theo to the roof, providing a concrete lead into Alicia’s past and state of mind.
Who Appears
- Theo FaberTherapist investigating Alicia; confronts Paul with diary discrepancies and pursues new lead to the roof hideout.
- Paul RoseAlicia’s cousin; admits gambling debts and recent visit to Alicia, denies stalker knowledge, and reveals their secret rooftop.
- Alicia BerensonAbsent but central; her diary contradicts Paul and details fears of being watched, shaping Theo’s questions.
- Tanya BerensonReferenced; prompted Theo to ask Paul about the night after the car accident.
- Lydia RoseReferenced; domineering family presence Paul wishes to keep uninformed about his debts.
- Vernon RoseReferenced; emotionally withdrawn father after Eva’s death, contributing to the family’s silence.