Contents
Chapter 6
Overview
Laurel rushes to the police station after a new development, bracing for confirmation of Ellie’s fate. On the way, she reflects on her fractured family, solitary routines, and Paul’s new life, underscoring how Ellie’s disappearance hollowed her world. The scene heightens dread and sets up a pivotal reveal.
Summary
Laurel drives toward the Finsbury Park police station, adrenaline pushing through years of exhaustion as everything she sees feels ominous. The urgency contrasts with a decade of stagnation since Ellie’s disappearance.
She reflects on living alone after Paul moved in with another woman, accepting his decision without blame but unable to rebuild herself. Laurel imagines how easily she would leave her old self behind if she could.
Laurel considers how Jake and Hanna left quickly: Jake now lives in Devon with his girlfriend Blue, while Hanna lives nearby yet keeps distance, burying herself in work. Laurel longs for ordinary domestic chaos that once defined family life.
Her current existence is pared down to a small Barnet flat, a marketing job, visits to her mother, cleaning Hanna’s flat, and perfunctory social habits. These routines fill time without meaning, underscoring the void Ellie left.
As Laurel nears the station, she steels herself to be shown evidence—perhaps remains or proof of life—and feels certain it will confirm death. Her pounding heart marks the moment as a threshold before whatever truth the police will reveal.
Who Appears
- LaurelMother driving to the police station; reflects on her isolation, routines, and dread of bad news about Ellie.
- PaulLaurel’s ex-husband; has moved on with another woman, symbolizing the family’s fragmentation.
- HannaLaurel’s daughter; lives nearby but distant, working long hours and avoiding closeness.
- JakeLaurel’s son; left home early and now lives in Devon with his girlfriend.
- BlueJake’s girlfriend in Devon; possessive and already talking about babies.