14. Birdy

Six months earlier, Birdy enters the Hope Falls graveyard with Sgt. Carter, flooded by memories of a lonely childhood, her mother’s funeral, and abusive foster care in London. She keeps her past to herself, drawn by Carter’s mention of “the woman who died twice.”

Carter leads Birdy to an old headstone bearing her own name and two sets of dates. He recounts the local legend: in 1944, Olivia Bird—the grandmother—collapsed upon learning her fiancé died in the war and was buried with lavish jewelry. Grave robbers exhumed her to steal a ruby ring, cut her finger, and she awoke screaming. She was found back at Spyglass the next morning, alive but missing her ring finger, and later became a reclusive local legend who wanted to be remembered as “the woman who died twice.”

Birdy absorbs the story with skepticism, noting the eerie details and the family’s locked-house mystery. Carter explains his love for Hope Falls, boasting its safety and lack of murders, while Birdy counters that it’s “always the husband,” teasing him about true crime clichés.

Feeling the pull to retreat, Birdy says she won’t stay; she plans to sell Spyglass and return to London. Carter expresses disappointment and, revealing quiet loneliness, asks her to get a drink before she goes.