A Talent for Murder

After killing Martha, Ethan sets his sights on finding Lily. It takes a few weeks of searching, but he eventually discovers her house in Shepaug. Before heading there, Ethan calls his wife to tell her that he’ll be late and steals a Connecticut license plate from a local car.

Deciding that kidnapping Lily outside of her house is too much of a risk, Ethan heads to the center of Shepaug, where he hopes that he’ll attract less attention. As he’s driving, he spots Lily coming out of a small grocery store and follows her, fantasizing about murder. Lily follows a side road out of town, walking home, and Ethan takes the opportunity to kidnap her.

Lily remembers walking through a cool night, then a house that smelled of rot, and a staircase leading down to the basement. When she wakes, she’s lying on a cot in a dank basement, with a shackled ankle chaining her to the floor.

She notices Ethan watching her sleep. He points out a bucket to her, and Lily vomits into it. She asks him how long he plans on keeping her in the basement, and he responds that he doesn’t know—he’s never kidnapped anybody before.