Everyone Here Is Lying: A Novel

Erin wishes she knew the identity of the witness. At the police station, Oliver assures Nora and Al that unless they find physical evidence connecting Ryan directly to the crime, they will not be able to hold him long.

As they drive home, Nora tells Al she thinks that Oliver does not believe Ryan. Al tells her that he believes William did it, but Nora thinks that Al has always been quick to accuse William. She asks him if he killed Avery. Al pulls into the driveway and hits her across the face. She gets out of the car, and he drives away. Al realizes suddenly that he wants to kill Nora because he hates her so much. Erin calls Gully and asks her the identity of the witness, but Gully refuses to tell her.

Avery feels upset that Ryan is in jail because she only wanted to punish William. She wonders if her father has learned his lesson yet or if she should stay at Marion’s longer. She decides that she will tell everyone that some man grabbed her from behind and took her to his basement. She thinks everyone will believe her, since the only person who thinks she is a liar is her father, and she knows he will be too afraid to contradict her story. Later, Erin decides to go to everyone’s door on the block and ask them if they were the witness.

Alice looks surprised to see Erin at her door and lets her inside. Alice tells her that she was not the witness. Erin asks her if Derek touched Avery, but Alice denies it.

Gully investigates Marion’s husband and sees that he still lives in Boston, where Marion used to live, and that he has multiple assault charges against him from Marion.

Erin speaks with Gwen, who tells her that she was not the witness. She tells Erin that she can come talk to her if she ever needs a friend. Al sits in the parking lot of the Breezes Motel. He decides he will strangle Nora and leave her body in the dumpster of the motel. When Erin gets to her door, Marion lets her inside, hoping that Avery will not hear their conversation.

Marion feels nervous but tries to calm herself as Erin talks to her. She denies that she called the police, but Erin knows she is lying. Erin raises her voice, so Marion confesses that she was the witness to calm her down and keep Avery from hearing. She tells Erin about her abusive ex-husband and how she did not want her name in the news. However, Erin yells at her for not coming forward sooner. Marion tells her to leave.

Avery stands on the other side of the basement door, stunned by what she overheard. She feels furious that Marion lied to her and to the police about Ryan. Erin calls and tells William about Marion, and he says that Marion is a nurse at his hospital.

Marion goes downstairs to talk to Avery. Avery demands to know why Marion lied. Marion confesses that she wanted to hurt Nora, so she lied about Ryan. She tells Avery that she was jealous of Nora because she always gets what she wants from men, especially William. Avery then tells Marion to take her statement back from the police.

Avery tells Marion that she must tell the police she lied about Ryan, or Avery will tell the police that Marion kidnapped her. Marion lets Avery think she has won by agreeing to recant her statement. At the motel, Al continues to think about strangling Nora. He decides to get a room at the motel.

Avery waits for Marion to get home. She decides to change her story and blame everything on Marion. She tries to leave but discovers that Marion locked the basement door. She screams for help. After several hours, Marion returns.

Marion lies to Avery that she recanted her statement. Avery tells her to stop locking the door, and Marion convinces her that she did not mean to lock it. Marion goes back upstairs and locks the door again. She thinks about how stupid Avery is that she has not thought about how Marion wants to kill her. Marion knows the police believe her about her abusive ex-husband, but they do not know that she inflicted injuries on herself and blamed it on her husband when he told her he wanted a divorce. Marion decides to drug Avery’s food the next day so she can strangle her easily.

In the morning, Marion puts several sleeping tablets into Avery’s milk. She takes the milk downstairs with Avery’s breakfast. After Marion leaves, Avery watches the morning news and learns that Marion did not recant her statement because the police have not released Ryan. She feels furious with Marion, then suddenly realizes that Marion must want to kill her. She puts down her glass of milk, now half empty, to check the basement door, which Marion locked again.

Gully suddenly realizes that Marion grew up in Stanhope, although she moved to Boston with her husband. She wonders why Marion would move back to her hometown where she lived her whole life if she was trying to escape her husband. If her husband wanted to find her, it would be easy for him. Bledsoe agrees that she needs to talk to Marion.

Marion takes a rope from the garage and unlocks the basement door. As she steps onto the basement landing, Avery pushes her from behind. Marion falls down the stairs, hitting her head at the foot of the stairs. As Marion bleeds out, Avery stands over her, watching her die. Avery waits until Marion dies, feeling pleased with herself. Avery knows the police will believe that she killed Marion in self-defense. Avery practices a look of fear in the mirror, then opens the front door and sees a woman walking up the walkway.

Gully catches Avery before she faints. She calls for an ambulance as Avery tells her that she pushed Marion down the stairs. Before long, the ambulance and police cars arrive. Erin, William, and Michael arrive, and Erin holds Avery, sobbing. Bledsoe asks Avery what happened, and Avery says that Marion locked her in the basement and drugged her, so she pushed her down the stairs. The EMTs take Avery to the hospital with her family. Gully and Bledsoe examine Marion’s body and leave the crime-scene unit to their work.