Keep It in the Family

The narrative shifts to Debbie’s perspective as Finn strangles her. Finn wants her to fight back or beg for her life, but Debbie reflects that she is ready to die. She is proud of the life she has lived; she has few regrets, and she wants to be reunited with Dave. She closes her eyes and imagines Dave beside her.

This chapter is narrated by Mia and set two years after Sonny’s disappearance. Debbie has been charged with all 40 murders and sentenced to life in Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital. She is kept in a secure unit for especially dangerous inmates. In the aftermath of losing Sonny, Finn and Mia have found it too difficult to keep in touch with each other, but they make an effort to be cordial whenever they have to communicate about Sonny. Mia refuses to give up hope and relentlessly appears on public television to beg for any information about Sonny. Lorna, Mark, and her parents continue to support and encourage her.

The narrative shifts to Debbie’s perspective as she reflects on the events that brought her to Broadmoor. She has recently been attacked with a knife by a fellow patient—the aunt of a child whom Debbie murdered.