Things We Do in the Dark

Ruby Reyes, about to be paroled, contemplates what she knows that no one else knows: Her daughter, Joey, faked her death in that fire and assumed a new identity (Paris Aquino), and now Paris/Joey is about to go on trial for killing her husband. Ruby wants money to keep quiet. She believes that she has the upper hand with her daughter.

Paris and Jimmy Peralta first met at Paris’s yoga studio. Jimmy immediately remembered Paris from her days at the strip club back in Toronto; he had caught her show, where she performed under the stage name Ruby. Her past did not bother Jimmy. He lavished gifts on Paris, and the two became a couple.

Meanwhile, after making bail, Paris is allowed at last to return to her home. The house, surrounded by media trucks and camera crews, has been cleaned by a professional service. Paris lingers on her memories. She realizes then how much she misses Jimmy. She puts on a cassette of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” and quietly, softly cries.

Zoe, Jimmy’s longtime assistant, stops by the house. In their conversation, Paris realizes that Zoe knew that Jimmy had started using cocaine again, feeling the pressure from his comeback.