End of Story

Detective Springer and her partner, Timbo Martinez—a blond, serious young man whom Nicky recognizes from the party the night before—arrive while the paramedics and coroner work. Nicky tells Springer that she saw Diana at midnight, which is around the official the time of death. Simone asks if it was suicide, as Diana’s window is open. Springer says it isn’t very likely, though possible. Madeleine declares it was an accident. The conversation turns to Freddy making a scene the night before and someone leaving the origami butterfly. Sebastian asks if Springer thinks it’s murder. She says she suspects everyone there. Martinez and Nicky go to the study to get the paper butterfly.

Detective Martinez asks Nicky about the key she lost at Jonathan’s, but he is distracted by the beauty of the library. Nicky asks how he knows Lionel, and he says he helps advise the writer on police procedure. He puts the paper butterfly in the bag. Nicky realizes that Diana was murdered.

Springer tries to get Madeleine to talk about what Freddy or her father knows but is interrupted by an officer bringing in a note written in Diana’s handwriting. It appears to be a suicide note. Springer examines it and declares the case a murder.

Nicky tells Springer that there was another butterfly delivered to the house. Springer then asks if either of them have heard from Cole or met any mid-thirties men with blue eyes interested in the Trapp family. Madeleine lies and says no. She says anyone from the party could have left the butterfly. Springer brings up Jonathan and his interest in the family. Madeleine thinks about texting with Cole. She is about to confess her communication, but she is interrupted by another officer entering.

Sebastian is hitting the chandelier with a champagne bottle, but Madeleine calms him. Springer shows the family the suicide note. Simone says she knew it, and Madeleine takes her collapsing father upstairs.

Madeleine, Sebastian, and Detective Martinez go up the elevator to Sebastian’s room, where they put him to bed. Martinez asks if Sebastian would recognize his son if he saw him again, and Sebastian firmly says, “I’d know him anywhere” (243).

The note shocks Nicky. She gets into bed with Agatha Christie’s Sparkling Cyanide but can only read a little while. The book inspires her to think it wasn’t suicide, and Nicky knows she needs to understand the past death to comprehend Diana’s murder.

Madeleine thinks it’s an interesting coincidence that Nicky appeared just before Cole’s return via text message. She asks Nicky if she knows Cole and confesses Cole has texted her. She rages at Nicky about all that is happening. Nicky surprises Madeleine by hugging her. When Nicky offers to leave, Madeleine says Sebastian wants Nicky there. Madeleine confesses that Cole’s texts make it seem like Sebastian knows what happened to Hope. Nicky asks if that’s true, and Madeleine can’t answer. She brings up Freddy instead and how he kissed Diana. They both agree something is happening. Madeleine says Cole can be anyone, and she wants to keep him out of danger. They hear another scream. It’s Simone watching the body’s removal from the house. Springer says they can’t find Freddy, as he has been evicted from his latest listed residence. Madeleine watches Nicky leave with Jonathan and wonders who he is and why he’s interested in Nicky.

Jonathan commiserates with Nicky and wonders why anyone would murder Diana. Nicky asks him to take her to Betty’s café and dive bar, where Freddy got her a coffee. They order whiskey and ask the bartender, Betty, if they know Freddy. Betty gets rid of Jonathan by warning him about parking. Alone, Betty tells Nicky that they can’t help with Freddy and that Jonathan is hiding something. As Nicky leaves, she realizes the bartender knew Freddy’s name without them saying it.

A man from the bar follows Nicky. She ambushes him and gets him in a choke hold. He says he just wants to talk to Nicky about Freddy. Nicky retrieves his dropped cigarette for him, and he tells her Freddy comes to Betty’s a lot with Chinese food takeout from The Tigress. Freddy met someone once a week and has been looking bad lately. Nicky gives him 20 dollars and thanks him. He warns her that Freddy could be a tough customer, and Nicky says, “So am I” (259).

No one has texted Madeleine back, and she is confused about Freddy’s involvement. She ignores the crime scene tape and goes into her mother’s former room, which is now Diana’s room. She wonders why Diana wrote a suicide note when they’d discussed plans for the future. She looks in the jewelry box, smells Diana’s perfume, and then goes to her father’s room.

Simone is icy with Nicky but invites her to look through photos from the party with her. Nicky asks for a selfie of Freddy, Simone, and Diana. There are many photos of Sebastian, and Nicky asks Simone if she’s always loved him. Simone confesses she has loved him since her wedding day, when she met her husband’s brother for the first time. She hoped that there was a chance for romance after their spouses died. She says loving someone who doesn’t love you back is almost pleasurable but mostly unbearable. She abruptly leaves to feed her cats and tells Nicky she should go home. As Simone leaves, Nicky remembers that the night Cole and Hope disappeared, Simone was home with her husband, Freddy, and Cole.

Madeleine is sitting next to her father, who she thinks is sleeping. He’s not, and he speaks to her about Diana having a sad life. He invites Nicky in, who says she will leave the house to allow the family privacy. Madeleine is happy, but Sebastian objects, telling Nicky to stay. He tells them both Diana would have been a good mother because she was ferocious. He falls back asleep. Madeleine goes downstairs, astonished it was only that morning they found Diana. She texts Cole saying she’s getting scared, and he texts back that she’s not scared enough.

Jonathan calls Nicky and wants to know what the detectives’ theories are. He’s nervous, as they want to speak to him. She says to tell the truth and falls asleep as he asks how she’s sure there’s nothing to be afraid of.

Madeleine fends off reporters who call the house and watches Nicky handle the ones who arrive in person. Nicky gets choked up talking about Diana and her own eventual departure from the house. Madeleine agrees that it’s hard to leave the house once one is there. She asks Nicky to stay but feels like everything is falling apart.

Nicky assures family and friends back home that she is okay. She goes to Dragon Gate in Chinatown. She walks through the neighborhood during a parade with a traditional dragon dance. She goes into The Tigress restaurant and shows the waitress Freddy’s photo. The waitress directs her to 2C above the restaurant. Nicky knocks and tries the door, but it’s locked. She runs and throws her shoulder into the door, which opens.

It’s a small apartment with bottles of prescription drugs prescribed to various people on the coffee table. In the bedroom, there are photos of the family on the wall, along with headlines and clippings, all dramatically lit. Another mask of Jack, Sebastian’s villain, is on the seat at the desk next to an envelope with a photo of Nicky in it. Freddy comes home, but when he sees Nicky, he runs.

Nicky chases him down the stairs, still holding the envelope. She slips on his dropped pasta takeout and falls down the last few steps. She gets up and chases him into the streets. He runs into the parade crowd, and Nicky gets caught up by the dragon. The teenager in the front of the dragon helps Nicky get down the street using the cloud of the dragon’s breath that shoots out the mouth to make way. She is about to catch Freddy when he runs into the street in front of a funeral sedan. He tumbles over the hood, then hops up and continues to run. Nicky can’t cross the street in time to catch up.

Detective Springer walks through the maze in the back of the house while she asks Madeleine questions about Cole’s communications. She tells Madeleine the four possibilities around Diana’s death: death by suicide, accident, murder, and murder by Cole. Madeleine says Cole has no motive, and Springer notes her use of the present tense for Cole. She says Cole could be punishing his father for Hope’s death. Madeleine denies she’s been contacted by Cole, but when Springer leaves, she texts Cole that the police think he murdered Diana.

Nicky goes to the apartment addressed on the envelope at Freddy’s, asking to speak to the woman inside about Cole Trapp. She guesses this person is a Trapper Keeper, but a placard by the door says they are a psychologist. A woman answers, and her sober expression changes to excitement when she recognizes Nicky. She takes Nicky to her office and talks about being a Trapper Keeper. She says she doesn’t know the identity of Jack, though he seems to know someone inside the house because he can get things from the mansion to sell. The woman is excited about Nicky’s work and thinks she will get to the bottom of what happened to Hope and Cole. When Nicky destroys the photo of her and as she rushes out, the woman calls for Nicky’s autograph.

Madeleine goes to Jonathan’s house claiming to need the bathroom. She wants to learn if he is secretly Cole. While he gets them drinks, she looks in a moving box and sees magazines addressed to Grant Jones. When she asks who Grant Jones is, he says Grant is a friend from back home. She finds an attempt at an origami butterfly and asks him if he knew Diana back in England, as they’re both English. He gets angry, asking who Madeleine thinks he is. She says he can be anyone and storms out. She tries searching his name in England but finds no clear answers.

Madeleine talks to her father, who asks her what she’s been writing. She feels silly but tells him about adapting his first novel for the screen. He surprises her by saying it’s a good idea but says it’s not what he wants to talk about.

Nicky is summoned to Sebastian’s room, where Madeleine is stilling next to him. She has been crying. He says he’s decided to end his treatments and asks that they go to breakfast in the morning. Nicky showers, discovering bruises from running through the street fair. Something about the photo of her is nagging her mind, but she falls asleep deciding it’s nothing.

Madeleine feels alone. The item Sebastian gave her during their talk is clutched in her hand. She sweeps everything off the top of her dresser. Her phone lights up, and Cole says to find his diary and read it.