Listen for the Lie
by Amy Tintera
Contents
Chapter Twenty-Three: Lucy
Overview
Ben takes Lucy to the woods where Savvy was found for their first real interview, hoping the setting will draw out memories and answers. Instead, the visit exposes how fragile Lucy’s composure is: her effort to perform a controlled, innocent version of herself collapses under trauma, intrusive thoughts about Matt, and Savvy’s presence in her mind.
The chapter matters because it shows that the truth of Savvy’s death is still locked inside Lucy’s fractured memory, and Ben’s investigation is now pushing directly against that damage. Rather than producing clarity, the crime-scene return deepens the sense that Lucy’s missing memories, Matt’s abuse, and Savvy’s final night are tightly connected.
Summary
Lucy reluctantly agrees to Ben Owens’s first formal interview, even though she resents him for withholding that Matt left the wedding with an unidentified person the night Savvy died. At Ben’s hotel, Paige is present, which further unsettles Lucy. Before they leave, Lucy confronts Ben about trust, but Ben makes clear he is not treating her like a partner and plans to record once they are in the car.
On the drive to the wooded roadside where Savvy’s car and body were found, Lucy tries to stay controlled and present herself as "Podcast Lucy," the version of herself that sounds calm and innocent. Ben asks whether Lucy has returned to the area before, and Lucy says her mother once brought her there after police reopened it, hoping the place would trigger a memory. That visit failed, and Lucy remembers her mother criticizing how she reacted, which deepened Lucy’s fear that she never behaved the way an innocent person should.
As Lucy and Ben walk down the dirt path, Ben keeps asking about Lucy’s previous visits and whether she ever used the nearby trail. Lucy answers carefully, but internally she is increasingly distressed by thoughts of Matt, Savvy’s voice in her head, and her own uncertainty about what she remembers. She notices how much Ben seems to know and realizes he has likely planned every step of this encounter.
When they reach the spot, Lucy sees yellow roses left in a pink vase and learns that Savvy’s mother still visits regularly. Standing there brings back the police photographs of Savvy’s body, especially the torn dress strap. Lucy feels sure the damage meant something, but she cannot tell whether she truly remembers its cause or has built a false memory from desperation.
Ben presses Lucy to explain why the location affects her so strongly, and the questioning becomes too much. Lucy briefly sees Savvy behind Ben and then becomes physically overwhelmed by heat, panic, and disorientation. She nearly faints and collapses into Ben, who lowers her to the ground, apologizes for bringing her there, and offers help.
Although Ben’s concern appears genuine, Lucy rejects his sympathy and pulls away. Feeling exposed and unable to keep control of herself or the interview, Lucy stands up and ends the moment by saying she is going back to the car.
Who Appears
- LucyNarrator; accompanies Ben to the crime scene, struggles to stay composed, and nearly faints from trauma and panic.
- Ben OwensPodcaster investigating Savvy’s murder; brings Lucy to the woods, questions her intensely, then apologizes when she collapses.
- SavvyMurder victim whose voice and image haunt Lucy throughout the visit to the place where she died.
- PaigeBen’s associate; briefly appears in his hotel room and echoes his refusal to give Lucy advance information.
- Lucy’s motherAppears in Lucy’s memories of an earlier return to the crime scene and harshly judges Lucy’s reaction.
- MattLucy’s abusive husband; central to Lucy’s intrusive thoughts after learning he left the wedding with someone mysterious.