The Only One Left
by Riley Sager
Contents
Chapter Nineteen
Overview
Detective Vick’s interview with Lenora backfires when Lenora pretends she cannot type, destroying Kit’s credibility and leaving her even more isolated at Hope’s End. In private, Lenora insists her typing must stay secret and reveals that Mary had been frightened by strange nighttime disturbances and by Virginia’s lingering presence.
Lenora’s 1929 story also deepens as she confesses her secret affair with Ricky and shows that Virginia was already closing in on the truth. The chapter raises the stakes by tying Mary’s fear to the old family tragedy while suggesting Virginia’s influence still shapes the house and its dangers.
Summary
Kit brings Detective Vick upstairs to question Lenora about Mary’s death. On the way, Vick reveals that he briefly worked at Hope’s End in 1929 and remembers the infamous murders, which explains his familiarity with the house and his deep suspicion of Lenora. In Lenora’s room, Kit explains their tap signals and offers the typewriter so Lenora can answer questions about Mary.
Instead of typing as she has with Kit before, Lenora acts as if she cannot use the machine. When Vick asks whether Kit has lied about Lenora being able to type, Lenora signals yes, making Kit look deceptive and unstable. Kit tries to prove the truth by finding the page Lenora typed earlier about Virginia being in the room, but it has vanished. Vick, already distrustful because of Kit’s earlier lies, concludes that Kit is manipulating him and leaves after giving her his card, saying he will listen only if she decides to tell the truth.
Once Vick is gone, Lenora immediately resumes typing and apologizes. She insists that her ability to type must remain a secret from everyone, though she does not fully explain why. Kit, angry but still desperate for answers, questions Lenora herself about Mary. Lenora says Mary had not told her she was leaving, had been acting both weird and nervous for some time, had heard strange noises at night, and had become frightened.
When Kit presses Lenora about what Mary feared, Lenora types, my sister, linking Mary’s terror to Virginia and reinforcing Kit’s growing belief that something is deeply wrong at Hope’s End. Lenora then returns to her account of 1929, revealing that she was secretly in love with Ricky, a handsome working-class man employed at the estate. Their meetings quickly became a passionate sexual relationship, which Lenora saw as transformative and liberating.
In the flashback, Virginia notices that Lenora is in love and first guesses the wrong men, Archie and then Peter. Lenora keeps Ricky’s identity hidden, but Virginia coldly promises she will discover the truth eventually. Lenora closes this portion of her story by saying Virginia did find out, that disaster followed, and that Virginia still remains at Hope’s End, haunting the house as a lasting presence from the past.
Who Appears
- Kit McDeereBrings Vick to Lenora, loses credibility, then presses Lenora for answers about Mary.
- Lenora HopePretends she cannot type for Vick, then privately links Mary’s fear to her sister.
- Detective VickFormer Hope’s End worker who questions Lenora and leaves more convinced Kit is lying.
- Virginia HopeLenora’s sister; named as the source of Mary’s fear and as a looming force in Lenora’s past.
- RickyWorking-class employee with whom young Lenora begins a secret, passionate affair.
- Mary MiltonDead nurse whose recent fear, nervousness, and strange experiences become clearer through Lenora.
- ArchieMan Virginia wrongly suspects is Lenora’s love interest in the 1929 flashback.
- PeterAnother man Virginia mentions while guessing the identity of Lenora’s secret lover.
- BernieceKitchen worker who nearly catches Lenora and Ricky together during an early secret meeting.