Alone in her room at night, Kit fixates on the Walkman that shut off while Lenora was using it. Kit tests every accidental explanation she can think of and concludes that the device almost certainly did not stop on its own. That forces Kit back to a disturbing possibility: Lenora may be able to use her supposedly useless right hand, which would mean Lenora has been hiding part of her condition. Kit briefly tries to explain it away as an involuntary spasm, but the doubt remains.

When Kit hears a heavy noise and then footsteps in the hall, Kit rushes into Lenora's room, only to find Lenora apparently asleep. Kit then sees Mrs. Baker moving through the hallway carrying a shotgun. Mrs. Baker says intruders are outside the house, either reporters or local boys who have gotten onto the grounds, and heads downstairs to confront them.

Outside in the fog, Kit and Mrs. Baker see several trespassers with flashlights running across the lawn. Mrs. Baker orders them to leave, but one of them starts shouting "Killer" toward the house and then adds "Killer bitch." The insult jolts Kit because it echoes the accusations surrounding Kit's own mother, and Kit impulsively chases the speaker across the lawn. Kit tackles him and is startled to discover that the trespasser is Kenny.

Kenny says he and his friends came to Hope's End for fun and because people in town are talking about Mary Milton's death. Kenny tells Kit that locals believe Lenora killed Mary. Kit insists that Lenora is physically harmless, but Kenny answers that appearances can be misleading and that intuition sometimes sees what facts obscure. Although Kenny also reveals unexpected kindness toward Kit before making an unwelcome pass, his central point lingers. Looking back at Hope's End, Kit realizes she may have been wrong to exclude Lenora from suspicion and adds Lenora to the list of possible killers.