Kit returns to the office of Gurlain Home Health Aides after a six-month suspension. She is bitter about how quickly Mr. Gurlain treated her like a criminal after something went wrong in a previous case, even though she was cleared by the agency, state authorities, and the police. Desperate for work after failing to find another job and worn down by living with her disappointed, nearly silent father, Kit listens when Mr. Gurlain offers her a new assignment.

Mr. Gurlain explains that the patient needs constant, live-in care because a private nurse left suddenly. The assignment begins immediately, includes room and board, and would likely last until the patient dies. Kit is startled to learn the job is in a wealthy house on the Cliffs, and she grows suspicious that something must be wrong if such a desirable position is open.

When Kit asks who the patient is, Mr. Gurlain names Lenora Hope. The name shocks Kit because Lenora is a local legend tied to a childhood rhyme about a girl who supposedly murdered her family in 1929 and was the only one left alive. Kit admits she is uncomfortable caring for someone with that reputation, but Mr. Gurlain insists Lenora was never convicted and pointedly reminds Kit what it means to be treated as innocent without proof of guilt.

Mr. Gurlain then makes clear that Kit must accept the assignment or leave the agency for good. Remembering her lack of money, her father’s cold disappointment, and her need to escape home, Kit agrees to take the job. As she leaves with directions to Lenora Hope’s house, Kit notices that three other caregivers are actually unassigned, proving Mr. Gurlain lied when he said no one else was available. Kit concludes the assignment is punishment for her past mistake and suspects Mr. Gurlain chose her because Lenora Hope is the one patient nobody would mind if Kit killed.