Nearly a week after emailing John Calder from Vincent Taylor’s account, Olivia Taylor Dumont remained drawn to the illicit exchange. Calder replied boasting he could do for Vincent what he had done for Mac Murray, and when Olivia asked how he knew about the secret memoir, Calder claimed unnamed high-level sources and pitched himself as the ideal writer and marketer. Olivia challenged why he was pitching a book already under contract, but Calder did not respond, leaving her unsettled and questioning her motives.

Later, Olivia heard Alma and Vincent return from an appointment. Despite Alma’s warning that occupational therapy left Vincent exhausted and easily confused, Olivia went upstairs to ask about a confusing passage in Vincent’s manuscript regarding an argument between Danny and Poppy over Poppy filming him. Vincent, disoriented, stared out the window and, upon seeing Olivia, believed she was Lydia. He insisted she leave, calling for Alma in panic.

Alma intervened, reminding Vincent that Olivia was his daughter, not Lydia, and calmed him. She then confronted Olivia downstairs, explaining that Vincent’s Lewy body dementia caused confusion, paranoia, and hallucinations that medications only partly managed. Alma stressed that pushing Vincent could provoke violence and jeopardize the book, and she established boundaries around access and timing for Olivia’s questions.

Dismissed for the afternoon, Olivia returned to the guesthouse and began sorting Vincent’s old boxes in search of anything useful. Most were filled with junk, but she eventually found a box containing 1970s Pee-chee folders, an ERA button, and a 1974 school report on Shirley Chisholm by Poppy. The discovery gave Olivia a glimpse of Poppy’s interests and voice.

At the bottom of the box, Olivia uncovered a rusty film canister. Expecting footage of Danny and Poppy, she pried it open, only to find a small locked diary. She forced the lock and discovered the first page had been cut out and a subsequent page was blank. The next page contained a dated entry.

The diary entry, dated May 6, 1975, stated a rumor: Lydia had been pregnant and now she was not. The reveal suggested a hidden crisis in the days leading up to the May 1975 murders and connected directly to Vincent’s jealousy and Lydia’s relationships described in earlier excerpts.