Olivia visits Ojai Valley Books and introduces herself to the owner, Margot Gibson, Poppy Taylor’s closest friend. She explains Vincent Taylor does not know she is there and asks to discuss Poppy and the days before the murders. Margot agrees and recalls Poppy as joyful and fearless, someone who embraced possibilities, and confirms their friendship from third grade until Poppy’s death.

Olivia asks about the police focus on the unknown car that picked Poppy up the weekend before the murders. Margot recounts that Poppy hitchhiked alone to an ERA rally, got a ride into Ventura from a woman with a child, and returned with a “creepy” man whom she had drop her at the high school. Margot criticizes the hitchhiking lead as a dead end, arguing investigators should have looked more closely inside the Taylor household.

Margot describes Poppy’s final week as uncharacteristically troubled and withdrawn; Poppy drank too much and caused a scene at an end-of-year party and would not share what was bothering her. Margot felt tensions between Danny Taylor and Vincent Taylor were escalating and says Poppy was becoming afraid of both brothers, but that Vincent was “truly frightening.” Margot reveals that, about a week before the murders, Poppy told her Vincent pulled a knife and pressed it against Danny’s chest. Margot states she believes Vincent intended to kill Danny and that Poppy got in the way.

When Olivia mentions Vincent’s framing of Danny as the dangerous one, Margot disagrees, reiterating her conviction that Vincent killed both siblings. She questions the alibi timing, citing the corrupt coroner and saying Mark Randall overheard Vincent planning to meet Poppy at the house. Margot believes Vincent was in the oak grove with Lydia and Mr. Stewart but still responsible for the murders due to an incorrect time of death.

Olivia probes rumors that Lydia was pregnant and had an abortion, asking if Poppy could have learned the father’s identity. Margot says it was mostly adolescent speculation; she is unsure Lydia was ever pregnant but notes that Poppy had begun to suspect Mr. Stewart, the track coach, and that Vincent was jealous of Stewart’s relationship with Lydia. Margot calls the idea absurd in retrospect but acknowledges how gossip flourished.

Olivia reveals she found Poppy’s home movies hidden under the floorboards. Margot says Poppy loved hiding places and asks what they show. Olivia plays the bonfire clip Poppy flagged in her diary; Margot sees nothing unusual. Olivia then plays earlier footage from March showing Poppy’s birthday with family, which Margot identifies as Poppy’s last birthday; Margot recalls Poppy was devastated when the camera was lost the week she died. Margot points out a bracelet she gifted Poppy, which Poppy wore the night she died.

As they continue, a cat darts through a frame, and Margot identifies it as Ricky Ricardo, Mr. Stewart’s cat that went missing shortly before the murders. Poppy led a search for about a week before giving up, and the cat was never found. This mention triggers Olivia’s connection to Vincent’s manuscript margin note about burying Ricky Ricardo, suggesting that note may be a real memory and casting further doubt on Vincent’s account.