Chapter 17
Contains spoilersOverview
Olivia, low on food and waiting for an email response related to John Calder, fields a call from her friend Allison about the mysterious Ojai property Olivia has been investigating. Allison explains the house is owned through an LLC and emails the name. Olivia discovers the owner is "Lionel Foolhardy, LLC," triggering a strong reaction.
Summary
At Vincent Taylor's main house, Olivia looked for a snack and planned to recheck Vincent's email for any message from John Calder, noting there had been no reply in previous checks. She took a call from her friend Allison, who had returned from Fiji, about the Ojai property Olivia has been researching for a potential project.
Olivia admitted she wanted to identify the owner, recalling she had repeatedly snuck onto the property via the preserve, peered through windows, searched the garden, and tried to match the layout to photos from Vincent's old albums. Allison relayed that the house was "locked down" behind layers typical of entertainment-industry owners, with title held by an LLC, and said she would email the entity's name.
After they ended the call, Olivia checked her email and opened Allison's message. She scanned past boilerplate text to the listed owner and found the name of the LLC.
The entity was "Lionel Foolhardy, LLC," a revelation that shocked and infuriated Olivia, prompting an expletive reaction and implying a significant connection to someone or something already on her radar.
Who Appears
- Olivia Taylor Dumont
narrator; waits for a response related to John Calder, investigates the Ojai property, learns it is owned by Lionel Foolhardy, LLC.
- Allison
friend and real estate contact; provides ownership information and emails the LLC name.
- John Calder
author; not present, but Olivia checks Vincent's email for his response, which has not arrived.
- Vincent Taylor
Olivia's father; absent from scene but his house and email are central to Olivia's actions.
- Lionel Foolhardy, LLC
new; entity owning the Ojai property Olivia has been investigating.