Cover of The Housemaid's Secret

The Housemaid's Secret

by Freida McFadden


Genre
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Crime
Year
2023
Contents

Chapter 39

Overview

Millie shoots Douglas to stop him from choking Wendy, but the shot kills him. Wendy immediately takes control, pushing Millie to leave, delete all evidence of their contact, and let Wendy claim responsibility with a staged intruder story. Millie flees, disturbed by the final image of Wendy smiling over Douglas’s corpse.

Summary

After Millie fires the hidden revolver, Douglas Garrick’s grip loosens and his fingers slide off Wendy’s throat. Wendy drops to her knees coughing, while Douglas collapses beside her and a pool of blood spreads across the carpet.

Millie freezes, realizing she aimed to wound Douglas but appears to have hit fatally. Wendy checks Douglas’s neck for a pulse and confirms he is dead, leaving Millie terrified she has killed another man.

Wendy thanks Millie for saving her life, then insists Millie leave immediately. Wendy rapidly outlines a cover story: she will wipe fingerprints, delay calling the police, and claim she shot an “intruder,” arguing the doorman didn’t see Douglas enter because Douglas uses a back entrance with no camera and the elevator cameras don’t function.

Wendy urges Millie to protect herself by deleting all texts between Millie and Wendy and between Millie and Douglas. Millie shakily deletes both message threads, accepts Wendy’s insistence that Wendy will take responsibility, and leaves the penthouse for good.

As Millie exits the bedroom, she sees Wendy standing over Douglas’s body—smiling.

Who Appears

  • Millie Calloway
    Shoots Douglas to save Wendy, panics, deletes texts, and flees the penthouse.
  • Wendy Garrick
    Survives the attack, confirms Douglas is dead, orchestrates a cover story, and sends Millie away.
  • Douglas Garrick
    Attacks Wendy by choking her; is shot by Millie and dies.
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