Joanna and Paul drive back early from their honeymoon because Holly Lewis has been killed and Nick Silver has gone missing. Joanna tries to lighten the mood, but Paul is clearly distressed, and the abrupt hotel checkout underlines how serious the situation has become.

On the journey, Joanna thinks about the text messages sent from Nick’s phone and decides it is important that she and Paul show them to Joyce and Elizabeth in person. Paul knew Nick well enough to judge that the messages do not sound like him, and Joanna believes that distinction may matter to the investigation. She also reflects that Paul seems open about most things, but his feelings about Holly’s death are harder to read.

Joanna encourages Paul to cry or shout if he needs to, and Paul admits he had not seen Holly for a long time even though he had meant to. Joanna also asks what will happen to Nick and Holly’s business if both of them are dead, partly because thinking about money is easier than thinking about violent deaths. She concludes that Paul is probably not hiding anything from her, but that Nick and Holly kept much of their business opaque even from him.

As they near Coopers Chase, Joanna reflects on her father, on Joyce’s strange new life among dangerous mysteries, and on all the ordinary conversations that disappear when someone dies. The mood then shifts when Paul tells Joanna that everything happening would be unbearable without her. After Joanna jokingly asks him a crossword-style question, Paul answers it easily, and they arrive together at Coopers Chase, ready to meet Joyce, Elizabeth and the others.