Joyce receives the printed photographs from Joanna and Paul’s wedding and sorts through them with amused commentary, throwing away duplicates and any picture that irritates her. Looking at the photos makes Joyce feel both old and happy, and her thoughts turn to the wider aftermath of the recent chaos: Nick Silver is still missing, and Davey Noakes, Elizabeth, and even Paul all have different plans to try to find him.

When Joanna and Paul visit for tea, Joyce notes Joanna’s annoyance at always being named second. Joyce also reflects that Nick will face a grim reality if he is found, because Holly Lewis is dead and the supposed fortune is worthless. Joyce is relieved Holly was not at the wedding, which underlines how completely Holly has shifted, in Joyce’s mind, from glamorous mystery to destructive presence.

Joyce then recounts a visit from DCI Varma, who shares the police theory about Holly’s murder. Varma says Lord Robert Townes had boasted about expected Bitcoin money and then disappeared after taking a boat from Newhaven, so the police are leaning toward him as a suspect. Joyce and the others carefully encourage that idea without saying more than they should, while Joyce privately worries that Townes may have killed himself.

From there, Joyce steps back and reinterprets the whole affair. She decides the bomb, the Bitcoin, and the spectacle of Holly’s death drew everyone’s attention, but the real story was happening in the background: Kendrick in his pyjamas holding Ron’s hand, Suzi trying to protect her son, and Ron trying to protect them both. In Joyce’s view, Holly was ultimately killed by her own greed, and the real acts of courage belonged to Ron, Kendrick, and especially Suzi, whose bravery helped bring Danny Lloyd into custody.

By the end of the chapter, Joyce concludes that this was never really Nick Silver’s story, or even hers. It was about the lives unfolding in the quiet corners that dramatic events can hide: abused families, lonely men, and small acts of care. Acting on that understanding, Joyce plans to travel to Purley to visit Jasper, bringing him a teapot and some milk as a modest but meaningful beginning.