A Slow Fire Burning

Another excerpt from the novel describes a young girl squeezing her way out of a broken window in order to escape from someone. Outside, she thinks about her friend, who is still inside with the man who has abducted them. The girl considers going in and trying to help, but she does not think she will be able to do anything and is terrified of the man. She begins to run away into the night.

Carla is at the police station, having DNA samples taken. Carla preemptively explains to the police that they will most likely find her DNA on Daniel’s boat: She admits that she previously lied and that she did, in fact, visit Daniel on his boat. Carla notes that since the police decided to collect her DNA, someone must have seen her. She visited Daniel twice on the boat (she is unsure of the exact dates), and lied because she did not want to admit to seeing Daniel in front of Theo.

Carla elaborates that, ever since Ben’s death, she has kept her relationship with Angela and Daniel secret since Theo blames them for Ben’s death. The police find this explanation surprising and ask whether Carla is frightened of Theo. Carla thinks of the period after Ben’s death, recalling that Theo would imply that Angela subconsciously left the door to the balcony open because she was envious of them for having a better son (Ben and Daniel were around the same age). Because of Theo’s animosity towards Angela, when Carla began to visit her, she lied and told Theo that she was going to yoga classes instead.

Carla went to visit Angela every week, trying to forgive her and maintain their relationship. She noticed that Daniel was unhappy and wondered if Angela could be physically abusing him. Carla was surprised when Angela told her that she was going to send Daniel to boarding school, asking “Ang, are you sure about this?” (90). Angela explained that Daniel had begun acting out, and she suspected that Daniel may have witnessed Ben’s fall. She also thought Daniel blamed her for his cousin’s death.

Theo is also having DNA samples collected by the police. He reflects on his love for Carla and thinks about the terrible grief he felt after their son died. Theo was working on his third novel when Ben died, and after his death, he was unable to continue writing. He and Carla drifted apart and eventually divorced although she moved only a short distance away from him. Growing increasingly desperate about his career, Theo wrote a crime novel, The One Who Got Away, published under a pseudonym. The plot was nonlinear and gave considerable insight into the killer’s perspective. Theo was quickly outed as the author, and though some critics and readers disliked the novel, it broke Theo out of his writer’s block and ensured his literary career would continue.

Back in the present, Theo prepares to go for a walk and thinks mournfully of his missing dog, Dixon. He notices that the dog’s leash is not in its usual place and wonders if the house cleaner moved it. On his walk, Theo passes the murder scene and runs into a young police officer with whom he stops to chat. The officer recognizes Theo as the author of The One Who Got Away and praises the book. Since the officer is chatty, Theo asks about the current investigation. The officer explains that the police are focusing on testing blood-stained clothing; Theo infers this must be the clothing Laura was wearing when he saw her.

Theo asks the officer if he can provide any information about Laura, claiming that he is worried about his own safety and whether Laura might be targeting his family. The officer confides that Laura does have a history of violence and is unstable. The investigation is currently focused on locating the murder weapon, since “once we’ve got that, an arrest has got to be imminent” (98).

Back at home, Theo looks through some letters he has received from fans of his books. One of the letters, from someone named Henry Carter, praises The One Who Got Away and asks about Theo’s inspiration, as well as his decision not to give names to any of the characters. Looking up from the letter, Theo thinks he sees Miriam standing outside his window. He rushes out, but Miriam is no longer there, and Theo wonders if he merely imagined her.

In an excerpt from the novel, the killer spots two girls sitting at a pub; he finds one of them attractive, but she mocks and dismisses him.

Miriam flees from Theo’s yard in a panic; she was indeed standing outside when he saw her. Miriam has grown impatient since she phoned the police to tell them she saw Carla at Daniel’s; she doesn’t know if the investigation has changed and wonders if the police ignored her tip.

Miriam reflects on her past. Years ago, when she first began working at the bookstore, Theo was a regular customer who knew the owner. Since Miriam was familiar with his books, she was curious about him. One day, he confided that he was trying to work on a crime novel, which surprised Miriam. Shortly thereafter, Miriam delivered a book to his home, and Theo invited her to chat. Miriam then brought Theo a copy of her memoir manuscript. Looking back, she regrets this.

Miriam recalls a different memory: As a teenager, she and her friend Lorraine skipped school and were picked up while hitchhiking. The man who picked them up was named Jeremy; rather than driving them into town as they asked, he drove them to an isolated farmhouse, claiming he wanted to get cigarettes. Miriam was frightened and uncomfortable, but Lorraine reassured her. As Jeremy led the girls inside, Miriam and Lorraine realized that they were in a very dangerous situation: “this felt like the kind of thing that happened in a horror movie” (109).

In an excerpt from the novel, a girl wakes up alone with her hands bound and her mouth gagged. She can hear her friend in a different room with the man who is holding them captive. She is locked in the room, but there is a single window, which the girl thinks she could potentially break and escape through.

Laura wakes up in her apartment; there is a message from Deidre on her phone. Deidre coldly tells Laura that she and Laura’s father will not be sending her money as they think that Laura should be more responsible and not create problems for herself. Disappointed, Laura goes to see Irene. At Irene’s house, Carla coldly greets Laura and lets her in; Carla and Laura have never met and don’t know each other. After Carla leaves, Irene explains who Carla is, and Laura realizes her connection to Daniel. Laura buys groceries for Irene, as she typically does, but she also steals money from her.

As Laura is leaving Irene’s home, she notices that the door to Angela’s house is ajar. She can see several bags belonging to Carla just inside the door; Carla is continuing her work of cleaning out Angela’s home. Laura steals the bags; she later sees that they contain a ruby ring and a Saint Christopher’s medal for an infant bearing the initials BTM. Laura feels ashamed for stealing and is increasingly overwhelmed by her life. She reflects bitterly on her accident, the injuries, and an undisclosed betrayal that followed it, noting, “is it any wonder, you might say, that you are quick to take offense? That you’re angry?” (199).

The man narrates an excerpt from the novel. He is driving with two girls he has picked up on the highway. He is annoyed by the presence of the girl he finds unattractive as she reminds him of his mother.

Laura leaves Irene’s home, and Irene worries for the young woman: She can tell that Laura is distressed and anxious. Irene has become very fond of Laura, especially since losing Angela; both Angela and Laura treated Irene as an equal, not as a dotty old woman. Ever since Irene’s husband, William, died six years ago, she has periodically experienced periods of depression and disorientation. Her friendship with Angela was sustaining for her, as “Irene no longer had too many people around who’d known her her whole life” (123).

Angela confided many things to Irene, especially when she had been drinking. Carla and Angela grew up in a well-off family; Angela inherited the home next to Irene from her late father, but since she had very little money, the house gradually fell into disrepair.

Angela got pregnant unexpectedly when she was young as a result of an affair with one of her professors. Daniel’s father was never involved in his son’s life, and Angela struggled with life as a single mother. Sometimes, when Angela was drunk, she confided to Irene that she regretted having children, and Irene also overheard Angela telling Daniel she wished he had never been born.

Carla wanders aimlessly around Angela’s home and thinks about the time, years ago, when she received a phone call from the police station to go and pick up her sister: Angela had been taken into custody after being drunk and causing an altercation at a taxi stand. Carla brought her sister home and was shocked by Angela’s condition. She spent the night with Angela, and in the middle of the night, still drunk, Angela revealed new information about the night that Ben died. The man Angela was dating came to the house. Angela thought the children were asleep, but Daniel interrupted her while she was having sex with her boyfriend. Daniel became angry; preoccupied with sending her boyfriend away and soothing Daniel, Angela neglected to close the door to the study, which led to the balcony.

Laura waits on hold after calling the court to respond to a summons about a previous charge. Months ago, Laura had been dancing at a nightclub, alone and drunk. She began removing her clothes, and a man groped her. Laura responded by stabbing him in the hand with a cocktail fork. The man charged Laura with assault, even though she insisted that she was defending herself. Even some people who were sympathetic observed that “You can’t just stab people in the hand with a fork. It’s disproportionate, innit?” (139)

Theo has become concerned after not hearing from Carla for several days: She has not responded to messages or answered her door. Theo goes to Angela’s house, thinking that Carla might be there, and bangs on the door. Irene comes to tell him that Carla isn’t there and claims to recognize Theo. She says that he is the man whom she saw arguing with Angela shortly before her death; Theo denies this, but Irene insists, saying that he had a little dog with him when she saw him. Theo hurries away.

Shaken by the encounter, Theo stops at a bar. He is concerned that Irene, having recognized him, will tell Carla that he was with Angela. He hopes that Carla won’t believe Irene since “didn’t she think the old dear was losing her marbles?” (143).

Theo thinks back to his encounter with Angela. Theo had been in contact with Daniel, who had asked to borrow money. Theo lent him money, and then a few weeks later, Daniel came back and left a message. The message prompted Theo to look for Daniel, which brought him to Angela’s house. Angela was distressed about her son, claiming that Carla was the only person to whom he listened. Angela began to cry as she and Theo stood outside together; neither of them realized that Irene was watching them. Theo left quickly; this was the second-to-last time that he saw Angela.

Irene wakes up in the middle of the night, convinced that she hears a strange sound outside. She believes she hears someone moving around inside Angela’s house. She calls the police, but when they arrive, they find no evidence of a break-in. Irene tries to explain her suspicions about Angela and Daniel dying so soon after one another, and that she was suspicious when Theo came to the house and denied having been there before. Irene is startled when Carla opens the door after the police officers knock.

After the police leave, Carla and Irene linger together. Carla explains that she sometimes doesn’t sleep well and finds it productive to work on tasks at Angela’s house when she can’t sleep. Carla eventually explains that she has misplaced some items that were in a bag when she was working at Angela’s house; the items, her mother’s engagement ring and her late son’s christening medal, have sentimental value. Carla is distraught about losing the items so soon after the deaths of family members: She brought them to Angela’s house because she wanted something comforting with her. Carla breaks down, admitting that she was even considering taking her own life. She brought the leash (belonging to Theo’s missing dog), thinking she might use it to hang herself. Irene comforts her, reminiscing about how much kindness and comfort Angela brought after William passed away: “[Y]ou can’t think straight when you’re grieving. I was the same when I lost my husband” (151).

As Carla prepares to leave, Irene mentions that Theo came looking for her and that she recognized Theo from having seen him with Angela. At first, Carla is insistent that Theo would never have come to see Angela, but she is taken aback when Irene describes a dog that Theo had with him. Irene confirms that she only saw Theo and Angela together once, a week or two before Angela died.