Invisible Girl: A Novel

Owen watches the police from his window. Aunt Tessie says that she gave the police permission to search her gardens. In his room, Owen hears police officers digging outside his window. He looks out the window and sees the officers pull a phone case out of the garden and put it into an evidence bag.

Josh comes to Saffyre’s martial arts studio. Saffyre asks him why he wants to learn martial arts and Josh says that he was mugged, and he wants to be able to defend himself if it ever happens again. When Saffyre gets home, her grandfather does not look well. She and her uncle Aaron take him to the hospital, and they learn that he has coronary artery disease. Saffyre’s grandfather refuses to take his pills, and he dies. Saffyre becomes depressed after her grandfather’s death. She goes to the building plot where she saw Josh sitting with the fox. She takes a bag of chicken nuggets, and the fox comes and eats out of her hand. Saffyre talks to the fox as if it is her family members who have passed away.

Before Roan leaves for work, Cate asks him about Molly. Roan explains that Molly is a former patient. Detective Currie arrives and tells them that she needs to ask them more questions. She asks if they were both in bed by midnight on Valentine’s Day, but Roan says that he took the trash out. He tells Detective Currie that he looked across the street and saw Owen, looking drunk, standing outside watching him.

Saffyre spends a good portion of her year in the lot with the fox. She watches the house across the street from Roan’s house and learns that the man who lives there is named Owen. Around Christmastime, Saffyre sees Roan take Alicia out for dinner. Afterwards, they go to a hotel, which upsets Saffyre because all she can think of is Cate.

Owen messages Deanna at night before she goes to bed. He looks out his window at the area where the police found the phone and has a brief memory of pain. The police arrive while Owen takes a shower. They tell him that they have a warrant to search his room and that he must come to the station with them regarding Saffyre’s disappearance. As Owen walks out of his house with the police, several members of the press take his picture as he gets into the patrol car. Owen thinks that everyone will assume he is guilty as soon as they see his picture in the paper. Detective Currie apologizes for the press, but she says that if he has nothing to hide then he will be fine. Owen suddenly remembers the Rohypnol that Bryn gave him stuffed in his dresser.

Georgia tells Cate that the police arrested Owen. They go out to talk to the reporters, and one of the journalists tells them that the police found evidence of blood on the walls by Owen’s room. Cate feels relieved that they have finally caught Owen.

After Christmas, Saffyre runs into Roan on the street. He asks her how she is doing, and she tells him about her grandfather. Roan offers to meet her for a session if she needs to process her grief, but Saffyre refuses. She asks Roan how Alicia is doing, and Roan looks shocked. He asks her how she knows Alicia, but she does not answer and walks away.

Owen sits in an interview room with Detective Currie. He reiterates that he saw a girl standing outside the Fours’ house on the night of Valentine’s Day. Detective Currie shows him a picture of a woman and tells him that she said that he was aggressive toward her that night. Owen realizes that it is the woman who would not stop looking at her phone. Owen asks for a lawyer.

Roan shows Cate a news report about how the police have called Owen in for questioning. Cate feels glad that she trusted her instincts about Owen. Josh overhears their conversation and says that he feels bad for Owen. Josh thinks that people are too quick to judge, rather than considering the evidence.

Owen’s lawyer Barry arrives and the interview proceeds. Detective Currie shows Owen printouts of his internet searches, including the amount of time he has spent on incel forums since he quit his job. She shows him discussions and comments he has posted, including derogatory language he used to describe women. Owen says that he was angry about the allegations made against him at the college, so he went to the forums to let off some steam. Detective Currie tells him that based on what he wrote online, the allegations of his neighbors about his behavior, Saffyre’s blood and phone case under Owen’s wall, and the Rohypnol in his dresser, she must place him under arrest.

After Christmas, Uncle Aaron gets Saffyre a kitten. Saffyre names the kitten Angelo. Saffyre knows that her uncle got the kitten for her so that she will stop wandering the streets. On New Year’s Eve, she walks to Roan’s house, wondering about his New Year’s Eve plans. Roan leaves the house and takes a phone call. Saffyre overhears Roan promise Alicia that by this time next year, he will have left Cate and they can spend the holidays together. Saffyre reels from the idea that Roan would leave Cate for Alicia, especially after Saffyre trusted him for so many years. She thinks about the following year when Cate will be alone, while her children try to comfort her over her heartbreak. Saffyre walks to the building site where she has set up a sleeping bag because she hates sleeping inside. She sees Josh sitting by her sleeping bag with a friend. The boy tells Josh that by this time next year, they will be infamous. Josh says goodbye to his friend and walks back to his house.

The next day, Roan shows Cate the newspaper, which details Owen’s arrest along with his activity on incel platforms. Cate notices that Josh’s room is empty. She texts him, but he doesn’t answer. Later, Cate calls Josh, but her call goes straight to voicemail. After several hours, Cate gets nervous and wonders if she should call the police. Georgia tells her to look in the building plot across the street because she knows that Josh hangs out there. Josh texts Cate that he is at the movies. When Josh gets home, Cate asks what he saw at the movies, and she can tell that his response is a lie. 

Aunt Tessie visits Owen and asks him what he did to Saffyre. Owen tells her that he did not have anything to do with it, but Tessie doesn’t believe him. Owen remembers that he told the detectives the day before about Bryn, but that they were unable to find anyone by that name, or even the existence of his incel forum. Owen knows that Bryn must have erased everything after he saw Owen in the papers, and he feels depressed because he knows that everything points to his guilt. Owen asks Aunt Tessie to get in touch with Deanna, which she promises to do.

Saffyre starts sleeping in the sleeping bag at the building plot every night. One day, Saffyre walks down the street and sees Harrison John, the man who hurt her when she was 10. Harrison greets her, but Saffyre keeps walking, even though she wishes she could scream at him. When she gets home, she self-harms for the first time in years.