Two Can Keep a Secret

Ellery wakes up late the next morning and remembers the dead man. Melanie knew him, and the night before she told Ellery that he was Jason Bowman, a high school science teacher who was well-liked in the community. Ezra comes into Ellery’s room to give her an unopened package of underwear that her Nana happened to have, saying they are “literally granny panties” (12). Ellery had cleared out her clothing before coming to Echo Ridge, so with her one suitcase missing, she has no other options.

Ezra and Ellery talk about Michael, Ezra’s ex-boyfriend of a week, and then Ellery begins unpacking. She stops to look at a picture of her mother and her mother’s twin sister, Sarah, who disappeared at 17. Ellery is obsessed with true crime, and she knows that interest began with her aunt Sarah and with Lacey Kilduff; she also knows that Sarah’s disappearance hung over her mother and likely contributed to her struggles with addiction.

A police officer, Ryan Rodriguez, arrives, and is so startled on seeing Ellery that he drops his coffee mug. He quickly composes himself and begins asking questions, which is secretly thrilling for Ellery: She has always wanted to be a part of an investigation, even for an apparent hit-and-run. She is disappointed in Officer Rodriguez, though, who seems disorganized and inexperienced. Nana defends him, saying that he’s struggling with the recent death of both of his parents. She also reveals that he’s the same age as Lacey would be if she had lived, information Ellery can’t help but follow up on with questions.

Nana reveals that Officer Rodriguez and Lacey were friends and that they both worked at Murderland, the haunted house that Nana calls by its new name, Fright Farm. Ellery asks about Declan Kelly, who was Lacey’s boyfriend at the time of her death, and Nana says that he was cleared of suspicion and moved away, though his brother, Malcolm, is still in town. Ellery can’t tell what her grandmother thinks of Declan Kelly, but she knows one thing from her obsession with true crime: “it’s always the boyfriend” (21).

This is the first chapter from Malcolm’s point of view (the alternating points of view will continue for the rest of the book), and he is getting ready for a fundraising event in honor of Lacey Kilduff. Declan and Malcolm’s mother has married Peter Nilsson, a well-off businessman, and now Malcolm and his mother live with Peter and his daughter Katrin while Declan lives in New Hampshire several hours away. Katrin is a popular girl in school, and Malcolm is an outcast; Katrin deals with this difference “by treating [Malcolm] either as a project or a nuisance, depending on her mood” (23). Malcolm’s mother and Peter are similarly mismatched, and when they started dating the town was shocked. Malcolm feels his new household is testy and uncomfortable, a mood that is amplified by the charity event. It’s further complicated by the fact that he and his mother have just returned from visiting Declan.

The family drives to the gala, talking about Mr. Bowman’s death along the way; Malcolm thinks highly of Mr. Bowman. When they arrive, there’s an awkwardness in the room—many people still believe that Declan killed Lacey—which is only stopped by Melanie Kilduff greeting the family warmly. Melanie goes to sit at her table, and Malcolm notices Ellery and Ezra for the first time, particularly noting Ellery’s wild, curly hair.

Katrin convinces her father that they should sit at her boyfriend Theo’s table, which means they are also sitting with Kyle McNulty and his father, Chad. Chad is the officer who investigated Lacey’s murder, and he hates Declan, especially because Declan broke up with his daughter Liz right before he began dating Lacey.

As the event gets underway, Malcolm excuses himself. As he’s walking outside, he smells fresh paint and finds a can of spray paint. He follows the smell, which leads him to the cultural center sign. Someone has painted a threatening message: “MURDERLAND/ THE SEQUEL/ COMING SOON” (32). While he’s looking at the sign, Ellery finds him with the spray paint in his hand.

Ellery is catching up with her LA friend Lourdes via text when her mother, Sadie, calls. Calls are against the rules at the rehab center, but Sadie has found a fan of her work on a television show and borrowed a phone. They switch to Facetime, and Sadie criticizes Ellery’s hair, which infuriates her, though there are other longstanding issues with her mother that feed into her anger. To distract herself, Ellery talks about the town, and her mother mentions that she knew many of the townspeople, including Chad McNulty, Peter Nilsson, and Vance Puckett, about whom she says, “He used to be gorgeous” (36). She also mentions that Officer Rodriguez, who was in high school with Lacey, was distraught at Lacey’s funeral, far more than seemed appropriate, given that they barely knew each other.

After the call, Ellery and Ezra walk through the woods to Fright Farm. Ellery is wearing some horrible clothes she bought at a local department store, which Ezra doesn’t fail to point out. The two of them grab job applications and fill them out before exploring the park. Ezra suggests they go see where Lacey died, but this idea makes Ellery uncomfortable, and she suggests that they check out the games.

When they arrive at a target shooting game, there’s a drunk man who is playing and harassing other guests. It’s Vance Puckett, and he doesn’t seem at all like Ellery’s mother described him. Ellery takes him up on a bet: If she can shoot better than him, he’ll leave the game. She narrowly beats him, and he leaves in a huff. The high schooler who runs the game thanks Ellery, introduces herself as Brooke Bennett, and agrees to pass along the twins’ job applications.

The Sunday before school begins, Malcolm is hanging out with his friend Mia Kwon. Mia’s older sister, Daisy, has recently come back to town after leaving a promising job in Boston, and the abruptness of her quitting and moving home is a mystery to the family. Katrin comes home with her friends Brooke and Viv, and the three tease Malcolm and Mia. When they notice flowers for Mr. Bowman’s funeral, Brooke becomes upset, and while comforting her, Katrin gives Malcolm the keys to her car so he can take the flowers to the cemetery.

At the cemetery, Malcolm notices something strange in the distance, and he and Mia head over to find a trio of dolls hanging from the top of a mausoleum and another threatening message directed at the homecoming queen candidates. While the two debate whether to call the police—Malcolm is nervous about reporting another act of vandalism, especially because he is related to Declan—Vance Puckett arrives. Vance is drunk and tells them to go get the authorities, but not before telling Malcolm that his stepsister Katrin had better be careful, as it “doesn’t seem like a great year to be homecoming queen” (54).