The Good Lie

Gwen wakes up naked in Robert’s bed, but Robert is already dressed and immediately asks her about John Abbott. He accuses her of lying about John, saying that she knew about “the monster he was” and could have stopped him (198). Gwen admits that she should have gone to the police, and Robert leaves her. Before she leaves Robert’s house, Gwen leaves the ring behind and decides to quit the case. She goes to her appointment with Luke that afternoon and asks him about Randall. Luke says that Randall never touched him but did molest his first girlfriend back in high school. Another girl previously reported that Randall raped her, but her account was disbelieved. This information supports Robert’s claim that Randall Thompson is a sexual predator of women, not men.

Marta Blevins, a realtor, is showing a home to a couple. The husband examines the attic, and Marta follows him. Up there, they find a bed and a worktable, upon which is a row of amputated fingers. Marta stumbles out of the attic and immediately calls 911.

Gwen and Meredith are talking in their office. In the middle of Luke Attens’s session, Gwen abruptly revoked her agreement to serve as his psychiatrist. Later, she talks about Robert and the case and voices her growing suspicion that Randall is not the Bloody Heart Killer. The news is on, and there is a report that a “sex dungeon” was found in an attic. Sources confirm that this is the lair of the Bloody Heart Killer. The news displays the names of the house’s owners: John and Brooke Abbott.

Gwen speeds home. She returns to John’s patient file to analyze it and compare it to her psychological profile. She deduces that the Peeping Tom allegations were actually John spying on those women’s sons. She also realizes that the description she wrote of the killer fits John exactly. She thinks back to their last sessions and the jealousy that he showed toward his wife and deduces that Brooke was also interacting with the captive boys; this explains the ointment and the aftercare. Thus, there was no psychological disorder causing this split in behavior—it was Brooke. She further deduces that Scott was likely the “neighbor” with which John suspected his wife of having an affair. Gwen thinks back to his jealousy over their landscaper and recalls that she advised John to fire him; she realizes that this “landscaper” was likely Gabe, as the dates line up. Gwen is horrified. Suddenly, she looks up to see Robert in the doorway of her office, holding a knife.

Scott is in the shower, thinking about his time in captivity and missing Brooke. He reflects on their time together and reminisces about how he lost his virginity to her. He is convinced that she loved him; she talked about having a life and a future with him. Suddenly, Scott’s parents come through the bathroom door to tell him the news about the attic, saying that it is not at Randall Thomspon’s house. Scott’s lack of surprise is easily apparent, and he reflects that Randall was only a pawn “who deserved to rot away in jail for what he did to Brooke” (218). His mother shows photos of the house on her phone, and Scott tries to deny that he recognizes it. Nita says that two dead bodies were found there the day he came home—those of John and Brooke Abbott, who have been revealed to be the Bloody Heart Killers.

Scott is in shock and denial over the fact that Brooke is dead. She had told him to wait three months before calling her, after which they could spend their lives together, but Scott could not bring himself to wait and called her almost as soon as he was home. When she did not answer his calls and their house went up for sale, he thought that she had abandoned him.

Robert approaches Gwen with the knife, furious that she let his son die. Gwen tries to convince him that she had no idea that John was the killer; she only had her suspicions that he was violent toward Brooke. She realizes that Robert has known all along that John was the Bloody Heart Killer. Robert admits that he has been trying to figure out what John told Gwen or confessed to her. Gwen manages to convince Robert that she had no idea that John was the real killer, and he puts down the knife. Robert explains that he discovered John’s true identity on the day before John died. He also confesses to killing John. Someone knocks on the door. Robert opens it to find the police.

Detective Saxe enters. He was just at the crime scene and wants to know if Gwen had any inkling of John’s identity as the killer, given that John had called her that morning. Gwen admits that she is certain that John killed Brooke and states that she was treating him for his violent urges toward his wife. Detective Saxes asks who killed John, and Gwen lies, maintaining that he died by suicide. Detective Saxe leaves, and Robert and Gwen are alone again. Robert says that she should not feel guilty about Brooke’s death because Brooke was a “monster” like her husband. Robert leaves. In the aftermath of these revelations, Gwen feels like her psychiatry career is ruined, and she muses that she had had a year’s worth of meetings with the Bloody Heart Killer himself and had never realized it. She feels that she has failed.

One month passes. One day, Scott stands outside Randall Thompson’s house with a knife, planning to kill him. Randall Thompson is now suing Scott and his family as well as the police department, but Scott wants justice for Brooke, who planted the evidence and tried to frame Randall for the Bloody Heart Killer’s crimes. Randall had raped her in high school, and no one believed her. Now, Scott wants him to pay for his actions. Nita arrives, snatching the knife away and forcing him to come home. Before leaving, Scott fantasizes about strangling Randall, then follows his mother to the car.

Two months later, Gwen is in an appointment with Lela Grant when she receives a text. They talk about how Randall Thompson is finally being investigated for molesting his students; the mothers of the Bloody Heart Killer’s victims have created a victim’s advocacy fund, uniting to investigate old cases. After the session, Gwen sees that she has a message from Robert. She has not heard from him since he left her house two months ago, and she had driven by his office to see that he no longer worked there. She does not blame him for killing John or turning his rage toward her. Now, she responds to his message, and the two arrange to have a drink together.

Gwen and Robert meet at a fancy bar. Robert looks much more relaxed; he quit practicing law and has moved to Venice Beach. Gwen notes that he seems “lighter.” Robert says he hesitated to leave Los Angeles because of Gwen and asks if she has room for another client. He offers her the ring again and asks her to forgive him for almost killing her. Gwen asks if he can forgive her for not realizing the truth about John Abbott. She asks how Robert knew that John was guilty. Robert explains that Gabe was diabetic, and his insulin levels at the time of his death were perfect; this meant that someone else had been picking up his insulin prescription at the pharmacy. Robert admits to interacting with John dozens of times and never suspecting anything; by extension, he confesses that he was wrong to assume that Gwen should have intuited John’s true identity. They toast, and Gwen reflects on the process of moving past grief and guilt.