Someone We Know: A Novel

Carmine decides to show her neighbors the letter she received to gain information, both about the intruder and the murder of Amanda Pierce. Detectives Webb and Moen receive Amanda Pierce’s autopsy results, determining the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head. The violence suggests a brutal, frenzied assault. She was also 10 weeks pregnant, and Webb suspects Robert of murder. Olivia, meanwhile, feels that Raleigh has withheld his misdeeds. She worries about her husband, Paul, who is suspiciously preoccupied, repeatedly brushing off her questions.

Robert Pierce reflects on his short, troubled marriage to Amanda. They rarely confronted each other, instead playing games, using tools like her secret burner phone. He suspected her affairs were arranged through a pay-as-you-go cell phone, which he found after drugging her. The next day—the Friday she disappeared—they did not acknowledge the incident. Detective Webb and his forensics team thoroughly search Robert’s house. They find two sets of fingerprints that Webb thinks belong to Amanda’s or Robert’s lovers. Olivia hopes that Amanda’s murder will distract her neighbors from her apology letters.