All the Dangerous Things

In the past, Isabelle and Margaret play tea party outside on a muggy morning, wearing matching nightgowns picked by their mother. Margaret tells Isabelle that she also noticed the muddy footprints on Isabelle’s carpet. She asks if the sleepwalking is tied to “what happened,” prompting Isabelle to remember a previous evening when she saw their mother covered in blood (69). When Margaret claims the house is creepy, Isabelle reassures her that it is her sleepwalking that makes it seem so.

Isabelle tries sleeping pills, but they make her groggy. She returns to the online article she found the day before and reads more comments that point to her dubious past and discuss Mason’s victimhood. One comment reads, “He’s in a better place” (72), and Isabelle emails Detective Dozier, asking to track the IP address. She departs for a bistro to meet Waylon. He startles her and is both eager and uncomfortable to hear her story. Isabelle admits she grew up in Beaufort, an hour away from Savannah, but is unwilling to provide further details.

Waylon asks Isabelle about the night of Mason’s disappearance. Isabelle shares Mason’s bedtime routine and the family’s schedule preceding his disappearance. When Waylon wonders if Ben could have gotten out of bed without her waking, Isabelle defends Ben.