In 2018, Ruth—who has shed all traces of her “Naomi” alter ego—waits for news of Quinn’s condition. She is relieved to know that he is likely to die, but misses the warm, euphoric feeling that she felt at Travers’s death. She drives to a new apartment, which has already been unpacked, and checks five separate burner phones, where she is using five identities to manipulate new victims.

Lying in bed, Ruth locks her fears and anxieties in an “old oak chest” in her mind (270), which is a calming technique she learned during her time being treated in a psychiatric center.

At two o’clock in the morning on Thanksgiving, Farrow waits in the police precinct for DNA results from the scene of Quinn’s attack. Farrow has officially taken over the Quinn case, against the wishes of his partner Hernandez. Hernandez agrees to complete the grunt work necessary to clear the case. Farrow receives a call from the DNA lab, then attempts to call Amanda.

Amanda’s research shows that six men resembling each other were murdered across New York in the three years since Ruth’s release from the psychiatric facility. Because the crimes are accelerating in frequency, Amanda believes Ruth is vulnerable to capture.