False Witness

Leigh and Walter drive Reggie to Reggie’s private office, bring him inside, strap him to a chair, and wake him up. They demand the alarm code for Reggie’s safe and the key to the server room, unaware that the original videos are in a safe in Andrew/Trevor’s house. Walter punches Reggie repeatedly to get the information they need. However, upon questioning Reggie, they realize that Andrew/Trevor has set up Reggie to take the fall for his crimes. Andrew/Trevor has taken every step to make sure he won’t get convicted. Leigh and Walter release Reggie. Leigh decides to turn herself in to the police for Buddy’s murder. Before she does that, though, she wants to alert Callie.

On the same day, Callie is at Dr. Jerry’s. She wants to steal some medicine to kill Andrew/Trevor. Dr. Jerry catches Callie. She is embarrassed and ashamed—Dr. Jerry has always been good to her. Dr. Jerry admits to Callie that he’s known all along that she’s been stealing from him—and that he had a son who died from substance use. Callie tells Dr. Jerry her plan in coded language: “I’ve run across a very dangerous Great Dane. […] He’s hurting women. Raping them, torturing them. And he’s threatening to hurt people I care about. Like my sister. And my—my sister’s daughter. Maddy” (386). Dr. Jerry understands what Callie is asking for and asks how much the “Great Dane” weighs. Dr. Jerry doses out the right amount of medicine needed to kill a “big dog” of that size and explains to Callie exactly how to administer it, detailing where to stab the syringe: “The giant syringe in her pocket […] was meant to put down Andrew so that Maddy would be safe, and Leigh could go on with her life” (389).

Leigh and Walter look for Callie, finding her at Dr. Jerry’s veterinary clinic. Leigh updates Callie, telling her about kidnapping Reggie. Leigh and Walter managed to seize the backups of Buddy’s videos from Reggie’s office, including the back-up servers and Reggie’s laptop. They found fourteen video files, plus the murder video. Leigh then tells Callie, for the first time, that Buddy assaulted her too. Leigh tells Callie that she plans to take the evidence that Walter and Leigh seized to the police and turn herself in:

We’ll meet with the district attorney at noon tomorrow. We’ll make a proffer. It’s sometimes called ‘queen for a day.’ I’ll be able to tell them the truth, but nothing I say can be used against me. Hopefully, I can provide evidence against Andrew that will put him away (401).

After finishing their conversation inside the veterinary clinic, Leigh and Callie go to the parking lot to find Walter. He is gone. There’s a note from Andrew/Trevor on Leigh’s car: “If you want your husband back, come and get him” (404).

Leigh panics, while Callie remains calm. Leigh wants to go after Andrew/Trevor and save Walter herself. Callie suggests Leigh go to Andrew/Trevor’s home, as that’s probably where he is. Leigh does as Callie suggests. In fact, Andrew/Trevor is at his old childhood home, the one where Buddy was killed—something Callie has correctly guessed. Callie goes to confront Andrew/Trevor. Sidney is there, waiting for her. Callie stabs Sidney and kills her. Callie then uses the syringe from Dr. Jerry to kill Andrew/Trevor. Then she dies by suicide by overdosing:

Callie thought about Kurt Cobain. He wasn’t waiting for her anymore. He was here, talking to Mama Cass and Jimi Hendrix, laughing with Jim Morrison and Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin and River Phoenix. […] Callie knew that she belonged (424).

It’s Callie’s funeral. Leigh and Walter are there, as are Phil and Dr. Jerry. Andrew/Trevor’s mother, Linda, stops by. Leigh and Linda talk. Linda reveals that she knew all along that Callie and Leigh killed Buddy: “That kitchen floor was shining when I got home from the hospital. And the bleach was so strong that my eyes watered” (430). Linda never cared that Buddy was gone—he wasn’t good to her—but she did wonder why the girls did it. Now, Linda knows: She tells Leigh that the night Andrew/Trevor died, he dropped off a garbage bag of videotapes in her garage. Linda opens the trunk of her car and shows Leigh the videotapes, 14 of them labeled with Callie’s name, and one labeled with Callie’s and Leigh’s names. Linda gives Leigh the tapes. These are the tapes from the safe in Andrew/Trevor’s and Sidney’s house. Leigh doesn’t hold Linda responsible for Buddy’s crimes; Linda herself was only 13 when she met Buddy. Linda tells Leigh, “I’m thanking you, Harleigh Collier. As far as I’m concerned, you put one animal down for me. Your sister put down the other” (433). Linda leaves.