Society of Lies: A Novel

Back home in Brooklyn, Maya wonders why the police didn’t search Margaret’s house. Margaret loathes DuPont. She thinks he’s a “narcissist.” Maya reviews Naomi’s notebook, which mentions a reporter called “AL”. It includes questions for Trevor Jones, Lila’s brother, and the word “done.”

DuPont gets Maya a job with the Fuller family. Maya believes she’ll tutor Calum Fuller, their wayward teenage son, but she realizes she’s been hired to take the SAT for him and write his Princeton application essay. Maya hears his mother on the phone, wondering if Maya is the best person for the task. Calum’s mother asks why they can’t label Calum a “golf recruit.” Wanting to prove herself to Calum’s mother, Maya takes the SAT and writes an essay about how Calum’s mother supposedly survived a brain tumor. In exchange for her work, Maya gets $10,000 and an internship at Goldman Sachs.

Worried about Naomi, Aunt Ella calls Maya, and Maya speaks to Naomi. Naomi stopped going to school after a neighbor knocked on the door and realized Naomi and Aunt Ella’s sons were there without an adult. Naomi claims she’s fine now, but Maya doesn’t want child protective services to take Naomi.