The Girl Who Was Taken

This chapter returns to Nicole’s perspective on the night of her abduction. She, Jessica, and Rachel are in Nicole’s car, getting ready to attend a party on the beach. Jessica and Rachel warn Nicole that she cannot cause any drama tonight. Nicole downplays their concerns, joking that they sound like her older sister.

Deep down, Nicole misses Livia. She recently called her sister and asked to spend time with her, and she is hurt that Livia refused. Nicole does not want to admit it to herself, but she worries that her relationship with Casey is spiraling out of control. She thinks that if she spent some time with her big sister, she might be able to reset. However, Livia turned her down, and Nicole realizes that her chance to calm down will not come. Sighing, she texts Casey.

This chapter alternates between Megan’s and Livia’s third-person perspectives in the present. Megan calls Livia and tells her that they need to meet. Livia does not think this is a good idea, but Megan insists that she has new information she must share with Livia in person. Hesitant, Livia agrees, and Megan sneaks out of her house late at night while her parents are asleep.

This chapter returns to Nicole’s third-person perspective on the night of her abduction. She has spent three hours at the beach party, waiting for Casey to reply to her. She is bored and angry; she feels that she has transcended the immaturity of high school parties and that her secret plan with Casey will make her life incredible and exciting. She feels a thrill when Casey replies to tell her that he is ready.

Back in the present, Livia and Megan meet up in the middle of the night. The chapter is narrated from Megan’s third-person perspective as she reveals that she knows who abducted her and where she was held. Livia urges her to contact her father and therapist, but Megan refuses, insisting that only Livia will understand. Uncertain but wanting to help, Livia lets Megan get into her car, and they drive into the night together.

This chapter returns to Casey’s third-person perspective on the night of Nicole’s abduction. His thoughts reveal that he and Nicole have been planning something together: Nicole asked him to abduct Megan as a prank and leave her in the abandoned brewery overnight. Casey agreed, but she doesn’t know that he intends to take it further. In Nicole’s mind, this plan is an extension of their activities with the Capture Club—a spiteful but ultimately harmless fake kidnapping. However, Casey intends to use Megan’s abduction as an opportunity to introduce Nicole to his hobby: kidnapping girls on request. He is not going to leave Megan in the brewery; instead, he will hand her over to his mysterious client. Casey believes that he and Nicole share the same sinister compulsions, and he thinks that she will approve. He stalks Megan and climbs into the backseat of her car. When she gets in, he pulls a burlap sack over her head.

In the present, Megan instructs Livia to drive to an abandoned housing development called Stellar Heights. Livia wants to call 911, but Megan discourages her, insisting that she is certain she was imprisoned in Stellar Heights. Reluctantly, Livia follows Megan deeper into the darkness of the derelict housing complex.

Chapter 50 returns to Nicole’s perspective on the night of her abduction. Nicole feels a spiteful sense of glee as she imagines Megan’s fear. Where her own life has been marred by losing Julie and her family’s silence, Megan’s life appears perfect. Nicole is angry that Megan’s life has been so easy when her own has been so painful; she wants Megan to experience hardship for a change.

Nicole wants to be in the car with Casey and Megan, listening to Megan cry and scream, but she knows that she would laugh and then Megan would recognize her voice. Instead, she follows in her own car. She is surprised when Casey drives past the turn for the abandoned brewery. She calls to ask what he is doing, but he ignores her.

Back in the present, Livia follows Megan into Stellar Heights. Together, they stand outside a single home at the end of a long, dark street. The abandoned house is creepy, and Livia is mortified by her decision to accompany Megan here. She realizes that their adventure is dangerous, that Megan’s mental health is fragile, and that she made a mistake by agreeing to this.

Livia is about to tell Megan that this is a mistake and that they need to leave when Megan draws her attention to a train whistle in the distance. Megan reveals that she has been driving all over the county, trying to place the sounds she heard during her captivity. This is the only place where all the sounds converge. Megan insists that she is confident: This house is where she was held.

Chapter 52 returns to Casey’s perspective on the night of Nicole’s abduction. He and Nicole have met up, and he is dodging her questions about his change of plan. Nicole gazes at the abandoned housing development and acknowledges her uncertainty; she is confident that Megan would be able to find her way home from the abandoned brewery, but this place is a different story. Even Nicole has no idea where they are, and she is a bit concerned.

Casey distracts her by biting her earlobe and sliding his hand up her thigh. Nicole forgets her concern for Megan and loses herself in her lust for Casey, unaware that a man is watching them and waiting for them to bring Megan to him. The man tells himself that this girl will be the one.

Back in the present, Megan reveals that she has realized something about her abduction: She tells Livia that she did not escape. Livia is confused and argues that Megan did indeed escape, reassuring her that she is safe. Megan clarifies that she believes her captor deliberately let her go.

This chapter returns to Casey’s third-person perspective on the night of the abduction. Nicole realizes that he has drugged Megan and questions this, but he ignores her. She follows him as he carries Megan’s unconscious body into a house with the number 67 over its front door. Casey’s internal monologue reveals that he previously delivered Nancy and Paula to this same location.

As he disappears into the cellar with Megan, Nicole asks him what he is doing and tells him to stop. He can tell that she is disturbed, but he continues to ignore her and closes the cellar door behind him.

In the present, Megan runs toward the abandoned house. Livia feels a cold chill creep over her as Megan shows her details of the house that she described in her memoir. Confident, Megan tells Livia that she knows exactly who abducted her, and she is certain that this is where she was held.

This chapter alternates between Casey’s and Nicole’s perspectives on the night of Nicole’s abduction. Nicole is alarmed by Casey’s actions and urges him to let Megan go; although she wanted to scare Megan, she feels like Casey has taken it way too far. She insists that he needs to stop. Casey ignores her concerns and takes her hand, telling her that he needs to show her something. He leads her into house number 63 and takes her down to the cellar, where Paula D’Amato is chained to a bed. Nicole is horrified and runs up the stairs, but Casey grabs her. He holds her tight while she thrashes and tries to run away; he whispers that eventually, she will stop feeling guilty for helping him kidnap girls.

Casey proudly tells her that aside from his simulated abductions with the Capture Club, he kidnaps people for real. He tries to convince Nicole that just like him, she will enjoy it. Disgusted, Nicole kicks him and breaks free of his grip. She runs to her car and begins a frantic drive away from Stellar Heights. Desperate, she calls Livia and begins crying when Livia does not answer. Nicole knows that she needs help, but because she instigated Megan’s abduction, she feels unable to call the police. She keeps driving and calls Livia again and again, convincing herself that her sister will know what to do. Livia never answers, and the lights of a police car appear in Nicole’s rearview mirror.

Back in the present, Megan is rambling as she looks around the cellar. Livia tries to calm her down and encourages her to speak slowly and clearly so that she can explain her discovery. Shaking, Megan reveals that the sound she uncovered in her nightmare was a sound she grew familiar with during childhood: a leather gun holster on a belt.

The night of her abduction, Nicole is stopped by a policeman. Sobbing and shaking, she tries to explain that she has discovered something horrible and that she needs help. The officer encourages her to step out of her car and hand him her phone and keys. Nicole is too upset to think that this is odd, so she complies. The officer helps her into the back of her car and gets into the driver’s seat. When she meets his eyes in the rearview mirror, she realizes that the policeman is Megan’s father.

Back in the present, Megan reveals that she knows her father abducted her. He hired Casey Delevan to abduct girls for him, and Casey brought him Megan because he had no idea that Megan was his daughter. Megan believes that this explains the difference between her treatment and that of the other victims; where Paula and Nancy were sexually abused and violently assaulted, Megan was neither beaten nor raped because her father was unable to abuse her.

Although he drugged all his victims, Megan believes that in her case, he only drugged her to keep her from recognizing him. When the news of Megan’s abduction swept through the town, he kept her captive for a few weeks because he was waiting for the attention to die down before he could release her. Megan theorizes that this is why he moved her from Stellar Heights to a bunker in the woods and then left the bunker door open so that she could escape.

Livia is struggling to process this information and urges Megan to wait and seek help. She recognizes that it is too risky to call the local police, but Livia believes that they need help from someone else—Megan’s therapist or mother, perhaps. Megan argues that she has to see the house’s cellar to prove to herself that she is right. She urges Livia to come with her for support, and she reluctantly agrees.

In the cellar, they discover another victim chained to the bed. The terrified girl tells them that her name is Elizabeth Jennings, and Livia recognizes her as a girl who has been missing from her home state of Tennessee. Megan and Livia work together to free Elizabeth, but the chains restraining her are too strong. Livia calls 911 while Megan holds Elizabeth’s hand. The 911 operator informs Livia that Elizabeth has been missing for two years and was presumed dead.

This chapter returns to the culprit’s perspective—now known to be Chief McDonald. He has been spiraling out of control since the night he discovered that his new victim was actually his daughter. That was the same night he pulled Nicole over on her frantic drive from Stellar Heights. He was outraged to discover that Casey brought him Megan, and he was afraid that Nicole would bring his secrets to light. Because he could not use Megan as a new victim, he decided that Nicole could be her replacement. He brought Nicole to the cellar of another abandoned house and murdered Casey in a vengeful rage.

His perspective returns to the present as he grapples with the impact of Livia’s investigation and Megan’s participation in it. He is afraid that the two of them will uncover his secret, but he tries to reassure himself that he can handle the situation and find a way to distract Livia. He comforts himself with the idea of killing Elizabeth and sterilizing the houses where he has kept his victims, eliminating all evidence. Ultimately, he decides that he will burn the entire housing development to the ground so that his secrets stay buried forever.

Suddenly, he receives a call on his police radio notifying him that a missing girl has been discovered in an abandoned housing development.

While they wait for the police to arrive, Livia asks Elizabeth about her experience in the cellar. Elizabeth tells her that she is worried about her friend, who is also being held captive. They whisper to each other through the air vents when they are certain it’s safe. Elizabeth tells Livia that her friend’s name is Nicole.

Livia frantically searches the house for Nicole. Although she finds evidence of another female presence in the house, Nicole is not there. Livia pauses when she hears a car pull up outside and gets an uneasy feeling when she notices that there are no sirens—just the quiet sound of one vehicle.

Megan’s father enters the house, and Livia reacts quickly to protect Megan, sending her outside before her father can get to her. Chief McDonald attacks Livia, but her years of boxing serve her well, and she fights back. Just when it seems that he is about to overpower her, she remembers Kent Chapple’s lighter in her pocket, and she sets Chief McDonald on fire.

He goes up in flames instantly, and Livia and Elizabeth watch as he flails around. Livia seizes his police radio and calls the station to let them know that an officer has been attacked.

After the discovery at Stellar Heights, Elizabeth and Livia are taken to a local hospital, where they receive treatment for their injuries and make a full recovery. Megan is taken to a private treatment facility to help her process the horrific truth of her discovery. Chief McDonald survives his burns but is significantly injured; it is over a week before he can answer questions about his crimes.

When he is able to talk, he reveals that he is devastated by his actions and keen to reveal the truth of what he did. He confesses to abducting Paula, Nancy, Megan, Elizabeth, and Nicole, and he admits that he murdered Nicole, Paula, and Nancy. He even tells them where he buried Nicole’s body. A police investigation reveals that over the days before his arrest, Chief McDonald became paranoid and was losing control. When he buried Nicole, he did not exercise his usual caution and did not bury her in a body bag. As a result, Nicole’s body has been disturbed by animals and is not where he buried her.

Livia attempts to cope with the reality that her sister—missing for over a year—was murdered only a few days ago. Livia feels an overwhelming sense of loss and desperation, which she channels into intense boxing workouts.

A few days later, Livia attends Nicole’s funeral and attempts to find a sense of closure. Peace eludes her because although she can be certain that her sister is dead, her body has not yet been discovered. Livia connects with Mr. Steinman, who attends Nicole’s funeral in Megan’s place; while Megan does not feel able to cope with the media attention of Nicole’s funeral, she wants Livia to know that she is thinking of her today.

Mr. Steinman tells Megan that after years of being ashamed of his wife’s dementia, which sometimes results in violent outbursts, he has finally agreed to let Megan help him take care of her. He tells her that Megan is compassionate and helpful and will make a wonderful doctor someday.

Livia is going through the motions of another typical day in the medical examiner’s office when Kent Chapple tells her that they need to talk. His team of medicolegal investigators have discovered a body that they believe is Nicole’s. He invites her to ride along with him to examine the body.