The Sequel

Anna and Martin meet at the Ripley Inn. Then they take a tour of the town and the old Ripley campus, where Martin shows Anna Jake’s old classroom. The college is now defunct, so they can’t tour the other buildings, and they return to the inn instead.

Anna and Martin spend the rest of the afternoon reviewing the anthology submissions. Martin tells her what he remembers about each student and their work. He doesn’t mention Evan at all.

Anna and Martin finish the submissions and go to the dining room for dinner. Martin perks up when Anna informs him Macmillan might publish the anthology. He thanks her for instigating the project. His sincerity makes Anna doubt that he’s behind the manila envelopes after all. However, her feelings change when Martin mentions Evan. He tells her that because Evan died “so soon after the program” he thinks they should honor his work in the anthology (171). Although horrified, Anna agrees. Martin suggests that he contact Evan’s last living relative, Rose, to see if she has any of his work. He assures her he can find Rose using the help of his robotics students at the public school where he teaches.

Disturbed, Anna dismisses herself from the table. She confronts the innkeeper, saying that Martin is her late husband’s friend who she’s taking pity on. She lies, saying Martin is drunk and made a pass at her. She asks him to book a room for Martin so he doesn’t drive home. She also requests the innkeeper’s number should anything else go wrong with Martin. The man is obliging. Back at the table, Anna and Martin order coffee. Anna slips a drug into Martin’s cup. After just a few sips, he becomes drowsy and can barely talk. She confronts him about the envelopes, accusing him of taunting her because he doesn’t think she deserves her success. He can barely protest. Then Anna leads him upstairs, making sure the innkeeper sees what bad shape he’s in.

Anna settles Martin in his room. Then she waits in her room until 1 am before returning to his room and waking him up. She leads him into the hallway, pulls down his pants, and pushes him down the stairs to his death. In her room, she sleeps soundly.

The innkeeper and the police chief knock on Anna’s door the next morning to inform her that Martin is dead. They don’t suspect Anna and assume Martin was trying to drunkenly sneak into her room when he fell and died.

In the spring, Anna puts her New York apartment “on the market” (185). Meanwhile, she spends her days at neighborhood cafés researching new places to live. One day, she and Wendy meet up about the anthology. Anna pays to have 100 copies printed and works with Wendy to host a reading at McNally Jackson bookstore. At the event, Anna gives an introduction, making sure to mention Martin’s tragic death. Then the contributors read.

Anna goes out with Wendy and Matilda after the reading. Wendy and Matilda talk at length about the publishing industry, scoffing at amateur writers and bemoaning the challenges of their work. Then they tell Anna they received a manuscript excerpt from a book resembling Jake’s Crib. They doubt there’s any merit to the sender’s accusation that Jake plagiarized but wanted to keep her informed. Anna initially worries Martin was behind the manuscript. She’s even more horrified when they reveal the envelope had an Athens, Georgia, postmark.

Macmillan sends Anna the envelope with the manuscript and enclosed letter. The letter accuses Jake of plagiarizing his former student Evan’s story. Anna realizes the sender is only worried about Jake’s alleged misdeeds and not hers. Then she reads the manuscript.

In the manuscript, Diandra decides to steal her daughter’s identity after murdering her. She stabs Ruby, buries her in the yard, and races away from home to take Ruby’s scholarships.

Anna scoffs at the pages, irritated with Evan’s lack of imagination. However, something worries her about the enclosed letter. The writing is different from the writing included with the other excerpts and has a legal tone. Then she remembers when she hired Arthur Pickens, Esq. in Athens to help her sell her alleged uncle Evan’s house in West Rutland. She wonders if he might be behind this as he’s the only one in Athens who might have information.

Anna thinks about her relationship with her father. The one thing he taught her was to value cash. Before leaving Vermont, she adopted his habit “of setting aside extra cash” (212) and hiding it in a toiletry bag in her suitcase, which she hid in her closet. After she killed Rose by lighting her tent on fire in the woods, she took her stash and fled. She has continued to hoard cash throughout the years, hiding it in a Coach bag.

Anna’s realtors Lori and Laurie plan an open house for Anna’s apartment. During their walkthrough, they exclaim at the space and encourage Anna to declutter. Anna agrees and feels relieved after she puts Jake’s old furniture on the street. Afterwards, she takes her Coach bag and a wig and heads out of town.