An Anonymous Girl: A Novel

On Friday, December 7, Jessica hears from Dr. Shields, who asks her to dress elegantly and be ready for an Uber at eight o’clock. The driver’s silence causes Jessica to panic and wonder if she has been kidnapped, but he soon drops her off in front of a hotel. Jessica receives a text to go into the bar and sit across from a group of men and order a drink. Confused, Jessica sits down, ordering a glass of wine. She gets another text telling her she looks perfect, and suddenly Jessica realizes that Dr. Shields is in the bar, but Jessica cannot spot her. Jessica is approached by a man who tries to invite her over, but she is instructed to focus on a man sitting alone nearby instead. Jessica goes over to the man and starts flirting with him. When he invites her to sit down, she realizes he is wearing a wedding ring.

Dr. Shields’s setup is an attempt to mirror the night that Thomas’s indiscretions first began. He was at that same hotel and had just met a friend when a woman approached him and flirted with him. Dr. Shields hoped that Thomas was simply succumbing to some biological need in all men—that it was not ultimately his fault—and set up this experiment to prove it. Instead, Jessica’s attempts to flirt with the man at the bar are rejected, as he proclaims he is happily married and not interested in ruining that. Dr. Shields realizes that if one man can reject such temptation, then Thomas could have too.

Jessica is angry and humiliated at what Dr. Shields just put her through as she waits in the lobby for her. Dr. Shields tries to assure Jessica that it was all part of the experiment and that she never expected Jessica to do anything more than flirt. Jessica admits that the man called her “Sugar,” which reminded her of a past experience in which her boss (Gene) at a theater production forced her to reveal her breasts while he masturbated and called her “Sugar.” All Dr. Shields can say is that she is sorry, and she thanks Jessica for her work, handing her a check. Jessica takes the money but feels like it is somehow tainted.

Dr. Shields plans her date with Thomas, but with a new agenda in mind after realizing that not all men succumb to temptation. She plans an elaborate meal and invites Thomas over to the house they once shared. Before the evening begins, Dr. Shields texts Jessica to see how she’s feeling after last night’s drama.

Jessica is on her way to Noah’s apartment to apologize for lying and leaving unannounced and to take up his offer of his famous French toast. Jessica ignores a text from Dr. Shields, wanting to focus on her date. Jessica admits her real name, and Noah appreciates her coming forward. Jessica realizes she made a moral choice and feels proud. After a delicious meal and an hour of talking, Noah and Jessica kiss, and Jessica feels content for the first time in years.

Thomas arrives at Dr. Shields’s home. Thomas seems desperate to please and eager to win Dr. Shields back. He suspiciously asks Dr. Shields if she has heard from an investigator who was called after a previous subject’s family wanted more information. Dr. Shields feeds Thomas a torte with nuts in it, knowing that he has a mild allergy, and when Thomas develops a headache, she checks his phone. She takes photographs of every number he has called recently and plans to investigate them the next day. Thomas feels unwell and goes home.

Dr. Shields invites Jessica to an appointment at her home, which Jessica finds strange. Dr. Shields tells Jessica that she will be making a series of phone calls (to the women on Thomas’s phone) to offer the women a free makeup session. Jessica worries about how it might affect the makeup company’s reputation and what Dr. Shields’s motives are, but before she can ask, Dr. Shields distracts Jessica by telling her that her father is an investor who can likely help Jessica’s father get a job. Dr. Shields also implies that she feels as though she and Jessica are becoming friends. The thought of her family being saved overwhelms Jessica, and she immediately forgets her suspicions.

Dr. Shields meets with her parents for her mother’s birthday, remarking on the way that childhood experiences with family can create lifelong patterns in people, including herself. She describes her mother as a former beauty queen and her father as “powerful.” Dr. Shields sits with her parents at their favorite restaurant and notes the empty space where her sister once sat before a tragic accident in high school took her life. Her mother asks about Thomas, and Dr. Shields lies, saying he’s overworked. She asks her father if he knows any companies that can hire Jessica’s father, and he agrees to look into it. In her mind, Dr. Shields plans the next phase of her investigation into Thomas’s life after Jessica’s calls revealed three suspicious numbers.

For her next assignment, Jessica is instructed to go to the Met Breuer art museum and stand in a photography exhibit of motorcycle photographs. Outside the museum, Jessica passes an accident, seeing that an old woman was hit by a car. A crowd gathers, and Jessica offers to call 911 as another man and woman help the injured lady. Jessica realizes she is late for her appointment and gives the man her business card, feeling guilty for leaving before the situation is resolved and wondering if the accident was set up by Dr. Shields. Inside the museum, Jessica looks at the photographs and has a brief conversation with a man in a bomber jacket. Jessica leaves 30 minutes later as instructed, still clueless about why she was there.

Dr. Shields makes plans with Thomas to go to the exhibit at the museum but then cancels and encourages him to go on his own, allowing her to set up Jessica to be there at the same time. Dr. Shields believes that by deceiving Jessica and not telling her the true nature of the experiment, she can glean better results. At home, she painstakingly waits for the time to pass while Jessica is at the museum. When Jessica finally arrives, Dr. Shields immediately starts questioning her, asking about everything that happened at the museum and trying her best to seem impartial. Jessica describes her experience with the accident and then having a conversation with someone at the museum. Dr. Shields makes a crucial mistake by asking Jessica about a “sandy-haired man,” assuming that Jessica talked to Thomas. Jessica corrects her, and Dr. Shields realizes that Jessica talked to someone else. Being dishonest with Jessica didn’t turn out how Dr. Shields planned.

Jessica is assigned to do makeup for two women that Dr. Shields chose out of Thomas’s call log. She is instructed to find out whether they tip more for a free service and to find out their basic demographic information. She is also told to use speakerphone while Dr. Shields listens in. The visit with the first woman, a married lesbian, is uneventful. When Jessica gets to the second place, she is greeted by a woman named Tiffani who is extremely thin and somewhat frantic. Her boyfriend, also thin, lies on the couch and occasionally barks at Tiffani for being too loud. As Jessica does her makeup, she notices a bruise on Tiffani’s forehead, which Tiffani explains away. The boyfriend becomes more and more irritated and eventually starts accusing Jessica of being an informant. His pupils are dilated, and his skin is pale. She manages to talk her way out of the situation and leaves. Upon doing so, she realizes that Dr. Shields hung up several minutes before, leaving her to defend herself with no help.

Jessica calls Dr. Shields, agitated and angry that she was put in a dangerous position. Dr. Shields immediately goes to work manipulating and placating Jessica, coming up with excuses for why she hung up and why Jessica was there to begin with. She reminds Jessica of her experience with Gene and asks if that perhaps tainted her impression of Tiffani’s boyfriend, leading Jessica to doubt her self-perception. Finally, she distracts Jessica by telling her there may be a job lead for her father. All the while, Dr. Shields focuses on the fact that Thomas has not returned her text and wonders where he is.

Jessica feels tense, worried, and desperate for a way to distract herself. She thinks about Gene and what he’s doing and wonders if she should tell his wife what he did. When Jessica gets a text from the man from the accident scene letting her know the woman is okay, Jessica invites him out for a drink. She thinks about Noah, who is out of town, but feels as though she can successfully keep this encounter a secret from him. Tonight, she wants to remain “an anonymous girl” (208), finding it easier than being emotionally involved.

Dr. Shields sits at home awaiting Thomas’s reply. When he finally texts after nine o’clock, he calls her “gorgeous,” reminding her of the text he sent during his affair. She looks back at the past summer when her marriage began to fall apart after one of her subjects died by suicide after an overdose. Dr. Shields fell into a deep state of despair and was constantly plagued by thoughts of the subject. During this period of withdrawal, Thomas fell away from the relationship and began his affair, which was confirmed by the text and later by his outright confession. Dr. Shields even went to see the woman in question, visiting her clothing store and talking with her for several minutes. Dr. Shields wants Jessica and Thomas to meet so that she can see if Jessica will tempt him and begins to arrange plans for Jessica to meet Thomas at his favorite diner.