I Have Some Questions for You

Bodie acknowledges how odd it is that the names of Granby faculty and staff have become well-known. Despite the fact that she never named Bloch as a suspect or person of interest on the podcast, various internet sources soon uncover Bloch’s identity. Bloch manages to avoid the widespread coverage that Bodie’s then-husband Jerome experienced, due to a false confession and a Medium article written by Thalia’s half brother requesting privacy.

As a witness, Bodie cannot sit in the courtroom. While Alder, now a member of the press, is not allowed to communicate with her, he still tries keep her updated about the case and Mike Stiles’s arrival. Bodie demands that he stop texting her.

Prior to the time frame of the hearing, Alder and Britt produced four episodes of She Is Drowned, the podcast they worked on in Bodie’s class. Together with Bodie and her podcast producer, Alder and Britt created a professional podcast in which they used Bodie’s text (the tip about the athletic equipment shed) as a starting point for the narrative, for this text resulted in authorities discovering Thalia’s blood. Alder, now a first-year student at Columbia, and Britt, a sophomore at Smith, appeared on television and in print after their podcast with Bodie uncovered a case for another suspect and exposed the inadequate counsel provided to Omar. Bodie continued to receive hate and abuse online, this time for her role in the podcast on Thalia. Their podcast ends with Dr. Meyer, Thalia’s and Bodie’s senior English teacher, musing about justice. He wonders if letting Omar out of prison, as someone else goes to prison, would count as justice. Now, as the motion for a retrial is heard and Bodie narrates the events, she continues to internally address Bloch, asking if he has considered his part in Omar’s false imprisonment and Thalia’s death.

Even as Bodie champions Thalia and Omar, finding Bloch culpable for his role, she admits that she still defends Jerome. There is no change in her attitude toward the consensual nature of Jasmine and Jerome’s relationship. Jerome and Bodie, however, do officially divorce. As Bodie and her family continue to face unwanted attention, her children Leo and Silvie worry for their safety. Bodie declares there is no danger. Bodie acknowledges the attention, noting how many theories people emailed to her over the three years since the case received new attention.

Chapter 6 recounts Alder and Britt’s interview of Omar, in which he speaks about the drug charges and recounts how many of his hairs the authorities removed. Omar recalls how he gave a false confession in the belief that that the drug charge would then go away—a somewhat reasonable action during the stricter drug laws of the 1990s. He tries to avoid what he thinks will be federal charges, because he has driven to Vermont with marijuana. As Alder and Britt ask about what he remembers and if he blames Granby for his imprisonment, Omar says that his main mistake was not asking for a lawyer, given how pressured the police and authorities were to close the case. Granby, he declares, has lawyers and money beyond belief.

While Bodie is barred from the courtroom, she spends her time staying at the hotel or going out to eat in Kern. She sees Amy March, who heads the defense for Omar, and other former Granby students, including Sakina, who is now a doctor. Sakina shares details from her testimony, violating the rules for witnesses. Bodie and Sakina eventually move from discussing the trial to their children and home lives, until Sakina spots Mike Stiles. He joins them as they return to the case. Bodie notices that although Mike studies human rights, he can’t grapple with Omar’s rights fully, for that would mean abandoning his friend Robbie. The group discusses other inconsequential matters as they await further developments in the case.

Chapter 8 recounts a conversation between Fran and Bodie in 2020. Fran called to tell Bodie that Carlotta had been diagnosed with inoperable breast cancer. As Bodie notes the ages of Carlotta’s children, she remarks on the way death changes as people age, transitioning from sudden accidents to illnesses and then to drawn-out death. Bodie confesses that Carlotta will die, and that the cancer began in her left breast—coincidentally, the same breast that Peewee grabbed back when they were students at Granby.

Back in the present day, the morning after her meeting Sakina and Mike, Bodie practices her testimony with Amy and her fellow attorneys, including Hector, who hands Bodie a list of rules about her sequestration. Another attorney, Liz, leads Bodie through the questions, telling her what to expect and what she cannot say. They discuss Thalia’s planner, and Bodie begins her testimony by describing the incident at the Bethesda fountain, implicating Bloch as Thalia’s sexual partner. Liz, attempting to anticipate cross-examination, asks about Bodie’s public involvement and why she didn’t testify to these facts earlier.

After this overwhelming experience, Bodie invites Fran and her children to swim in the hotel pool. She tells Fran about her experience with the defense and her drinks with Sakina and Mike. Fran teases her about Mike, imagining him leaving his wife for Bodie. Bodie mentions that Oliver had a job at Granby, and that he and Amber were married. Fran invites Bodie to a party the next night at their house. At the pool, Bodie and Fran see Robbie, his wife, and their children. Fran talks to them, and Robbie announces across the pool that he knows he can’t talk to her but is happy to see her.

Alder then texts Bodie in a panic as Britt testifies. He tells Bodie that the prosecution is asking Britt about Bodie, implying that Bodie got involved with Thalia’s case to avoid dealing with #MeToo accusations against Jerome. After this testimony, Bodie is informed that she might not be called to the stand. Bodie asks to come watch the proceedings if she can’t testify, but the lawyer says her presence would distract people from Omar’s testimony.

That evening, Bodie sits in her balcony chair and discusses the case with her school friend Geoff Richler, and Geoff is sure of Bloch’s involvement. Their mutual recollections shift to Dorian, and Bodie comes to the realization that Dorian’s harassment had to do with his own internal problems and was never about her personally. As Geoff leaves, Bodie notices that Dane Rubra is close by, and they acknowledge each other. After she is sure that Dane isn’t recording her, Bodie tells him to investigate Dennis Bloch, the music director who leaves after graduation.

At breakfast the next morning, Bodie and Geoff notice Beth Docherty, who testified the morning before about her flask and the rumors about Omar. As Bodie and Geoff discuss the case, Beth approaches them, greeting Bodie with disdain and accusing her of getting involved for attention. Geoff tells Beth that she is breaking the rules by talking to Bodie. Beth walks away. Bodie invites Geoff to a party on campus with Fran that night, and he accepts, refusing to turn down an opportunity to drink on campus.

Alder texts Bodie to let her know that Omar eats breakfast before he leaves the prison and gets back to prison long after dinner is served. The bailiff has refused Amy’s request to bring Omar lunch, and she worries that his lack of energy will be interpreted badly by the judge.

Bodie goes to Delilah’s, a boutique in Kern, and encounters Robbie’s wife there, who explains how their life has changed since the Thalia case has been brought back into the open. (They have received more attention, including phone calls, emails, and strange packages.) Robbie’s wife then hugs Bodie and admits that Thalia would probably not have liked her. As Robbie’s wife leaves, Alder texts Bodie with a link to Rubra’s episode naming Bloch as a person of interest and asking for his viewers’ help in gathering evidence about Bloch.

On the way to campus, Geoff describes what Bodie missed in court, first describing Omar as aged. At the party, Oliver and Amber warmly greet Bodie, and Bodie notices that Amber is pregnant. Oliver now teaches computer science and tells Bodie that Stanford offered admission to one of his students. Bodie sees Petra talking to Geoff. As Bodie’s old biology teacher, Dana Ramos, hugs her, Bodie sees Priscilla enter and then leave abruptly upon noticing Bodie. The director of development briefly speaks to Bodie before Mike Stiles texts her to say that he is on campus. Bodie leaves to meet Mike.

Mike and Bodie meet and discuss Granby, and Mike confesses that he was a disappointment compared to his father and brother, who both attended Exeter. He tells her that he has dyslexia and jokingly discusses the secret society to which he belonged at Granby, downplaying it considerably., Mike tells her that Robbie wasn’t a member and tells her that all this attention has caused Robbie lots of trouble. Mike now has even more doubts about Omar’s supposed guilt but cannot think of any other suspects. They discuss a few possible scenarios around the murder until Bodie invites Mike to the party.

The next morning, Alder visits Bodie in her room, and, against the rules, shows her the video of Dwight Boudreau testifying. Alder also announces that interest in Bloch is growing, with a Facebook group offering $10,000 for evidence tying Bloch to Thalia’s murder.

At the fitness center, Bodie encounters Beth, who criticizes her for Bodie’s involvement in the case. Beth confesses that she doesn’t want to be back at Granby, telling Bodie she hates “reliving the worst years of my life” (368). Beth brings up Bloch, telling Bodie that he acted inappropriately toward her, until Thalia transferred. Beth admits that she acted as matchmaker for Thalia and Robbie to save Thalia from Bloch, but she failed. Beth then recalls her own harassment, in which Dorian tricked her into having sex with him in front of a camera on a ski trip while his friends watched. Beth brings up Jerome’s own problems when Bodie mentions believing women’s accounts is a sound strategy for combating harassment.

Bodie then explains that Rubra found Bloch working in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Bodie realizes that she still maintains a sliver of loyalty to Bloch. Rubra asks his viewers to send in any information about Bloch. Bodie considers telling the defense to talk to Beth again. Rubra implores his audience to continue to watch Bloch, so he can’t escape the attention.