The Family Upstairs

Lucy is alone at Henry’s apartment. She has one more hour to herself, and she spends it taking a long bath and fixing her hair. Lucy’s children, Marco and Stella, are enrolled in good schools. Lucy frequently meets up with Clemency, where they “talk about their children and music and Henry’s idiosyncrasies and anything, in fact, other than what happened to them both when they were young. They will never be as close as they once were, but they are still the best of friends” (329).

Lucy thinks about the case of Michael’s murder, which is still unsolved. By now, the authorities believe his murder was the result of unpaid debts from some of his criminal involvement, but Lucy is still nervous that a detective will come searching for her. Lucy “will never, she suspects, be truly relaxed ever again” (330).

Lucy receives a text message from Libby informing her that the money from the sale of the house has been deposited into their accounts. Lucy loves Libby, and thinks, “Her girl is glorious, a gentle, caring soul, a blend of Stella and Marco in many ways but also so very much her father’s child in the way that she walks her own path and makes her own rules, that she is so entirely and utterly herself” (331). Now that they have sold the mansion, Lucy looks forward to buying a house for herself, Marco, and Stella, and pursuing her own interests, perhaps by trying to play the fiddle professionally. Lucy sends a message to Giuseppe, telling him that she and the children will not be returning to France, but assuring him that they are happy and healthy, and thanking him for his generosity.  

That night, Libby meets Lucy, Henry, Marco, Stella, and Miller Roe at a restaurant to celebrate her birthday. Libby and Lucy became close very quickly, and Libby loves her little siblings. Lucy feels as though she still can’t quite figure out Henry. Henry has been adamant that he didn’t lock Libby and Miller Roe in the bedroom at his apartment a year ago, and that he never put a tracking device on their phones, but Libby isn’t convinced. Libby believes, “He has a vague grasp of the truth and seems to live very slightly on the edges of reality. And how can Libby blame him? After everything he’s been through?” (334).

Libby has also begun dating Miller Roe. When Miller Roe discovered the truth about Libby’s family, he tore up his notebook and said, “I’m not taking your family away from you. You deserve them much more than I deserve a scoop” (335). That night, at Libby’s 26th birthday, Miller Roe gifts her a trip to an African safari. As Libby looks at the brochure, she realizes the tour guide is Phin, now going by the spelling Finn Thomsen. Lucy and Henry also confirm that it is Phin in the brochure picture. Libby and Miller Roe make plans to go on the safari.

The final chapter of the novel is told from Henry’s perspective, at Libby’s 26th birthday party. Henry claims that Phin and Lucy never talked about Libby once they left the house, thinking, “Phin’s not a baby person. He’s not a ‘family guy.’ He lives inside himself. He’s a loner” (338). Henry remembers that he tried giving Phin a love potion, but it only made Phin sicker. Then, Henry continued to give Phin the potion, hoping “to dim his lights so that I could shine a little brighter” (339). When Henry discovered that Phin and Lucy had had sex, Henry went to Phin’s bedroom on their final night in the house with the intention of killing him. Henry kissed Phin while Phin was still tied to the radiator, then untied Phin, wrapped his arms around him, and they fell asleep together. When Henry woke up, Phin and Lucy were gone.

Hearing that Miller Roe has tracked down Phin, and Miller Roe and Libby plan to go see him, Henry asks if he can come along.