Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Finn arrives at the Panera Bread near the Metro station, too late to make the original brunch reservation. She forgot to tell Sylvia, her agent, that she was banned from the establishment after pouring soup over Theresa’s head in there, when Theresa revealed to Finn that she was sleeping with Steven.

To avoid being identified, Finn slips on sunglasses and her silk wig-scarf with blonde hair cascading down. This is what she is wearing in her author photograph in all her books, which makes her seem like a “romance novelist who wanted to preserve her secret identity from hordes of rabid fans” (12).

After ordering, Sylvia and Finn make their way to a table in the back, next to which a middle-aged woman is eating alone. They discuss Finn’s current project, Sylvia pointing out how the advance has already been paid and they are close to deadline. Finn complains that her last few murders have been “too formulaic;” she needs more time to research how to go about her current one. She also asserts that her next deal needs to boost her career, and she won’t take less than fifteen thousand, this time. Finn catches the woman at the next table staring at her.

After Sylvia leaves and Finn steps away to clear their trays, she returns to find the neighboring table empty and a note on hers, which reads, “$50,000 CASH HARRIS MICKLER 49 NORTH LIVINGSTON ST ARLINGTON” (17), along with a phone number. Wondering about the note, Finn heads out to the car and when searching for her keys, discovers the duct tape, the blunt knife, and the blood-stained burp rag in her open diaper bag.

Curious, Finn calls the number from the car; a woman answers, asking Finn to kill her husband. He is not a nice man and has done terrible things to many people. Finn realizes the woman spotted the contents of Finn’s bag, overheard the conversation with Sylvia, and assumed that Finn is a contract killer. The woman tells Finn her husband will be at a bar called The Lush for a networking event that night, before hanging up.

Shocked as she is, Finn considers the woman’s offer. She gets home to find the garage door closed and the electricity back on. Remembering the sum quoted on the note, Finn wonders what kind of man Harris is.

Just as Finn is about to look up Harris on her computer, Steven calls. She thanks him for handling the electricity, but Steven reveals Theresa is the one who took care of it, after she and Amy closed Finn’s garage door on their way to lunch. Upon questioning, Steven explains that Amy is Theresa’s best friend, who occasionally babysits the kids when Steven has them on weekends. Steven presently needs Finn to pick Zach up within the hour, as he has a client coming over, and a frustrated Finn agrees.

Finn picks up Delia from school and arrives at Steven’s sod farm, where he is with Zach. He bought the 300-acre farm after their divorce, and currently makes a small fortune off it. Bree, the young receptionist in the sales office, directs Finn to the patch where Steven is, and Finn is certain from the interaction that Steven is sleeping with Bree.

Steven quickly rushes Zach into Finn’s arms, hurrying them along before the clients arrive. He gives Finn the key to his house so she can pick up Zach’s pacifier and blanket as well but instructs Finn not to tell Theresa she was at the house. Before they leave, Finn strong-arms Steven into giving her money for gas, as she is running low.

Finn lets herself into the house and finds the pacifier and blanket, while Delia immediately disappears into her room. Finn uses Theresa’s laptop to look up Harris Mickler. She finds a social networking group he belongs to, with pictures of himself and his wife, who is named Patricia. She is an investment banker, who donates to several charities, and volunteers at various shelters. As Finn looks through pictures of her, she spots that Patricia is wearing different bandages in several of them—a wrist brace, a finger splint, and so on. Finn remembers Patricia’s assertion that Harris is not a nice man.

Finn clears the search history and peeks in Steven and Theresa’s bedroom, surprised to find it a mess. It occurs to her that their life behind closed doors might not be all that it seems on the surface. She looks through Theresa’s clothes, and before she can second-guess herself, takes one of the many black dresses with her.

Back home, Finn calls Vero once more asking her if she can babysit that night, but there is no response. Desperate, she calls her older sister, Georgia. Georgia, who is a cop, initially defers; she has plans to meet friends from the Organized Crime and Narcotics (OCN) department, to commiserate over how a local arm of the Russian mafia has won another case in court that morning. Eventually, however, she acquiesces to Finn’s begging, agreeing to keep the kids until 10pm that night.

Finn arrives at The Lush dressed in Theresa’s black dress, sunglasses, and her wig-scarf. She orders a drink and asks the attractive bartender where the “corporate types” hang out, and he points out the different groups, mentioning some of them reserve booths in the back. The bartender flirts with Finn, introducing himself as Julian Baker, a third-year criminal law student. Finn tells him her name is Theresa, and she works in real estate. Julian asks Finn to join him for a bite after his shift ends, and though tempted, Finn declines.

Finn heads to the back, trying to investigate the booths as she passes them. Harris exits one to take a call, and a woman slides out behind him, heading to the bathroom. Finn follows her just as Harris orders two glasses of champagne. In the washroom, Finn overhears the woman talking to her husband on the phone and deduces she and Harris are both cheating on their respective spouses.

As Finn walks past the booth, she sees Harris slip something into the woman’s glass. Finn heads back to the bar and orders a bloody mary from Julian; she takes it to the bathroom and pretends to stumble, spilling it on Harris’s companion’s dress. Apologizing profusely, Finn steps out on the pretext of bringing back some club soda to help the irate woman clean up. Instead, she slips into Harris’s booth, pretending to recognize him from an old party. As she hugs Harris, she reaches behind him and switches the champagne flutes.

As Finn sips from the switched glass, she asks Harris if she can join him, stating that she saw the woman he was waiting for leaving after arguing with her husband in the bathroom. Harris downs his glass, and Finn quickly suggests they head somewhere more private. Harris tries to divine where he knows Finn from, asking if she works for Feliks, and she quickly agrees, which makes Harris uncomfortable.

Finn drags Harris out to the parking lot and settles him on the floor of her minivan just as he passes out. She closes the door hoping no one has seen them, as she hears dogs barking somewhere close by. Suddenly, Julian approaches her to check if she is okay and to give her his number. Finn tells him she has two children, but he remains unfazed.

Finn calls Patricia to tell her this has been a misunderstanding and she is bringing Harris home, but Patricia objects, asking Finn to check the photos on Harris’s phone, using “milkman” as the password. Finn finds a collection of folders titled with different women’s names: “SARAH, LORNA, JENNIFER, AIMEE, MARA, JEANETTE . . .” (60). There are pictures of each of the women in compromising positions, clearly drugged and unconscious, while Harris performs sexual acts on them. The last photo in each folder contains a message, blackmailing the women to do as Harris says, lest he tell their husbands. Finn decides she will not take Harris back to Patricia’s home.

When Finn gets home it is almost 10pm, and she still has no idea what to do. Her neighbor Mrs. Haggerty’s windows appear drawn shut, and Finn is grateful, as the old woman is a member of the neighborhood watch.

Finn opens the automated garage door and parks the van, before heading in to call Georgia from the house phone. Pretending she is researching her next book, she asks for advice, and Georgia says that if Finn’s “heroine” has evidence that the drugged man performed crimes, she should turn him over to the authorities. The prosecutor might strike a deal with Finn’s “heroine,” and she wouldn’t get into trouble. Finn decides to take Harris to Georgia’s and washes up and changes her clothes before leaving.

When Finn steps into the garage through the kitchen door, the fumes from her running minivan hit her. She manually opens the garage door and switches the ignition off, berating herself for closing it. Suddenly, she remembers Harris is still in the van, but when she rushes to check on him, discovers that he is dead.

Even as Finn desperately tries to revive Harris, she discovers Vero in the kitchen doorway, who has come to collect her things while Finn was out. Vero also spots the dead Harris and rushes to leave, claiming she hasn’t seen or heard anything. She refuses Finn’s offer to explain, calling both her and Steven crazy; Vero reveals she is the one who quit, because Steven refused to pay her unless she slept with him.

Shocked and on the verge of tears, Finn rants out loud to herself about her situation, and how she only considered Patricia’s offer because of the money. Hearing this, Vero doubles back, and Finn explains everything.

Finn calls Patricia to tell her what happened, but Patricia tells her that she and her children will be in danger if she turns herself in, because Harris was involved with some very dangerous people. Finn needs to get rid of Harris that night, and she shouldn’t contact Patricia again until it’s done. Having overheard the conversation, Vero offers to help Finn dispose of Harris’s body for a 40% cut; she also decides to move in with Finn.