Then She Was Gone

While Poppy wraps gifts upstairs, Laurel and Floyd have a drink and exchange gifts. Floyd gives Laurel an envelope, then says he has to get her other gift out of his car. Inside the envelope is a letter telling Laurel he is thankful for the time they had together, but that he has something of hers. He directs her to the study, where he left a video message waiting on his computer. 

In the video message, Floyd explains that he saw the Crimewatch reenactment of Ellie’s disappearance earlier that year, and immediately noticed the similarities between Ellie and Poppy. He also saw that the reenactment took place just down the street from Noelle’s house, and put the pieces together. Noelle told him once that she was not Poppy’s mother, but that a girl named Ellie had the baby for her. He remembered Noelle’s strange basement with three locks on the door and immediately knew that Noelle kidnapped Ellie, and Poppy was Ellie’s daughter.

Floyd talks about the way he’s never been able to fit in, even as a child. Because his family moved around so much, he never had true friends, or ever really loved anyone until he had Poppy. He isn’t even sure if “love” is how he feels about Poppy, since he has “nothing to compare it to” (334). Floyd knew that if he went to the police, he would lose Poppy, and he was not ready for that. He came to Ellie’s funeral and saw Laurel, just as he’d seen her in the TV interview, still haunted by the loss of Ellie.

Floyd became somewhat obsessed with Laurel. He studied pictures of her and Paul, and then replicated Paul’s clothing style as his own. He had a DNA test done that proved he was not Poppy’s father. He sought out Laurel’s company, hoping she would have a chance to get to know Poppy, and was surprised when she took an interest in him. Although he knows he took advantage of her attraction, he really did care for her. Now, Floyd wants Poppy to become part of the Mack family. He confesses that he killed Noelle the day she told him about Poppy. He didn’t mean to, but he was so angry to learn that Poppy wasn’t his, that he lashed out at her. Noelle is buried under a flowerbed in his garden. He asks for Laurel’s forgiveness and tells her to move forward, “with Poppy by your side” (340). 

When the video ends, Laurel explodes in tears of grief for her lost daughter. Poppy enters the study and tells Laurel that Floyd explained to her last night that he isn’t her real father. She knows that Laurel’s daughter was her real mother. Poppy starts crying, and Laurel takes her in her arms and feels a wave of love for Poppy wash over her.

Floyd distances himself from London and debates between attempting suicide and leaving the country. He feels “clean and pure” for doing the right thing, and for freeing himself and Poppy from the mess Noelle made (346). On the other hand, he thinks of how the newspapers will always link him with Noelle, and he doesn’t want to live to see that. He reaches for his gun and takes his own life. 

Eight months later, Hanna and Theo get married. Even though Poppy misses Floyd, she has adjusted to her new life with Laurel and calls her “Mama” (350). At the wedding, Laurel looks around at the many family members and friends surrounding her, but she misses the people who aren’t there: her mother, who passed away shortly after meeting Poppy, and Ellie. Laurel has a restored relationship with Hanna, and her life is good. Despite the trauma of finding out the truth about Ellie’s disappearance and losing Floyd, she is thankful to be a mother to Poppy and to have her family.

A woman finds a note inside of a book she bought at the Red Cross shop near Noelle’s house, and she brings it to the police. It’s a note written by Ellie, in which she explains her situation as a captive in Noelle’s basement. She wants her daughter and her family to know that she loves them. She doesn’t want her family to feel bad about her, because, “I am brave and I am brilliant and I am strong.” (356).