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Summary
Chapters 19-20
Chapter 19: Present Day
Evie and Ryan arrive in Oxford, Mississippi, where she tells him she needs an hour alone. She heads to a picturesque house with a garden—exactly like the one she envisions for herself. The house belongs to Mitch Cameron, the former coach she forced out of his job in Florida. Introducing herself as Wendy Wallace, Evie tells Mitch that she’s the one who orchestrated his exit and now she needs money. Mitch, however, remains unfazed and calmly tells her she’s made a mistake. Frustrated, she causes a scene, accusing him of being ungrateful.
In reality, Evie’s confrontation is part of a larger plan. She has planted a device to monitor Mitch’s phone, anticipating that he would contact Mr. Smith. She and Devon have been trying to uncover Mr. Smith’s identity, location, and communication channels, but so far, they've found nothing. As hoped, Mitch reaches out to Mr. Smith, revealing that clients contact him through a fan forum for the band King Harvest. Mitch complains that he paid too much for Mr. Smith’s services only to have someone show up at his door. Mr. Smith assures Mitch that he will take care of Evie.
Back in the car, Ryan surprises Evie by bringing her food that perfectly matches her preferences, a gesture that touches her. Feeling vulnerable, Ryan confesses his involvement in illegal business dealings, hoping she will open up in return. Evie promises to reveal everything after Friday, once her police deadline has passed. That night, after being intimate with Ryan, she tests his loyalty by asking, “What if I did have something to do with Amy Holder’s death?” Ryan reassures her, saying it’s not an answer he needs to know.
Alias: Helen White—Four Years Ago
Evie travels to Fort Worth, Texas, for a job: stealing an ugly, expensive painting from the home of oil tycoon Ralph Tate, who refuses to sell it. Mr. Smith frames the task as a test, pitting multiple operatives against each other, with a large bonus promised to whoever succeeds. Evie suspects there is no actual client—this job is purely about identifying the most capable operative.
She meets with Devon in Texas to devise a plan for bypassing Tate’s advanced security system. The system is incredibly intricate and controls access to a trophy room, requiring Devon’s physical presence to disable it. To get into Tate’s Fourth of July party, Evie flirts with Tate’s son, a spoiled trust fund baby and lead singer of a band, using him to gain access to the party. She dresses ostentatiously in jean shorts, an American flag bikini top, and temporary tattoos, hiding in plain sight among the partygoers.
Inside, Evie and Devon quickly realize the trophy room is a decoy meant to trigger alarms. Evie finds the real painting cleverly hidden in a cabinet in the laundry room. They retrieve the painting successfully, outmaneuvering both the security system and the other operatives.
Mr. Smith congratulates Evie, revealing that it was a real job, even if the purpose of the job isn’t always clear. The test was about identifying who could recognize that the most obvious solution wasn’t the right one. George delivers her bonus and reminds her that the bigger the job, the more closely she’ll be watched.
Chapter 20
Evie reflects on how she had Devon identify the other operatives attempting to steal the painting and wonders if they could form a network or alliance in the future. She remembers that the one person she did manage to speak to changed everything for her and made her want a different life.
She visits Andrew Marshall to catch up, and he reassures her that his offer to help still stands, giving her his personal cell number.
Later, George tracks her down, warning that Mr. Smith is about to release more incriminating images, making it even harder for her to escape trouble. He urges her to comply with Mr. Smith’s instructions, admitting he doesn’t know what Mr. Smith might ask him to do if she resists. George also mentions spotting Devon, but when Evie confronts Devon, he reveals it was intentional—he wanted to be seen.
Evie confides that she knew Mr. Smith would be listening to her conversation with Andrew and would assume Andrew was helping her because she withheld information. Now, she and Devon are preparing to go on the offensive, with their focus on Victor Connolly—the client upset over the Amy Holder situation. Devon has also hacked into Mr. Smith’s system through the fan site and his username, uncovering the new evidence Mr. Smith plans to use against Evie: a video.
Analysis
Evie’s mission to steal the painting from Ralph Tate highlights the hollow nature of her work. The painting, though expensive, is described as ugly, symbolizing how even successful outcomes in Evie’s world can be hollow. The mission itself—bypassing a labyrinthine security system, only to retrieve something ultimately worthless—reflects the futility and absurdity of the tasks she undertakes. The intricacies of Tate’s security system, filled with decoys and complex traps, mirror the arbitrary rules Mr. Smith creates to control his operatives. Evie succeeds not because she plays by these rules but because she recognizes their pointlessness and understands that the obvious path is rarely the correct one.
This mission also reinforces the theme of appearance as reality. Evie’s disguise at the Fourth of July party—dressing in jean shorts, an American flag bikini top, and temporary tattoos—allows her to hide in plain sight among people who judge class and worth based on appearance. The trust fund baby she flirts with objectifies her, seeing her as just another party girl. However, Evie subverts his expectations by using him, not the other way around. This encounter highlights the fragility of perception: those around her accept her at face value, allowing her to manipulate their assumptions and move undetected.
Mr. Smith’s comment that the most obvious solution is not always the right one resonates with Evie, shaping how she approaches challenges moving forward. She begins to internalize this philosophy, using it not just to survive but to outmaneuver Mr. Smith. This chapter marks a turning point for Evie—no longer content to play defense, she shifts to an offensive strategy. Instead of reacting to Mr. Smith’s moves, Evie and Devon begin actively targeting him and his clients. This evolution signals her growing agency: she’s not just navigating the traps set for her—she’s preparing to dismantle the system entirely.
By the end of these chapters, Evie’s shift in strategy reflects her understanding that her survival depends on reclaiming control, not just over her actions but over the narrative Mr. Smith has constructed for her. Her ability to recognize that even the most complex security system can be circumvented—because it’s all a game—shows that Evie is no longer trapped by Mr. Smith’s web of manipulation. Instead, she’s preparing to turn the same tactics against him, signaling a significant escalation in her fight for freedom.
