Summary

Chapter 49 is a description of Ellie’s delirious state of mind from starvation, shortly followed by her death. She was lying in bed, envisioning her loved ones engaged in everyday activities, after which she saw herself floating above the confines of her room.

When Noelle had decided that she needs to sell her house, she beame aware of her need to dispose of Ellie’s body. Since everyone is convinced that Ellie was a runaway, Noelle decided to stage the burglary at her parents’ house.

Noelle then describes having taken Ellie’s remains and leaving some of them in the ditch on a back road in order to stage a hit and run and then leaving the rest of them at a municipal dump. She wanted it to be discovered, but nobody found the body.

Noelle has been having trouble with Poppy as...