Every Last Secret

The narrative flashes back to four months prior to Neena’s being questioned by the detective. Chapter 1 opens on the perspective of Catherine “Cat” Winthorpe. Cat and her husband, William Winthorpe, are hosting a lavish party—a farewell to the families in their neighborhood who will disperse for the summer before returning in the fall. The Winthorpes live in Atherton, a wealthy area of Palo Alto, and are extremely rich. They belong to the country club, have a large house, and a team of staff, including butlers.

William introduces Cat to Neena and Matt Ryder. William recently hired Neena at his company, Winthorpe Technologies, to help with employee morale. Neena reveals that the Ryders are moving into the run-down house next door. Cat is rude to Neena, and William encourages Cat to be nicer to her going forward; he teases Cat, “Pull out that prom-queen smile. […] Only no poison this time” (16). William is referring to a rumor from Cat’s high school days, that she beat the competition for prom queen after she spiked her “prom-queen competitors’ drinks with laxatives” (16). Cat had laughed it off as a joke; she now reveals (via internal monologue to the reader), “Dana had paid for her loose lips with an accidental electrical fire in her she shed, followed by a well-timed Great to see you again, hope all is well note on embossed Winthorpe stationery” (17).

The chapter ends with Cat and William kissing. Cat thinks to herself, “There were men you owned. There were men you borrowed. And there were men you took. I would never let anyone take him from me” (17).

Neena and Matt have just returned home from the Winthorpes’ party. After her first meeting with Cat, Neena dislikes her immediately, thinking, “There were four- and five-letter words for women like Cat Winthorpe” (18). In her mind, Neena criticizes Cat’s appearance, comparing Cat’s small breasts to her own “generous D cups,” the result of plastic surgery (19). Matt asks Neena if they can have sex, and she complies. All the while, she thinks of other men. First, she thinks of her former boss, Ned Plymouth, with whom she had an affair. Then, she thinks of William. Neena is unhappy with Matt and the lifestyle he can afford her: “My needs had increased, and I was starting to become desperate for the life I didn’t have” (20).

It’s eight days after the party when Cat and Neena first met. Cat watches as Matt and Neena move into the house next door. The previous neighbors left in the middle of the night, during an Internal Revenue Service investigation of tax evasion. After the neighbors left, Cat snooped around their house and discovered stacks of cash and cocaine hidden inside; she also stole a copy of their house keys.

Neena and Matt are settling into their new home when a thunderstorm causes a power outage. The Ryders go next door to the Winthorpes, who have a backup generator. They end up spending the evening with the Winthorpes, getting to know one another. When the Ryders return home, Neena tells Matt, “There’s something off about Cat” (35). Internally, Neena compares herself to Cat; she notes that Cat is younger, “but my body was better than hers” (35). Neena sees moving into this neighborhood as a move up the social ladder for her and Matt, and she considers the ways knowing Cat and William will benefit her socially. She can’t help but compare her house, a foreclosure, to the Winthorpes’ “showcase mansion” (36), Neena decides she will eventually upgrade Matt as well.

Cat goes to the country club to meet her friend Kelly before Kelly departs for the summer. Kelly asks if Cat is concerned about Neena and William working together, pointing out that Cat and William started as a workplace romance. Cat dismisses Kelly’s concerns. Cat thinks about the hard work she’s put into building a life with William since then: “That was the secret to success in this town. Presenting a picture of effortless perfection with behind-the-scenes ruthless hard work. Everyone thought I woke up as Cat Winthorpe one day, but I had clawed and scraped for every piece of this life. Still did” (39).

William approaches Neena at work. He’s angry because a Winthorpe Technologies employee, Marilyn, has put in her two weeks’ notice. The company is waiting to get approval from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a product, and Marilyn’s leaving now would jeopardize the approval. William tells Neena she has two weeks to change Marilyn’s mind. Neena reflects, “The real William Winthorpe was an asshole, and I was fascinated by him” (43).

Cat and William have dinner with Neena and Matt. Neena tells Cat that she’d love to be a part of the charity wine auction board. Cat has to hold back laughter at Neena’s dream, thinking, “It was the most prestigious event in town. I’d spent the last decade building the relationships and climbing the complicated maze of social ladders required to lead that board” (46-47). Despite her reservations, Cat assures Neena that she’ll put in a good word for her when the applications open. When the Ryders talk about their new home, Cat wonders if they’ve changed the locks, or if the key she stole after the previous neighbors moved out still works.

Neena meets with Marilyn, the Winthorpe Technologies employee who wants to quit. Neena’s job (and proximity to William) depends on convincing Marilyn to stay. Neena at first tries to convince Marilyn to stay with promises of money. When that doesn’t work, Neena blackmails Marilyn into staying, telling her simply, “I know about Jeff” (51). Jeff is Marilyn’s fifth child, whom she told her husband and other four children had died at birth. When Marilyn says that Jeff is dead, Neena retorts that he isn’t—she visited him the previous day in the “convalescent home” he has lived in all 13 years of his life. Marilyn’s personal life will be ruined if this secret gets out, so she agrees to rescind her resignation. Neena’s job is safe.

Cat meets with her friend Kelly. Kelly again suggests that Cat should keep an eye on William and Neena. Despite Cat’s protests, Kelly gives her the card of a private investigator and advises her to find out more about Neena. Despite her doubts, Cat takes the card.

Neena reflects on the multiple affairs she’s had, including one with Matt’s brother. Her most recent affair was with her former boss, Ned Plymouth, and she blackmailed him for “a million-dollar payday” (60). William is Neena’s new mark. She orchestrates a run-in with him at work and flirts, flattering him as she tells him he makes her nervous because he’s powerful. Although their exchange is innocuous on its surface, Neena is already convinced that her trap is working as she thinks about what type of future she might have with William and what luxuries his wealth would afford her.

Neena attends a party in Atherton. There, she compares herself to the other wives in the community and thinks she deserves the privileges of wealth more than they do. She remains intent on seducing William and has considered the best strategies to lure him in. Based on his personality, she realizes she can’t come on too strong because “He’d want a conquest” (70). Neena sees Cat as pretty but bland and concludes she can get William from Cat.

Part II flashes back to the present. The detective is still interviewing Neena and asks about her job before Winthorpe Technologies. She asks specifically about Neena’s work for Ned Plymouth, telling her “Ned says you were fired. […] Ned, in fact, had a lot to say about you” (74). Neena doesn’t reply.