53 pages • 1 hour read
Catherine SteadmanSomething in the Water
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 30-33Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 30 Summary: “Interview Three”
At Eddie’s interview, the prison guards leave Erin alone in the room with Eddie. Erin freaks out a little until she realizes the only reason Eddie would agree to tell his story to her would be if there was “something in this meeting for him” (244).
The interview feels like a good-hearted game until Erin asks what he’ll do when he gets out. In a blink, Eddie goes from charming pseudo-criminal to serious. He has Erin turn off the camera, and he asks if Erin will talk to his estranged daughter and get her to give him another chance. Erin agrees and asks Eddie if he can help sell the diamonds. He can, and Erin makes arrangements. She also confirms the strange voicemail messages aren’t from him. When she tells Mark, he doesn’t get mad like she expects, but he is concerned about the risks Erin’s taking. Erin tries to argue she’s taking those risks for them but can’t because she “can’t tell anymore why I’m doing any of this” (255).
Chapter 31 Summary: “Lottie”
Erin meets with Eddie’s daughter, Charlotte (Lottie) McInroy, to talk about him and record an interview. Erin plays a message Eddie recorded for Lottie and asks if she’ll let Eddie back in her life. Lottie responds with a resounding no. Much as she loves him, he’s a dangerous criminal, and she needs to protect her family. Erin finishes up the interview and leaves. She did everything she could and hopes “that’s enough for Eddie” (263).
Chapter 32 Summary: “A Man at the Door”
When Erin gets home, the phone is ringing. It’s Eddie’s contact about the diamonds. Erin arranges for him to come by in about 10 minutes to retrieve them. Erin runs upstairs to get them but stops, fearing that this man “isn’t connected with Eddie at all” (265). However, the man who shows up works for Eddie. He asks how the meeting with Lottie went. Erin says she doesn’t “think it’s going to work out” (269). When she explains, the man doesn’t seem concerned. He takes the diamonds and leaves.
Chapter 33 Summary: “Loose Ends”
The money from the diamonds hits Erin’s account the next day—two million. Eddie sends a huge bouquet of flowers to thank Erin for talking to Lottie. Mark worries the police might find the flowers strange if they’re watching Erin’s movements, but Erin feels “Eddie’s presence is protecting us from a lot of things right now” (271). All that’s left is the phone and USB, which are still under the attic floorboards. They decide to take them to Norfolk and dump them. Erin wants to go right now, but Mark must go on a business trip. They’ll go the following weekend.
After Mark leaves, Erin goes up to the attic to check on the phone and USB. She remembers the text messages in Bora Bora and suddenly worries the plane people are still looking for her and Mark. She takes the phone and leaves to “turn it on again” (275) and figure out what exactly she’s dealing with. Erin listens to a voicemail from a man who knows someone found the bag. He offers two million Euros in exchange for the USB. The message is marked old, which means Mark “has already listened to this voicemail” (278) and is keeping secrets. Erin rushes home to look at the drive, wondering what on Earth could be worth so much money.
Chapters 30-33 Analysis
Erin’s involvement in Eddie’s life and family foreshadow how Eddie and Lottie become like family after Mark’s death. The similarities between Eddie and Erin become clear in Chapters 30-31. Eddie is a mentor for Erin. He and Erin occupy opposite ends of the criminal continuum. Erin is new to crime and makes mistakes that she then needs to cover up. Eddie had many years of success in the East London gang circuit, only succumbing to a lack of care with his finances. Eddie’s past shows what Erin’s future could become if she doesn’t break the cycle. Even in prison, Eddie maintains contact with his sources, showing how the lifestyle never leaves him alone.
Lottie’s refusal to take Eddie back foreshadows her change of heart in later chapters. Lottie and Eddie’s situation mirrors Erin’s and Mark’s. Lottie initially doesn’t want her father around because he’s dangerous but relents when she sees what strides he takes to keep her safe. By contrast, Erin wants to spend the rest of her life with Mark until she learns about the steps he takes to leave her behind. Like Alexa, Lottie and Eddie represent the new life Erin moves toward. Erin and Eddie’s criminal pasts bring them together at the novel’s end.
Erin’s character growth backslides and then shoots forward in Chapter 33 when she learns that Mark has secretly been using the phone from the bag. Initially, she can’t believe Mark lied, but she quickly rationalizes his behavior. She convinces herself he kept secrets to protect her and that he lied because he loves her. Shortly after, she gets angry. Her rationalizations don’t excuse Mark’s behavior, and she confronts him about what he’s done. He lies with his usual ease, but Erin is less quick to believe. She’s consciously aware something is wrong between her and Mark now; though, she still has no idea what.
