As Good As Dead

Pip immediately creates a spreadsheet marking the date of the first harassing messages and the escalating attacks ever since. They began in April and have been increasing in frequency up until the present day in August.

During her next run, Pip finds a crumpled piece of duct tape stuck to her shoe. As she resumes her run, she sees Max Hastings jogging on the other side of the street. Pip has a brief, vivid fantasy of attacking Max. She pictures herself breaking his nose and shoving him in front of an oncoming truck. By the time she snaps out of her vision, Max has already moved down the street. Still lost in thought, Pip approaches her house and finds a chalk message on the sidewalk: “DEAD GIRL WALKING” (66). She takes a photo of the message before going inside. When Ravi arrives, she shows him the message and the other evidence. He convinces her to report the harassment to the police.

Pip loathes local law enforcement because they impeded her in two previous cases. She especially dislikes Detective Hawkins but goes to see him anyway. After being presented with all her evidence, Hawkins doesn’t seem overly concerned.