The Witch Elm

Toby invites Susanna and Leon to dinner. Feeling confident, he dresses up and has Melissa give him a haircut. He deceives Melissa, exaggerating his regret over his lack of loyalty to Leon when Dominic assaulted him. Toby requests that she subtly ask Leon and Susanna how they remember him as a teenager; in reality, he wants to know if his cousins are willing to frame him for the murder.

At dinner, Hugo announces his plan to bequest Ivy House to all Hennessy family members. He feels he no longer has the mental capacity to choose one recipient. He then goes to bed, and Tom leaves to tend to Zach. Susanna shares details about Zach’s behavioral problems that have worsened since he discovered the skull. Toby notices Leon’s disheveled appearance. Leon admits feeling tired of living in Berlin and considers returning to Dublin, though this would separate him from a job and boyfriend he loves. Toby invites his cousins out for drinks, hoping to interrogate them with Melissa’s help. The group smokes marijuana.

Melissa asks Susanna and Leon what everyone was like as teenagers. Susanna answers all of Melissa’s questions, at times speaking over Leon. She describes her younger self as a “nerd” and jumps to Leon’s defense when he describes himself as a “loser.” Melissa sympathizes with Leon when he comments on being bullied, with Susanna as his only friend. She then asks if Toby was self-absorbed as a teenager, which unsettles him. Susanna confirms Toby’s lack of empathy, but also claims he actively included his cousins in his social life. Toby notices Leon becoming agitated, and Susanna giving Leon a warning glance. He feels confident that his cousins are conspiring against him.

Toby changes the subject, asking his cousins to admit the worst acts they ever committed; drugs and alcohol are affecting his faculties. Susanna says she threatened the obstetrician who hurt her while she pregnant with Zach, and a few days later, the obstetrician died. She believes she caused the doctor to have a heart attack. Leon describes a time in childhood when he bit Toby’s face. Melissa mentions a time when her mother, who struggles with alcoholism, fell down the steps and broke her leg. She ignored her mother’s calls for help, believing her mother would stop drinking if she experienced enough pain.

Toby pushes back on Leon, asking him to share another experience. Leon confesses that he abruptly ended a relationship with a man he loved, breaking his heart and leaving him with no place to live. Toby doesn’t find this story a terrible show of his character. Leon demands that he share his worst act. Toby recalls the Tiernan/Gouger conflict, but Leon minimizes this story, telling Toby it can’t possibly be his worst act. Susanna identifies the differing perspectives of her two cousins: “Leon figures the things he’s done to people he loves are more serious than the things he’s done to total strangers. And you don’t” (336). Toby states he doesn’t hurt the people he loves. Leon challenges Toby’s statement, accusing him of allowing Dominic to torture him; he even considered suicide at the time. He compares Dominic’s bullying to Toby’s attack, as the bullying forever changed him. Leon and Toby fight about Toby’s responsibility, and Susanna, who is sober compared to the rest of the group, supports Toby’s declaration that he would have confronted Dominic had he known the severity of the situation. She then suggests that Toby did see the severity of Dominic’s bullying, as her friend Faye remembers him expressing anger at Dominic during the summer leading up to his death.

Melissa interrupts the cousins’ argument by pretending to be sick, ending the evening. She tells Toby that she wants to leave Ivy House, confirming Toby’s suspicion that Susanna and Leon are framing him for Dominic’s murder. Toby wants to figure out what truly happened to Dominic. Melissa begs him to return to her apartment with her, but he insists they wait until morning, as they are both intoxicated. Melissa goes to their bedroom, and Toby ignores an overwhelming urge to follow her. Instead, he returns to Susanna and Leon.

Toby accuses Leon of planning his home invasion and assault. Susanna intervenes before he can hurt Leon. She asks Toby about his whereabouts on the night Dominic died. She discovered Toby missing from his room after Dominic sent his apology texts and thought Dominic might have hurt him. Toby begins to doubt his memories from adolescence. An owl swoops at Toby and Leon as they argue, scaring them both. Susanna and Leon depart in a taxi. Upon retreating to his and Melissa’s room, Toby realizes Melissa packed and left Ivy House. He considers the possibility that he killed Dominic and repressed the memory.

Hungover, Toby confesses the evening’s events to Hugo. Hugo pacifies him, telling him that he will fix the situation. He then cooks Toby breakfast while sharing his current genealogy work. He uncovered a concealed pregnancy from generations ago, but cannot confirm his suspicions without DNA evidence; he believes a client’s grandmother came from a different family than initially documented. Hugo believes this news could be troubling for his client, considering the implication of a forceful separation of infant and mother.

Toby takes a long shower, feeling better after speaking with Hugo. He considers the evidence stacked against him and believes his physical and mental disabilities will prevent him from escaping murder charges. He hears Rafferty from the shower and rushes to get dressed. Toby approaches Hugo, Rafferty, and Kerr and is shocked to hear Hugo confess to killing Dominic. He tries to prevent the detectives from taking Hugo to the police station, reminding them that Hugo is dying. Hugo scolds Toby, telling him not to fuss. He instructs Toby to resolve his issues with Melissa.

Toby calls Susanna, believing her to be the most capable person to free Hugo. She instructs Toby not to mention Hugo’s confession to Leon, claiming the police investigation causes Leon extreme distress. Toby argues that Leon deserves to know about Hugo’s confession and arrest. Susanna lies that Leon believes Toby is guilty of murdering Dominic. Toby asks if she agrees. She avoids the question but wishes to keep her family out of jail; still, Susanna warns against interfering with Hugo’s plan.

Rafferty calls Toby in the middle of the night, telling him that Hugo collapsed at the police station. Toby rushes to the hospital, where the lights and smells make the place feel “like a weapon expertly crafted to strip you of all humanity” (372)—reminding him of his own hospital stay. Toby’s parents, uncles, and cousins arrive at the hospital, where Hugo lies unconscious. Toby tries to talk to Hugo, who suffered a brain hemorrhage and whose medication caused a heart arrhythmia. Susanna accuses Hugo’s doctor of not providing the best possible care knowing Hugo has a terminal illness. Ultimately, the family decides not to resuscitate Hugo; he passes away while Toby and his father sit beside him. Afterward, Toby and Leon apologize to each other. They both realize Susanna has been pitting them against each other.