Fleishman Is in Trouble

Toby finds Sam Rothberg’s account on Facebook. He sifts through some dated content and a post referencing a restaurant near Kripalu, the retreat where Rachel is. He infers that Rachel is seeing Sam, who is described as “everything Rachel wished Toby were: ambitious, successful, tall, at home among the wealthy” (198)—although Sam is also described as superficial. Toby walks to Rachel’s home and enters it with an old key. He evaluates the contents of the refrigerator and finds six takeout containers of beef lo mein, a food he knows Rachel doesn’t like. In the master bathroom, he finds a bottle of Ambien with a prescription written for Sam Rothberg. Back in the kitchen he finds six boxes of specialty teas, another product Rachel usually doesn’t like. He calls Rachel’s office from her home phone and tells Simone that he knows “everything.” He also tells Simone that Rachel should leave him and their children alone.

Toby receives a text saying that Karen Cooper’s liver transplant is ready. At the hospital, he finds Phillipa London, an important senior doctor, attending Karen Cooper and waiting for Toby to arrive. He wonders whether Phillipa’s presence is a subtle critique of his absence from the hospital the past few days.