Readers Guide for Dissection of a Murder

Witness X

Rule 1: Don’t get caught

I was almost free of her and now I need her help.

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Leila recalls that she and Julian first got together five years after her pupillage period ended. Now Julian tells her the quote praising her was a favor from his Oxford classmate.

They discuss Jack’s rough childhood and Leila tells Julian that his case depends on explaining what the victim was doing at Jack’s flat inside the club.

Someone sends Julian a a bottle of champagne anonymously, which clearly rattles him.

Later, Leila meets with Jack and asks him where his mobile phone was on the night of the murder. He says it went missing at work. Jack intends to plead not guilty. He won’t say much.

Leila goes to Anton Smythe’s memorial service. She meets Kieran, a former pupil of Anton. Keiran’s wife Sierra is Julian’s ex and the two men don’t get along. Julian is convinced that Kieran and Sienna had an affair, as Sierra left Julian for him.

Leila is guest lecturing at a school and someone in the audience asks her a question about using sexual favors to get ahead at work. There’s a hooded person by her car.

Leila has drinks with Chester, who dislikes Julian. He puts his hand on Leila’s leg and tells her thinks Demi is cheating.

Witness X

Rule 2: be someone’s addiction 

Witness X talks about her first boyfriend, Declan. She broke his heart. She’s now a woman having an affair. If her husband finds out he will kill her

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Leila reflects that her solicitor on this case, Davina, will cross ethical lines to defend a client. Jack chose the two of them because he doesn’t want to say anything. The last time Leila defended him in court ,he told his story, got convicted, and made himself seem like a snitch. Davina asks to see a Jack alone and Leila refuses. 

They discuss the manner of death: Anton was hit in the head with a kettlebell that Jack used as a doorstop.

Leila five years ago

Leila gets assigned to defend Jack, accused of assaulting a patron who was sexually harassing a hostess at the club. The man he assaulted was Eddie’s rival.

Witness X

Rule 3: Knowledge is power

Find weaknesses in people and exploit them.

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Leila gets another message from her stalker, whom she assumes saw her with Chester. She visits her mother-in-law who is a bit senile, but tells Leila she knows her “dirty secret.” e

Julian is annoyed that Leila and Jack declined to prepare a defense statement. She sees someone peeking in their window and then driving off in a red Mini Cooper.

Witness X

Rule 4: Let People Underestimate You

Witness X talks about being there when Anton died.

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Jack refuses to let Leila submit a defense statement even though that would require the prosecution to turn over their evidence. He tells Leila, “the answers are there. Look at what was happening elsewhere. And don’t trust anyone.”

Jack Five Years Ago

In his prior trial, Jack is sentenced to four years. His witness didn’t show up. Leila tells Jack their mistake was offering a defense statement. 

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Leila goes to the autumn law fair and runs into Sienna, who tells Leila she is there for her if she needs anything. Daniella shows up, again insisting that Jack is innocent. She warns Leila not to trust Sienna.

Witness X

Rule 5: Be a Good Liar

Her dad taught her to lie. She hates Leila.

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Davina and Leila get Jack’s phone records which show over 1000 texts to and from a burner phone. Strangely, Jack’s phone was also at or near Anton’s house shortly after his murder AND when Jack was already in custody. They also learn that Anton sent Jack to prison in 2014 on a drugs charge.

Leila runs into Demi who makes a catty remark about a birthday card she sent Chester with a Latin quote. Could Demi be the heckler? Leila asks Julian who Chester had an affair with but he doesn’t know. She gets another message from the heckler who knows about Jack’s phone being at Anton’s.

 Leila and Julian discuss Jack’s phone. He says there is no forensic evidence at the scene connected to anyone but Jack.

Late that night she overhears Julian talking on the phone to the person who sent the wine. He says no one can find out or they are finished.

She and Julian get access to the murder scene. Jack’s flat is above the club, not that easy to find. Leila tells Davina that if there was a struggle in the kitchen ,how did Jack get the barbell without Anton running away? There was someone else there when Anton died.

Witness X

Rule 6: Never Lose your Cool

Before Anton died she was the happiest she’s ever been.

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Laila looks at the crime scene photos again. The barbell was back against the bedroom door used as a doorstop. She tells Julian that a woman could have killed Anton.

Later, Leila sends Julia to the store and sneaks into his office. She takes photos of Anton’s phone records. He texted someone the words “nobody knows.” 

Leila and Davina call a number that Anton texted: “this will be sorted by tonight.” It’s Anton’s son Quinn. 

The texts suggest Anton met Quinn at a bar, so they go there and ask for CCTV footage. The bartender says a man came in, talked to Quinn and freaked him out. It was Jack.

Why was Jack meeting with Quinn a week before Anton’s murder? Davina and Leila go see Jack who suggests Leila read her notes from his last case.

They learn that Temptation has one camera! They go there and ask for footage. It’s Jack telling Quinn he needs to do something by the end of the day. 

Witness X

Rule 7: Beware the Talented Student

She has one female frenemy she met at school and one day that person is coming for her.

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Leila asks Julian for any statement Quinn gave. And her stalker is back.

Julian says that they have CCTV footage of Jack on the day of the murder. He sends Quinn’s statement which says Jack was harassing him and that Anton went to the club on the day of his murder to tell Jack to leave Quinn alone.

Leila watches the footage: Jack went to Daniella’s hair salon around 1 pm the day of the murder.

Leila goes to visit Audrey and Sienna is there. Audrey says you can’t trust Julian.

Witness X

Rule 8: Be Patient

When seeking revenge, be patient. It worked for her one morning. But being happy is a better revenge.

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Leila and Julian have a huge argument on Christmas Eve. Chester tells the chambers he’s having a baby with Demi which Lelia finds VERY interesting.

Leila goes to visit Audrey and someone else has been there. She gets a threatening IG message that makes her realize she’s being tracked. She finds a GPS tracker on her car.

Witness X

Rule 9: Don’t Stand Out

Leila Reynolds stole her personality and Single White Female’d her.

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Leila goes to Chester’s, where she learns that Demi drives a red Mini. Laila tells Chester someone has been stalking her. She’s able to convince Demi to hand over her phone and looks at her WhatsApp. She reads Demi’s text to the father of her baby. The last text says “I’ll do it myself if I have to.”

Witness X

Leila arrived at Innocence on Friday night. She had an affair with Jack and fell in love with him. Leila knew Anton’s secret. When he showed up, he didn’t expect to see her there. No one can know the truth.

Part 2

Leila changes the locks on Audrey‘s house.

Julian makes his opening statement, then calls his first witness a police officer

In cross-examination, Leila asks about bruises on the right side of Jack Millman‘s face. She also asks if Anton was left-handed, and points out that Jack’s T-shirt is inside out. DCI Brady said he smelled women’s perfume in the bedroom. Leila points out that there are glasses in Jack’s apartment with two different shades of women’s lipstick.

The next CPS witness is the pathologist, Dr. Parker. He says the blow to Anton’s head was delivered from the side or behind. Leila get him to point out that the victim also had bruising on his right cheek and grazing on the knuckles of his left hand. 

Witness X

She misses their time together. She loves Jack. They made some kind of sex video?

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A cellular phone expert testifies that Jack texted over 1000 times with one number. And that his phone was switched off around 6:47 PM and then turned back on at 11:27 PM in the village of Durham.

Anton’s last text was about meeting his son for a drink and then texted “You don’t need to worry about it.”

The next witness is Quinn. He testifies that his father came to see him at the Diamond Lounge at 6 PM. Quinn claims Jack had been bothering him because Anton sent Jack to prison. He thinks his father went to Jack’s flat to tell Jack to stop. Unfortunately, Layla is unable to introduce any of the CCTV footage that she has to prove that Quinn is lying.

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Jack testifies and says he didn’t kill Anton.

Witness X

Witness X was sleeping with Jack the night of the murder. They were recording themselves in the act when Anton showed up. Jack grabbed his shirt and pulled it on inside out.

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In his testimony, Jack says he was having an affair with a married woman in an abusive marriage. She the one in his flat on the evening of the murder. They were having sex when someone knocked on the door at 10:30 PM. It was Anton. He was coming regarding his son Quinn. Jack had evidence that Quinn is responsible for the death of Eddie Sarrington’s son, Lewis.

Quinn was at the club with his friends, when he and Lewis Sorrington clashed over a girl. Quinn‘s friends attacked Lewis and his head hit the floor.

When Anton came to Jack’s door, Quinn’s “lady friend” hid in the bedroom. Anton told Jack his son couldn’t go to prison and told to stop blackmailing him. Then Anton offered to buy the video of the murder. When Jack refused, Anton picked up a knife and pointed it at Jack. Jack said that his son needed to go to the police and confess.

Witness X

She was hiding in the bedroom and couldn’t close the door because of the kettlebell. She didn’t know anything about Quinn, but when she saw Anton holding the knife she ran out to defend Jack.

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In court, Jack claims that his lady friend and Anton did not recognize each other but clearly he’s lying. Anton demanded Jack’s phone. They struggled and knocked over a bottle of Coke. Witness X Hit him over the head with the kettle bell. Jack told her to leave. 

Witness X

When Anton saw Witness X he wasn’t surprised. Then Anton saw Jack’s phone, recording everything. He threatened to FaceTime with her husband, but before the call connected, she hit him in the head with the kettlebell.

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Back in court, Julian accuses track of being a liar. 

Leila calls Quinn back to the stand. Quinn denies being responsible for Lewis Sorrington’s death.

Leila plays the CCTV TV footage, which directly contradicts Quinn’s claim that he never saw Jack outside the club. Then Leila accuses Quinn of stealing Jack’s phone, especially since the last location of the phone was the same village that he lived in.

Someone leaves a note for Leila suggesting that no one knows about her “pyro skills” and that she’s a murderer herself.

After court that day, Julian comes home and is not happy. Leila suggest that the mysterious witness is Demi Vernon. Then she accuses Julian of also having an affair with Demi. He admits it, but says he’d like to keep Leila around.

Leila goes to see Audrey, who says a woman with short black hair comes over to take care of her and help her tidy up the spare rooms. Unfortunately, a safe that Leila put there is now missing.

Witness X

She’s done terrible things and good things. Is she a hero or a villain? Guilty or not guilty?

Julian gives his closing statement: Jack is a liar. He’s untrustworthy.

In her statement, Leila says that having affairs might be unsettling, but it’s really about who murdered Anton. Jack has always been honest about his flaws.

Leila tells Julian that she told his ex-wife Sienna about his affair with Demi. Sienna will tell Chester unless Julian gives her a divorce.

The jury finds Jack not guilty.

Lela gets a message from her stalker saying that she misplaced a piece of evidence. They’re going to meet to exchange it

Elise Vernon (Chester’s adult daughter)

A beautiful blonde woman comes into the bar. Her colleague says that this woman always meets with Jack.

Witness X: Delilah

Delilah is the birth name of Leila

Leila hit Anton over the head with the kettlebell. She then tells Jack that Anton can’t leave the room alive. It’s his life or hers.

Jack offers to take the blame for it. Leila tells Jack they have to get rid of his phone and plan the whole trial. She needs to hide Jack’s phone not to be found because it has the video of Quinn killing Lewis, but also a video of Leila killing Anton.

Leila decides to store the phone at Audrey‘s house. But first she goes to Anton’s house and switches the phone on. She also plants random female DNA around Jack’s flat, then puts the kettle bell back and sprays perfume around the bedroom.

Leila hasn’t spoken to Elise for years. Elise has Jack’s phone. She’s the one who’s been visiting Audrey (pretending to be Delilah) and sending Leila threatening messages. Leila was the one who had the affair with Chester, which broke up Elise’s family.

Elise threatens to take Jack’s phone to the police and they scuffle.  Elise loses her balance and falls into the  river.

Flashback: 2005

Delilah wants to go to boarding school. Her father refuses, so she waits until he passes out drunk and set a fire. 

Leila: Two months before Anton’s murder

Jack was supposed to be a fling but she loves him. She’s sure that Julian is cheating. They dream of running off to Australia.

Julian was a means to an end, to further her career. She knew he’d cheat eventually.

Secret meeting with Jack. She agrees to give it all up for him.

Leila’s at the airport. Quinn was convicted of manslaughter. He was the one who put the tracker on her car. But police storm the pane and arrest Leila. She confesses.

Epilogue: Delilah

Elise gave the murder video to her mother as a safeguard. Leila is put on trial for murder. The outcome is left open.

Timeline:

I made this to try to figure out what happened when. If you have events to add or think I made a mistake, leave me a comment!

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Leila is 36 in the present (2024-5)

2005: Leila murders her father  (around age 16)

Age 16: Leila meets Chester

Age 19: Leila meets Declan

Law school: affair with Chester 

5 years after pupillage: starts dating Julian

2018: got married to Julian

2019: First assigned to defend Jack

One year ago: starts the affair with Jack.