How It All Goes Down
Nick Dunne—The Day Of
- Meanwhile, back in the present day, Nick walks into The Bar (don't worry, that's not the beginning of a bad joke).
- Go and Nick have an unusual relationship as twins. They have a slight case of bizarre twin telepathy, share inappropriate jokes, and were shrouded in rumors of incest as teenagers (which, according to Nick, were highly exaggerated). Today, Go is concerned because Nick seems disturbed and distracted, and she's pretty sure it's got something to do with Amy.
- She's right—it does have something to do with Amy. Their fifth anniversary means the return of Amy's annual anniversary treasure hunt, an adventure where she leaves clues at significant places in their marriage, a trail that eventually leads to Nick's present. Aw… right? This sounds really sweet, but it usually just ends with Amy ticked off at Nick because he can never figure out the clues.
- We learn from Nick that Go, like her brother and sister-in-law, is also a failed New York writer, but that despite this commonality, she and Amy don't get along. They're kind of polar opposites competing for Nick's attention.
- The phone rings, and it's Carl, Nick's recovering alcoholic neighbor, who also seems to be a frequent patron of The Bar. He tells Nick that Amy's cat is outside, which is code for something's radically wrong over at your place. Amy's kind of obsessed with her cat, and while Nick's a bit concerned about this inconsistency in her behavior, he figures it's probably time to get home and face the music in regard to the anniversary activities anyway.
- Nick returns home to his creepy development neighborhood where all the houses look the same and most of them are empty due to foreclosures and the bad economy—and sure enough, the cat is outside. But things get a little weird when Amy is nowhere to be found.
- Things get especially weird when Nick goes inside and finds the place totally trashed—we're talking broken coffee table, shards of glass, overturned furniture, the works. Amy is still absent. Nick goes outside and screams for her with no results. She's just gone.
- Dude—this is not the anniversary surprise we were expecting.