Their peaceful existence begins to unravel when Griffin's handsome looks lead Jane to suspect that other women (specifically stage partner Zoë Walker, 21) may be after him. This is the spark for the unease and miscommunication which follows. Tony Preston, a high-school boyfriend of Jane's, then shows up out of the blue and sexually assaults her, ejaculating on her dress and face. A few hours later, Preston dies in a car accident. Jane refuses to mention this to anyone, even her psychiatrist, although the reader gets a glimpse of the assault haunting her through the narrative. The town is also menaced by a rape-murderer, who kills two women before committing suicide by drug overdose. Furthermore, Jane receives a strangely aloof letter from her mother telling her that her sister Loretta has committed suicide.