View source for Plot Summary (Get It All Back)

== One-Sentence Summary ==
Emerging from the pandemic lock-down, a private investigator is hired by his ex-girlfriend to recreate her father's life story.

== One-Paragraph Summary ==
Emerging from the pandemic lock-down, a private investigator is hired by his ex-girlfriend to recreate her father's life story. While making progress in the milltown of Sadie, Louisiana, the detective is accused of the murder of a rival. As he unwinds the mystery of his ex-girlfriend's father, he falls deeper into a fifteen year old mystery that no one knew was a mystery. ?????

== One-Page Summary ==
Emerging from the pandemic lock-down, private investigator Cash is hired by his ex-girlfriend, Greer, to recreate her father's life story. Greer walked away from her abusive father, Gerry, when she was 18 and now wants closure on that part of her life. She asks Cash to investigate and then reimagine her father's life, knowing that the truth will be disappointing, at best. After being attacked by Joey, the ex-boyfriend of his friend Rae, Cash takes the job out of a sense of a failure, having never truly "protected" Greer from her father's abuse. As a result of the attack, Cash meets Hélène, a local cop, who becomes intrigued by him.

Cash's initial research in the milltown of Sadie, Louisiana, is interrupted by two cops who beat him up and tell him to get out of town. Persisting from home, Case finds a lead through the local newspaper; however, after making some good progress, Cash is implicated in the death of Joey. Case's alibi is that he was in Sadie hacking into the computer system of the local hospital to find information about Gerry. Cash watched from his phone as Joey broke into his house and as he was ultimately chased away by a mysterious figure. Hélène drives Cash home from the police station where she prevents Rae from attacking Cash. She returns later to tell Cash that one of her colleagues is going to plant evidence to convict him and stays the night.

As he unwinds the mystery of Gerry/Verge, Caseh falls deeper into a fifteen year old mystery that no one knew was a mystery, a series of fires during the biggest hurricanes to hit the town that led to the death of an unidentified woman at the office of the local newspaper. He eventually tracks down Gerry to a small house out in the country, where the old man is able to capture him and tell his version of the story. Gerry, sick with COVID, abandoned by Fred and Charly, is overpowered after Sandy, stowed away in Cash's truck, calls Hélène for help. After delivering the almost unconscious Verge to the hospital, they are told to quarantine.

During two weeks in quarantine with Hélène, Cash hacks the local news website Hal runs and alters the stories about the post-Katrina fires to include information that implicates Hal, Charly, and Fred, but not Gerry. He also spreads various social media posts that link back to the stories, making sure that any search on one of their names results in those stories. Meanwhile, Hélène figures out that Randy, who installed cameras at Cash's house, was the person who scared off Joey, leading to Joey's accidental death in the bayou. Cash says he wants to leave that a mystery, so as not to get Randy into trouble. Hélène convinces him to let the mystery in Sadie remain as well, arguing that there is no end to the maze he could go down if he keeps following it.

In a video call with Greer, Cash explains the fictional narrative and reveals that he knows she was manipulating things all along. He wonders if our need to forget is as important as our need to remember.

== Plot Synopsis ==
=== Act One ===
Emerging from the pandemic lock-down, private investigator Cash is hired by his ex-girlfriend, Greer, to investigate and then recreate her father's life story. Greer escaped from her abusive father, Gerry, when she was 18 and she now wants some closure on that part of her life. Having built a successful career as an internet influencer and life advisor, Greer, now known as Gwen, says she wants to demonstrate to her followers that any loss can be overcome, while also ensuring what is revealed is not too off-brand. She asks Cash to investigate her father's life since he disappeared after declaring bankruptcy in 2000 and then to reimagine his life, knowing that the truth will be disappointing, at best. Cash is dubious about the assignment, as it takes his ethically blurry skills as a profile scrubber to an extreme degree.

While pondering the job, Cash has two visitors, his first since going into lock-down in March. The first visitor is Sandy, the 15-year-old daughter of his friend and neighbor Rae. Cash and Rae had two brief flings in February and March, but Cash used the lock-down as a way to prevent the relationship going any further. Sandy delivers a bag of homemade masks for Cash's business, Epic Investigations, and some homemade blueberry preserves. She also tells Cash that her mother kicked Joey out a few days earlier but that he's still lurking around the neighborhood.

While Cash finishes up work on the secret compartment in his bedroom, his second visitor is Joey who attacks Cash because Cash gave Rae proof that Joey watches underaged porn. Cash successfully fights off Joey, possibly breaking his jaw in the process, and then calls the cops. Discussing the attack with Deputy Hélène Mank, Cash decides to take the job for Greer out of a sense of a failure, having never truly "protected" her from her father's abuse while they were dating. During this encounter, Hélène and Cash flirt a bit. She reveals that despite his beliefs, the local police are aware of his work as an investigator, but that they mostly just make fun of him. She reveals a certain sympathy for his situation.

Having convinced himself to take the job, Cash goes to the local feed-and-seed to buy a new screen door to replace the one Joey broke. There he talks with Randy, the owner, who talks about his struggling business. Randy thinks the response to COVID is overblown and blames the governor's rules for his failing business. Cash likes Randy but finds his way of thinking impossible to understand. Feeling that he will have some new income, Cash asks Randy to order and install security cameras in his house and talks in vague terms about his new job. 

=== Act Two ===
In the milltown of Sadie, Louisiana, Cash meets Wilson the librarian who helps him look through the old newspapers, although Cash will eventually learn that most of Wilson's helpfulness was his attempt to spy on and mislead him. Cash's initial research, reading microfiche of the local newspaper from before Hurricane Gustav and the website after Gustav, is interrupted by two cops who beat him up and tell him to get out of town. Returning to his research, Cash first learns about the series of fires coinciding with hurricanes that damaged the town (Bertha, 2002; Hannah, 2002; Isidore, 2002; Cindy, 2005; Katrina, 2005; Gustav, 2008). Persisting, Cash finds a lead through the want ads, learning about someone named Verge who used to do odd jobs for the local hardware store.

Back at home, Cash is visited by Rae. Rae clearly wants to pick up where they left off before the pandemic, but Cash keeps putting her off. While Cash find's Rae attractive and likes her as a friend, he knows that her early life mirrors that of Greer, having grown up in an abusive household, and he fears another connection like that. Rae also talks about Sandy's father who is threatening again to sue for custoday and offers to hire Cash. Cash says he will help out without taking her money.

Having found a possible the connection between Gerry and Verge, Cash returns to Sadie to speak with Crazy Charly, who let Verge live in a trailer in his backyard. Charly provides little information except that he and Verge did some work together and that he let Verge live in the trailer for a couple of years, but makes clear that he and Verge had some kind of falling out. Charly calls Cash's bluff about Verge being dead and chases Cash off. But having found Cash's left-behind mask, Charly's wife texts him later that day with information about Verge's medical problems and gradual physical degeneration.

After being refused access to the hospital records, Cash meets Hal Gremillion, owner of the Sadie '''Daily Mail'''. Hal provides some more information about Gerry, describing him as a hustler and a predator, and suggests that he left town after 2013. Cash asks Hal about the fires he read about, but Hal downplays the story. Cash suggests he will give up with the hospital lead, but actually plans to return that night to try to hack the system.

However, after making more progress through a series of connections, Cash is implicated in the death of Joey. His alibi is that he was in Sadie hacking into the computer system of the local hospital to find information about Gerry/Verge. While confirming that Verge and Gerry are one and the same, and confirming the surgeries described by Charly's wife, Cash watches from his phone as Joey breaks into his house but is eventually chased away by a mysterious figure. When Cash tries to rush home, he finds the tire of his truck slashed and spends the night in the hopistal parking lot. 

The next day, Hal drives Cash around Sadie and helps him replace the tire on his truck. They discuss the failing town and the technological changes that have taken over their lives. 

After replacing the tire and driving home, Cash is brought in for questioning by the police about Joey's death. Cash refuses to tell them where he was, lest they find out about his hack, but says he has video showing Joey breaking into his house. Hélène drives Cash home where she prevents Rae from attacking Cash before collecting the video files.

=== Act Three ===
Cash begins to make the connection between the events surrounding his stumbles and social media, especially with Greer posting updates about his progress. Realizing that Sandy might somehow be tied into this network, he tracks her down and warns her to be careful. She reveals that thanks to all the social media posts, she feels like she knows all about his mission.

Returning home, he finds Hélène waiting for him. She tells Cash one of her colleagues is planning on planting evidence to implicate Cash in Joey's death. Cash shares with her the timeline and notes he has on Verge and acknowledges the overlap with Wilson. Hélène spends the night after Cash reveals details about his relationship with Rose. 

The next day, Cash returns to Sadie to get more information from Wilson the librarian. Tracking him down at his house, Cash gets aggressive, tasing Wilson and forcing him to talk. While looking for information that will lead him to Verge, Cash is attacked by Wilson with a shotgun. After knocking the man out, Cash finds some old newspaper clippings about the fires from the New Orleans newspaper, which provide him with a better understanding of the loss of the local paper and the unidentified body. While looking for clues, he gets a text from Rae saying that Sandy is missing and has turned off her phone. Case calls Hélène for help, and before returning home, puts his phone inside Fred's car as a way to track his movements.

Back at home, Cash finds Hélène and Sandy on his front porch. Cash talks to Sandy about leaving Chicago. After taking her home, he speaks with Rae about his involvement with Hélène. That night, Cash is able to trace Wilson's movements and identifies places where he suspects he will find Verge, one of which sits on property owned by Hal.

The next day he returns to Sadie without realizing that Sandy is hiding in the bed of his truck. At the cinder block shack, he is caught off-guard by Hal, who ties him up before Wilson can arrive. Hal spends much of the time bragging about what he built in Sadie while also revealing that runs the hospital and was blocking Cash's research. After Wilson arrives, Verge emerges and begins a largely incoherent tirade about how Cash ruined his life, revealing that he was the one who scared off Rose. Before any more can be revealed, Sandy scares off Wilson with firecrackers after calling Hélène for help. Hal knocks out Cash but is chased off by Hélène, who finds Verge collapsed on the floor and a laptop hidden under his bed. After delivering the almost unconscious Verge to the hospital in New Orleans, they are told to quarantine.

=== Act Four ===
Cash asks Hélène to stay with him for their quarantine. She reveals that she grabbed Verge's laptop before leaving his shack. On the laptop, Cash finds a video Gerry made of himself talking as if to Greer explaining his life. 

Cash also finds photographs that prove that the fire at the newspaper office was deliberately set. Cash hacks the newspaper website Hal runs and alters the stories about the 2005 and 2008 fires to include information that implicates Hal, Charly, and Fred, but not Verge. He also manipulates social media and search engines to make sure that any search on one of their names results in those stories. 

When Randy and Jules bring food for a "yard visit", Hélène, while talking to Jules, figures out that Randy, who installed the cameras, was the person who scared off Joey, leading to Joey's accidental death in the bayou. After hearing Hélène's theory, Cash says he wants to leave that a mystery, so as not to get Randy into trouble.

Cash then gets a call from the landlord of his New Orleans office telling him that someone broke in, trashed the office, and tried to set it on fire. Cash tells Hélène that he had nothing important at the office. Cash contacts Charly's wife and tells her that Hal is trying to cover the trail and that he is probably coming for Charly next. The next day, Hélène gets word that Hal has been arrested.

=== Act Five ===
In a video call with Greer, Cash explains the fictional narrative he has developed about Gerry and reveals that he knows she was manipulating things all along. The next morning, Hélène prepares to leave, their quarantine over, and Cash asks her to move in. Afterward, sitting on his porch, he sees Sandy and some friends skateboarding and wonders what they will remember of the world before COVID.

[[Category:Get It All Back]]
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Summaries]]