18. Burn This

Complete story — includes the ending

‘A’ makes Election Day the hard deadline for the liars to give them Charlotte’s killer. Ezra contacts Jillian to credit Aria with the chapters she wrote and pitch the idea of making her his co-author. They plan to write the book as a dialogue between two characters loosely based on Ezra and Nicole. Aria matches an eyewitness description of the person who called Charlotte the night of her murder. She attends a police lineup and does some sleuthing while she’s at the station. Aria discovers that the eyewitness is Sara, and that her statement specifically mentions a keychain with pink dice. Emily visits an auto body shop and finds the car that chased her around The Two Crows. A hostile mechanic denies having rented the car to Melissa, but offers no further information before sending Emily away. The mechanic later receives payment for her cooperation. Caleb finds no vacancy at any hotel, including The Radley. He declines Ashley’s offer to let him stay in her guest room. The Yvonne leak prompts an audit of the Phillips team, exposing Mona’s recent collusion with the Hastings. Mona blames Spencer and Caleb for the loss of her job. Spencer’s father tells her to publicly distance herself from Caleb. A confrontation with Toby leaves Caleb with a bloody nose, and Spencer tells Toby that ‘A’ is back to quash the conflict. A flashback shows Spencer and Toby discussing their fraught relationship over a pending pregnancy test. Spencer interprets Melissa’s hasty return to London as a sign of her guilt. Peter corrects her, explaining that someone blackmailed Melissa with her confession tape so they could frame her for Charlotte’s murder. Hanna is less than excited for the bridal shower her mother has planned. Mona shows up uninvited with a thoughtful gift, but her history of playing the ‘A’ game makes the girls hesitant to trust her. The party turns sour as Hanna realizes how little her friends know about Jordan. The electronic system in Lucas’s loft malfunctions, and Aria comes away with second-degree burns from the fireplace. Ezra visits with Aria at the hospital until Liam shows up to take his place. While cleaning up after the disastrous bridal shower, Emily notices a pair of pink dice hanging from Mona’s keys.