All Dressed in White / Characters

The characters of All Dressed in White. Be aware of potential spoilers.

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The Wedding Party

Amanda Pierce

A twenty-seven year old bride-to-be and heiress, who vanished a day before her wedding over five years ago.

Broken Ace: Amanda was beautiful, wealthy, loved by many, a talented businesswoman, was set to inherit the family company, had successfully beaten cancer and was about to marry a man who appeared to be the perfect partner. However, some of those closest to her believe that despite all this, Amanda wasn't really satisfied with her life; her sister explains it as Amanda feeling she'd "taken the easy way" and had "her entire future mapped out for her" before she was even thirty. The Under Suspicion team get the impression Amanda was still trying to figure out who she was and felt under pressure to make her loved ones happy at the expense of her own desires, which caused some issues in her personal relationships; many of her family and friends admit things weren't always as rosy between them as they acted. It's to the point that Laurie thinks it doesn't seem so ridiculous Amanda might've fled from her own wedding to start a new life, or the very least tried to call things off.
Fairytale Wedding Dress: She was set to wear one for her dream wedding, having tried on more than a hundred gowns to find the perfect one: "Off-white silk with an empire waist and handmade lace overlay for the bodice". She had tried the dress on the same night she disappeared with Kate's help, ostensibly to make sure it fitted, though also to test if she still felt right about getting married. The dress was found by her fiancé and the wedding guests laid out on Amanda's bed while they were searching for her, right where she'd left it.
I Need to Go Iron My Dog: The last time Meghan and Charlotte saw Amanda, she was heading upstairs with them to their hotel rooms, when she abruptly said she needed to go back down to the hotel bar because she'd "forgotten something". Both Charlotte and Meghan thought this was odd, though they didn't question it until Amanda was discovered to be missing the following day. It's obvious that Amanda deliberately made up a lame excuse to go back downstairs, though it's not initially clear why. She had earlier made plans to meet Nick in secret after her bachelorette party, as Nick claimed he had knowledge of Jeff cheating on her and she wanted to find out the truth before making a decision about her wedding.
It's Not You, It's Me: This comes up when Charlotte and Meghan discuss their perception of Amanda's feelings for Jeff. While Amanda didn't explicitly say she wanted to cancel the wedding - besides asking Kate if she hypothetically thought it was too late to call things off - Meghan and Charlotte got the impression that Amanda didn't want to marry Jeff after all; they believe she did love him and that he hadn't done anything to mistreat her, but she had realised they weren't compatible in the long-term because they wanted different things. They speculate that Amanda let things get to this stage because she was reluctant to hurt Jeff, as he'd always been good to her but her feelings had changed. The prologue demonstrates that Amanda was privately debating over whether to go through with it and that if she still wasn't certain after tonight, she wouldn't marry Jeff.
Married Too Young: A few days before her wedding, she asked her bridesmaid Kate Fulton if she ever thought she was getting married too young, especially as Kate married her husband straight out of college and so would have more personal insight on the matter. Amanda herself was twenty-seven and had gotten engaged to Jeff while going through cancer treatment just a year ago, and had gone straight to working for her father's company after graduating. Kate - and some other members of the wedding party - got the sense that Amanda was having second thoughts about settling down so soon.
Mistaken for Cheating: One theory is that she ran off with a lover; at the time a woman told the police she'd seen a woman resembling Amanda in a car with a man (though this was never substantiated) and there was a rumour she'd run off with a Russian billionaire. She was having doubts about her relationship with Jeff and she may have been planning to meet someone the night she disappeared, but the Under Suspicion team can't find any hard evidence she was cheating. It turns out she'd gone to meet Nick because he claimed Jeff was cheating on her.
Near-Death Experience: A year before her wedding and subsequent disappearance, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was extremely sick for a while but managed to beat her illness. A few characters - especially her best friends Kate and Meghan and her sister Charlotte - note that after surviving cancer Amanda changed as a person; they don't think she became selfish exactly, but she was increasingly focused on living her life the way she wanted, without being as concerned about what other people would think. She also appeared to be having reservations about how her life was turning out; she had gone to work in her father's company right after graduating and gotten engaged to the man who supported her through her illness, but no longer seemed certain whether this was what she wanted, or what she felt was expected of her.
Runaway Bride: She was dubbed "The Runaway Bride" by the media due to her having up and vanished the day before her wedding. Some people who follow the case - including half of the detectives involved in the initial search and even a few of her loved ones - believe she did just run away, theorising she had second thoughts about the marriage and didn't want her whole life planned out for her by her family. Amanda had admitted to Kate that she was having doubts, (a sentiment shared by the other bridesmaids) while the groomsmen state her fiance also briefly expressed reservations while drunk, though they laughed it off. However, other people close to her are adamant that even if Amanda changed her mind, she wouldn't have disappeared completely for years. It's also brought up that if she called off the wedding, Jeff would no longer be able to inherit Amanda's trust fund, where as if Amanda just went 'missing' it would be a different situation. While Amanda was having serious doubts about the wedding, she never confided these in Jeff, mostly because she never got chance to before she was murdered.
Silk Hiding Steel: She came across as a sweet and gentle "princess from a fairytale", as her sister puts it, but she was actually a lot tougher and more cunning than many people realised. Notably, when her best friend threatened to sue her over an allegedly stolen product idea, Amanda subtly threatened to ruin her career as a lawyer if she pursued a "frivolous" lawsuit against her company. Charlotte and Meghan both state that after Amanda recovered from cancer, this side of her started to come out more; she was tired of constantly pleasing everyone else around her, even if she loved them, and was determined to live the life she wanted, even if that potentially meant calling off her wedding with only days to go.
Uptown Girl: Played for Drama. Amanda came from an extremely wealthy and well-to-do family, they having run a successful women's underwear company, Ladyform, since the early 1900s, which Amanda was set to inherit. Her fiance Jeff Hunter came from a far more modest working-class background and he chose to work as a public defender despite other jobs paying better. Jeff says he was initially welcomed into the family, albeit his future father-in-law insisted on a pre-nup, but after he hired a defence lawyer in response to Amanda's disappearance, it came out that Amanda had left him a lot of money in her will and he then started dating one of her bridesmaids, he says the family froze him out, treating him like a scheming Gold Digger who potentially even killed Amanda. Jeff insists this isn't true and that he loved Amanda. Jeff is telling the truth and after he's proved innocent, he and the Pierces make peace, with the Pierces even insisting he take the money Amanda left him to help support his family.

Jeff Hunter

Jeffrey "Jeff" Hunter

Amanda's former fiancé, now married to her best friend Meghan. He is a public defender living in Brooklyn and is widely considered the prime suspect in Amanda’s disappearance, especially as he's the beneficiary of her trust fund.

Cartwright Curse: Jeff's bride-to-be Amanda went missing the day before the ceremony and is eventually determined to have been murdered. It's revealed he also went on a few casual dates with a girl named Carly in college and her murdered body was pulled from a lake. And then his wife Meghan is kidnapped by the same killer, who intends to make her his third victim; luckily this time she's able to escape. It's justified given the killer intentionally targeted these women for choosing Jeff over him.
Clear My Name: He signs up to appear on Under Suspicion almost the moment Laurie gives him to the contract to look over, not even consulting his wife about it; he tells Laurie and Alex he's tired of people constantly whispering that he had something to do with his former fiancee's disappearance and sees this an opportunity to clear himself of suspicion, as well as find out what happened to her. Of course, Laurie and Alex speculate that if he was involved he might not want to look too reluctant about participating, either. Although Jeff does come off as the prime suspect for much of filming, it's eventually uncovered that he had nothing to do with Amanda's murder.
Good All Along: He's one of the main suspects in Amanda's murder and is potentially an unfaithful Gold Digger (as Amanda's mother believes) but it's revealed in the end that he's completely innocent and really is as kind and humble as he appears to be. He just has really bad taste in friends.
Grow Old with Me: As he's running around the Grand Victoria Hotel looking for his missing wife, Jeff happens to see an elderly couple holding hands as they walk along the beach and desperately thinks that he wants that to be him and Meghan decades from now.
In Vino Veritas: He's insistent that he was in love with Amanda and was excited to be marrying her, but his groomsmen reveal that after getting drunk at his bachelor party, he asked if they thought he was making a mistake as he wasn't so sure he and Amanda had enough in common. They all laughed it off, but when Alex questions Jeff about his confession, he admits that deep down he was having some doubts about the wedding as Amanda had changed a lot since they began dating, but he still intended to go through with it.
Mistaken for Cheating: Many people believe Jeff was cheating on Amanda with Meghan, especially given the timing of Amanda's disappearance and him going public about his relationship with Meghan (they got married barely a year later). It turns out this wasn't the case; while Amanda had confronted Meghan about an alleged affair shortly before she vanished, Jeff was oblivious to Meghan's feelings and Meghan was willing to let Jeff and Amanda be happy together. She and Jeff bonded over their shared grief for Amanda and he ended up returning her feelings at long last, with Meghan wanting to believe Amanda had simply changed her mind about the marriage and was off living her life free from responsibility.
Nice Guy: After everything they'd heard about him, Laurie and Alex are surprised by Jeff's demeanour when they meet him in person; he comes off as a kind, easy-going and unpretentious man who is genuinely distressed by Amanda's disappearance and willingly works as a public defender for lesser pay because he wants to help people. Laurie and Alex debate whether Jeff is a really good actor, or if people are mistaken about his alleged misdeeds. Jeff really is a nice guy.
Not with Them for the Money: While the Pierces are an incredibly wealthy family and Amanda Pierce had made her fiance the beneficiary of her substantial trust fund in the event of her death, Jeff insists he wanted to marry Amanda because he loved her and didn't care about her money. He tells Laurie and Alex he wasn't even interested in a lavish destination wedding, going along with it because it's what Amanda and her family wanted, and that it was Amanda who insisted on leaving him her trust fund in her will. Laurie notes that he and his wife live modestly and that he still hasn't made an attempt to have Amanda declared legally dead, so he may be telling the truth. It's confirmed Jeff has never been interested in his former fiancee's fortune, especially as he's furious at his wife for going behind his back to call Amanda's estate lawyer about claiming her trust fund, though he calms down when he realises she only wants the money because she's pregnant.
Oh, Crap!: Jeff is already frantic with worry when he can't find any trace of Meghan save her phone and learns from her emails that she's pregnant, realising this is why she was looking into claiming Amanda's money and feeling awful for accusing her of having unscrupulous motives. He really starts to panic when he learns Meghan got an email to meet Kate on the pier, but Kate says she never contacted Meghan, meaning someone has tricked his wife into coming to the pier alone and now she's gone.
You Remind Me of X: Laurie finds that Jeff reminds her of her late husband Greg, as he comes off as having the same gentle, friendly and easy-going manner that Greg did, to the point she finds it difficult to picture Jeff as being a gold-digger who potentially cheated on and murdered his fiancee. It serves as a hint that Jeff isn't responsible for Amanda's death.

Meghan White

Amanda's best friend since college, who was set to be her maid of honour at the wedding. She is a New York-based immigration lawyer who is now controversially married to Amanda's former fiancé, Jeff.

Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She's described as a tall, attractive woman with black hair, and tends to come off as self-controlled and borderline emotionless most of the time. For some people, this makes her look callous and even guilty regarding her best friend's disappearance, but some of the wedding party state that she's just naturally reserved and highly pragmatic.
Anguished Declaration of Love: An unusual variation where it's made by a character to someone they're already married to. When Jeff starts accusing Meghan of only marrying him to get Amanda's money and of resenting Amanda for not giving her shared credit for X-Dream, Meghan tearfully blurts out that she's been in love with him for far longer than he realised, right back in college, and that she didn't really care about X-Dream; she just blew up on Amanda over it because she was actually upset about her marrying Jeff, but didn't want to give away how she really felt.
Discreet Drink Disposal: Jeff pours Meghan a glass of wine when he admits he's signed up to appear on Under Suspicion, but she doesn't drink it because she's recently found out she's pregnant. As she doesn't want to reveal her pregnancy in the middle of the show's investigation, she discreetly tips out the wine in the bathroom sink before going back to the kitchen to tell Jeff she'll participate, too.
First Girl Wins: Played for Drama. Meghan met Jeff before he met Amanda, and they were closer to each other in college. Meghan and Jeff went on a few dates after they both moved to New York for work, but never really clicked (at least from Jeff's end). When Meghan re-introduced Jeff to Amanda a few years after graduation, they hit it off and later got engaged. Meghan went along with the perception that she set her two friends up as a couple but it actually was an accident and she was still desperately in love with Jeff; she recalls crying for hours when Amanda told her Jeff had asked her on a date. Then Amanda disappeared the day before the wedding, Jeff fell in love with Meghan as she supported him and they ended up getting married, or at least that's the version they tell everyone. Meghan tries to avoid letting people know she already loved Jeff years prior, because she knows it will make her look even more suspicious. They're still married in the end and happier than ever after they finally have no secrets between them, are cleared of any involvement in Amanda's death and are expecting a baby girl.
Good All Along: She can come off as manipulative, cold-hearted and jealous to some characters, to the point she becomes the top suspect over Jeff in the second half of the story. Even her own husband starts to doubt her intentions. However, it turns out Meghan isn't a bad person at all and certainly isn't unfeeling either; she's just not as openly emotional as most other people and tends to keep a cool head in a crisis, which to some people looks like she doesn't care. Some of the evidence against her is also explained as just a coincidence or sheer bad luck rather than Meghan having malicious intent.
Imperiled in Pregnancy: Meghan is several weeks pregnant when she's kidnapped by Nick, who drugs her, takes her out to sea on his yacht, and intends to weigh her down and drop her overboard. Meghan is terrified not only for herself but for her unborn baby, and vows to find a way to save them both.
Insecure Love Interest: When Meghan and Jeff have a huge bust-up near the end of the novel and he starts insinuating she had something to do with Amanda's death, she screams at him that she knew he always loved Amanda more and only got with her because, as Amanda's best friend, she was the closest equivalent. They're usually a loving, stable couple, but given that Meghan was secretly in love with Jeff for far longer than she let on and that he was initially going to marry Amanda, deep down she's felt for years that she couldn't compete with Amanda in either life or death, with the circumstances bringing her insecurity to the surface. For his part, Jeff thinks that while he loved Amanda, he has doubts if they would've been truly happy together, whereas with Meghan he's certain he wants to grow old with her.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She's been in love with Jeff since college, but when he and her best friend Amanda fell in love, she never let on about her feelings and was supportive of them, even agreeing to be Amanda's maid of honour despite her heartbreak. However, some people speculate whether she was really so selfless about it as she appeared, given Amanda and Jeff's wedding didn't go ahead thanks to Amanda going missing and that Meghan ended up marrying Jeff just fifteen months later. It's revealed Meghan blew up on Amanda about supposedly stealing a clothing idea from her as an excuse to vent her hurt over Amanda's being with Jeff, but that's significantly tamer than killing her best friend to get her man, which Meghan isn't guilty of.
Jealous Romantic Witness: Meghan had an extreme case of this. She was secretly in love with her college friend Jeff for years, but she had little choice but to watch him and her best friend Amanda fall in love. She even agreed to be Amanda's bridesmaid at the wedding, never telling her how she felt about Jeff. Laurie eventually finds candid photos from the wedding trip, which include snapshots of Meghan looking longingly at Jeff or glaring in the background while he and Amanda are being Sickeningly Sweethearts with each other.
The Maiden Name Debate: Although Sandra bitterly refers to Meghan as "Mrs Jeffrey Hunter", Laurie notes that Meghan kept her surname of White rather than take Jeff's name when they married. Meghan admits to herself she decided not to change her name because she didn't want to draw more unwanted attention to their marriage, especially given Jeff became known as 'the man who may have bumped off his bride-to-be on their wedding trip' and Meghan herself was set to be the maid of honour.
Mistaken for Cheating: When Jeremy says he took a photo of the currently missing Meghan, he's initially reluctant to reveal it, especially to Meghan's husband, because he snapped Meghan going aboard a fancy yacht with Nick. Jeremy assumed that they were having some sort of affair, but Laurie quickly realises that Nick was actually kidnapping Meghan.
My Secret Pregnancy: Meghan has recently learnt she's pregnant at the beginning of the story, but on the same day she intends to tell Jeff, he reveals he agreed to participate in Under Suspicion. Meghan doesn't want her pregnancy to be overshadowed by the re-investigation into Amanda's disappearance - for which Jeff is the top suspect - so she decides to hold off on telling him or anyone else until filming is finished. This causes problems later when Meghan calls Amanda's estate lawyer about the legal process of Jeff inheriting her trust fund, as they would need the money to buy a larger home and make other plans for the baby. Because no one knows Meghan is pregnant and she had the extreme bad luck to have called the lawyer the same day Amanda's body is finally found, she ends up looking incredibly guilty, with even Jeff questioning their relationship and demanding an explanation. Meghan is so distraught (exacerbated by pregnancy hormones) she refuses to give Jeff a straight answer until he calms down. Jeff figures out what's really going on after learning his wife is pregnant from her emails, which partly helps to clear her name.
Nerves of Steel: She rarely loses her composure even in highly stressful and upsetting situations, which comes in handy given she's a lawyer, although some people think she comes across as cold. When she's kidnapped by Nick in the novel's climax and realises he intends to kill her, she's certainly scared but remains completely calm, quickly assessing the facts of the situation and thinking up ways to protect herself. Heck, when Nick starts confessing his murders to her and tells her how he intends to drown her, Meghan even gets exasperated having to listen to him "drone on about his evil deeds".
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Meghan is usually a very calm and collected person, so it's noted to be highly unusual that she was overheard "screaming" at Amanda over her allegedly stealing her idea for gym clothing. Meghan later admits that she was actually upset about Amanda marrying the man she loves and was just using the clothing as an excuse to lash out at her. Later, when Jeff argues with her over her contacting a lawyer behind his back about getting Amanda's trust fund the same day Amanda's body was found, with the insinuation she knows more about Amanda's death than she's letting on, Meghan becomes completely hysterical, with Jeff thinking he's never seen her so distraught. Understandably, being falsely accused of murdering your best friend to seduce her fiance and get your hands on her money, while you're pregnant with your accuser's baby to boot, would probably reduce anyone to tears. It's also likely pregnancy hormones would've made her more sensitive, too (Jeff doesn't yet know she's pregnant).
Pregnant Badass: Nick finds out the hard way that Meghan - who is in her first trimester and determined that her baby will live - isn't just going to sit around and wait for him to kill her. She creeps up on him and smashes him over the head twice with a fishing mallet, then attempts to get his gun. When that fails, she jumps off his boat into the pitch black ocean and forces herself to stay under while Nick shoots at her.
This Is Gonna Suck: When she goes to the pier to meet Kate, only to encounter Nick instead, she immediately gets a bad feeling when she sees his expression and realises he's blocking her from leaving the pier. Meghan doesn't know what he's planning to do, but she senses she's in danger even before she sees he's got a gun. Rather than panic, she tries to act casual while surreptitiously dialling 911; upon realising Nick will reach her before the call goes through, she instead slides her phone between the wooden slats of the pier so that people will at least know her last location.
With Friends Like These...: She and Amanda were supposedly best friends, with Amanda even making Meghan her maid of honour over her other close friend Kate and her sister Charlotte. However, not long before the wedding Meghan had stormed into Amanda's workplace accusing her of stealing a clothing idea from her and threatened to sue, to which Amanda suggested that Meghan should think carefully before doing that because she could derail her law career by filing "frivolous litigation". It's also considered highly suspect that Meghan married Amanda's fiance only fifteen months after Amanda went missing, with no one yet knowing what had happened to her. While Meghan was upset at Amanda for marrying Jeff and they'd argued about it hours before Amanda disappeared, Meghan truly did care for Amanda and didn't reveal her feelings for Jeff until Amanda confronted her directly. Nick lampshades this trope by saying that when he told Amanda Jeff was cheating on her, she immediately assumed it was Meghan ("Some friend, right?"), though as Nick had specifically told Amanda the 'other woman' was a bridesmaid and Amanda had begun to suspect Meghan had feelings for Jeff, it was a logical conclusion.

Charlotte Pierce

The eldest of Sandra and Walter's three children. She was set to be a bridesmaid to her younger sister Amanda. She is the vice president and heir of the family company Ladyform, a position she inherited after Amanda disappeared; it’s noted that Charlotte has long been jealous of her sister.

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Henry Pierce

The middle child and only son of Sandra and Walter. He was set to be a groomsman at his younger sister's wedding. Henry runs an organic wine business in Seattle, where he lives most of the time with his wife Holly and their daughters, Sandy and Mandy.

Big Brother Instinct: When Alex starts asking him questions about the rivalry between his sisters, especially regarding Ladyform, Henry gets angry at the insinuation Charlotte could've harmed their sister, saying that instead of accusing Amanda's family and friends they should be "looking at the local creeps" before storming out of the interview.
Black Sheep: Henry is the self-professed "black sheep" of the Pierce family; unlike his sisters he never had any interest in getting involved with the family company or competing with them for their father's attention. After graduating, he moved to the other side of the country to set up an organic wine business in Seattle. He's also less glamorous and ambitious than the rest of his family; he's noticeably uncomfortable in formal-wear, preferring a more casual look and laid-back lifestyle. Despite this, he and his family do love each other; Henry just prefers not to get involved in the drama.
Family Man: In stark contrast to his own father's parenting style, Henry is a devoted and hands-on father to his daughters and shares housework with his wife, Holly; he actively takes part in his girls' extracurricular activities, always tries to be home on time to tuck them into bed and makes breakfast for them on weekends so Holly can lie in. Walter wonders if things would've turned out differently if he'd been a father more like Henry.
Middle Child Syndrome: He's the middle child and only son in the Pierce family. He never had any interest in Ladyform, partly because his father pushed a little too hard to get him involved and partly because he can't even "partake" in the products (Ladyform specialises in women's underwear and "foundational garments"). While his sisters both got involved in Ladyform, Henry preferred to make his own way as the owner of an organic winery and has lived on an entirely different coast from the rest of the family for years (although his mother moved nearer to him after getting divorced). Walter was never very attentive towards any of his children growing up regardless of birth order, but Henry decided to remove himself from the situation entirely while Charlotte (the oldest) was left to compete with Amanda (the youngest) for Walter's attention. Henry is content with this, but Walter regrets that he may have driven his son away.

Kate Fulton

One of Amanda's close friends, whom she knew from college, and another bridesmaid. Kate is a homemaker in Atlanta, married to her childhood sweetheart Bill and raising four children.

The Confidant: A few days before her wedding, Amanda confided in Kate that she was having doubts about going through with and was worried she was rushing into marriage too young; Kate admits Amanda likely turned to her for advice over Meghan because Kate herself had confided similar feelings about her own marriage. Kate advised Amanda she shouldn't marry Jeff unless she was certain, but that she didn't get the impression Amanda would've abandoned her entire life.
Good Parents: She's shown to be a loving and attentive mother to her children despite finding them hard work; she treats them with fairness and compassion, while not being a pushover when it comes to rules and discipline.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has bright blonde hair and generally comes across as a sweet, easy-going person who never has a bad thing to say about anyone. It's downplayed when it's revealed she once cheated on her husband with another married man - her best friend's brother, no less - though she is filled with remorse and guilt over this and has never been unfaithful again.
Hard-Drinking Party Girl: It's implied she was this in college, as it's mentioned she enjoyed going out to bars and clubs with Amanda and Meghan, often coming home inebriated, and Austin teasingly mentions digging up embarrassing photos of her after a night out. She left this behind after getting married and becoming a mother, though she was tempted to indulge in her old habits during Jeff and Amanda's wedding trip resulting in a drunken one-night stand with Henry.
High-School Sweethearts: She and her husband began dating in high school, with Kate saying she's loved him since she was thirteen-years-old, and they've been married for many years with four kids.
Housewife: In contrast to the other members of the wedding party, she's now a humble homemaker, looking after the home and primarily handling child-rearing duties while her husband, Bill, works long hours as the manager of a Home Depot store. Although she finds contentment as a homemaker and loves her four children, Kate does admit to sometimes finding them a handful (her ten-year-old daughter Jane has been negotiating hard for a later bedtime as none of her friends have to go to bed at 8pm, her eight-year-old son Ryan is more easy-going compared to his siblings but accident-prone, and the three-year-old twins Ellen and Jared frequently alternate between playing together and fighting). She also admits to feeling a bit dowdy compared to her college friends.
Married Too Young: She admits she sometimes thinks she married her husband Bill too young - they started dating when they were thirteen, he was the only serious romantic partner she ever had and they quickly got married after Kate graduated, with Kate having four children with him by the time she's in her early 30s - and she confided this to Amanda. Kate occasionally wonders what her life would've been like if she'd taken more time to discover herself before jumping into marriage and motherhood, though she's certain she loves Bill and their children. It's revealed that Kate had a one-night stand with Amanda's brother Henry - who had similar doubts about his marriage - in the lead up to Amanda's wedding. However, they both deeply regret it and Kate is desperate that her husband never find out, not wanting to ruin their happy family.
Moment of Weakness: She's generally one of the nicest and most down-to-earth members of the wedding party, but she privately admits to having made a terrible mistake during the wedding trip that she doesn't want anyone to know about. It's revealed that while on a luxury vacation, far away from her hectic and mundane family life, and having had too much to drink, she ended up going to bed with Henry. Kate quickly regretted it and feels awful for cheating on her husband, whom she genuinely loves.

Nick Young

Jeff's best friend and one of his groomsmen at the would-be wedding. He is also close friends with Austin. He's a hedge fund manager known for his playboy lifestyle.

Attention Whore: He constantly tries to get attention for himself by showing off his looks, money and jet-setting lifestyle, regardless of the setting. He's insecure about Austin being richer and is so jealous of Jeff being more romantically successful he's willing to set him up for murder for 'stealing' girlfriends from him.
Beneath Suspicion: It's revealed in the climax that he was Amanda's killer. Nick is never considered a suspect until this point because, as Laurie notes, they were all focused on who would've had the biggest motive to kill Amanda - namely Jeff and/or Meghan - and Amanda wasn't that close to Nick, nor did he obviously appear to have anything to gain by killing her. Laurie realises that the killer was in fact motivated more by a desire to harm Amanda's fiance from jealousy; killing the woman Jeff loved and framing him for it was a sure-fire way of doing that.
Big Brother Instinct: Austin says that although they're the same age, Nick became like a big brother to him when they first befriended each other in elementary school; Austin was small for his age and shy, with Nick looking out for him, including him in social activities and helping him fit in. Austin admired Nick and aspired to be confident and popular like him. It gets less wholesome when it's revealed Nick mostly keeps Austin around because he thinks he's pathetic and so isn't much of a threat to him, also enjoying the way Austin fawned over and relied on him.
Commitment Issues: Nick doesn't have much problem getting girlfriends, but he has a much harder time keeping them. He remarks that after 'the chase' is over, he quickly loses interest. It's also implied he has a wandering eye; the one serious relationship he managed to obtain fell apart after he got carried away at a bachelor party, with his girlfriend dumping him the moment she found out. He also finds that the women he's most interested in tend to prefer his friend Jeff.
Driven by Envy: His motive is revealed to be envy; he murdered Amanda - who he had unsuccessfully dated in college - and attempts to set up Jeff for the crime out of extreme jealousy and insecurity. He felt the women he most wanted would always go for Jeff instead and that in spite of his good looks and wealth, he was never able to get a truly loving relationship like Jeff did. It's further revealed Nick killed Carly, another girl who rejected him for Jeff, back in in college. He also attempts to kill Jeff's pregnant wife Meghan, intending to set him up for her murder too.
Entitled to Have You: He's revealed to have this attitude towards women, in particular Amanda, Meghan and Carly, all of whom were in some kind of romantic relationship with his friend Jeff. Considering Nick can usually get any woman he wants (only for him to swiftly lose interest), he finds it to be a personal affront that they rejected him for Jeff. All three women were/are considered smart, attractive and successful (Amanda and Carly in particular were said to be the most beautiful girls at their college and were desired by lots of men), with the implication Nick feels he deserves their affections because they're 'the best'.
Evil Gloating: While he's got Meghan spaced out on ketamine aboard his yacht, Nick tells her just about every detail of how he murdered Carly and Amanda, and planned to frame Jeff for the latter's murder, going on and on about how smart he is and what fools Jeff and the women are. What he doesn't know is that ketamine doesn't quite have the same effect on Meghan as it does most people and she's a lot more aware than he realises. As such, when Nick is arrested and Meghan rescued, she's able to the tell the cops quite a bit about Nick's crimes, strengthening the case against him.
Fratbro: While it's not mentioned if he was ever in a fraternity, he was a big partier in college, saying he "never missed a Beer Bash in four years", was always trying to pick up pretty girls and tended not to focus as much on his studies. Unlike some examples, Nick isn't unintelligent; he was smart enough to get a well-paying job in finance on Wall Street after graduating, though he continues his fratbro behaviour into his thirties, being mostly concerned with chasing women, boating and living it up. It's implied that if he focused more on impressing clients, he'd be even more successful. His attitude towards women and relationships comes off as a bit sleazy, though he's not as overtly misogynistic as some examples...at least until it's revealed he's gone so far as to murder women who have rejected him and that he despises women dismissing him a mere temporary flirtation or a waste of time. When he gets arrested, he initially tries to use his money to intimidate the police, insisting he can afford the best lawyers in the country. It doesn't do him much good though, given the overwhelming evidence against him.
Hidden Disdain Reveal: Laurie realises that Nick has actually hated his supposed best friend Jeff for years, mostly from jealousy. Despite being just as good-looking as Jeff and a hell of a lot richer, Jeff tended to be the one who got women's attention over Nick, particularly as he's more naturally charismatic, while Nick comes off more as arrogant. Nick grew to resent Jeff so much, he murdered two women who chose Jeff over him, including going so far as to murder his fiancee two nights before their wedding. Following this realisation, we have a chapter from Nick's perspective confirming Laurie's suspicions, in which he rants almost non-stop about how much he despises Jeff and his significant others.
Hunk: Grace describes Nick as "a hunk"; he's tall and muscular with "movie-star looks", and has attracted the attention of many women over the years.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: He certainly acts like an arrogant, devil-may-care ladies' man, but his internal monologue reveals he's jealous of Austin for making more money and he reassures himself that he will soon catch him up, or even surpass him. He also gets a bit defensive when Austin brings up that Nick's only recent serious relationship ended badly, saying at least he tried, unlike Austin. It’s eventually revealed he has an extreme case of this; he berates Jeff as being "a phony" and a loser compared to him, considering he's a good enough lawyer to make loads of money but chooses to work as a public defender, though it's obvious he's jealous of Jeff for getting attention from women without even trying. For all Nick's wealth and charm, he's never had a lasting relationship with a woman he really wants, while Jeff has had Amanda and Meghan - both attractive, intelligent and successful women - in love with him. After he's arrested, Jeff and Austin both give interviews for Under Suspicion admitting that in hindsight, Nick didn't always come off as confident as he acted.
It's All About Me: He's incredibly self-centered; he sees appearing on Under Suspicion as a chance to party at Palm Beach again, even though it's actually about finding out what happened to his best friend's missing fiancee. He's mostly focused on cracking jokes about his fancy yacht the same day Amanda's body is found and defensively says he was "just trying to lighten the mood". He struggles to show genuine happiness for Austin’s financial success because it means he technically surpasses him and comforts himself with the knowledge that he's "better-looking". He likewise couldn't be happy for Jeff finding love, because in his mind he deserved to be with these women instead, and he's outraged by their rejection.
Narcissist: He's obsessed with wealth, image and status, both when it comes to himself and to the people he associates with. While Nick can act the part of a caring friend, he tends to treat people as props or pawns and enjoys having complete control over others; he sees attractive women as prizes and quickly tires of them, and he uses his friend Austin as a wingman to make himself look better, while enjoying Austin's gratitude. He's selfish, manipulative, egotistical, lacking in empathy and can't stand anyone being perceived as better than him or looking down on him. He goes so far as to kill two women who rejected him for Jeff and attempts to kill a third, gloating to his intended victim about how clever he is to have gotten away with it (he even says he was "too good, as with everything" in hiding Amanda's body); he also blames his victims for his crimes and whines about how unfair it is for him.
Not Good with Rejection: Nick has a severe inability to deal with romantic rejection healthily. He became so resentful and bitter over women rejecting him and especially some of those women going on to show interest in his friend Jeff, he murdered Carly - a girl who Jeff dated a few times while turning down Nick - when they were in college. He'd also dated Amanda in college, only for it to fizzle out; a few years later he learned Amanda was planning to marry Jeff shortly after Nick's would-be fiancee broke up with him, prompting Nick to murder Amanda too and try to get Jeff sent down for it. He also admits he was attracted to Meghan, only for her to end up with Jeff as well. Nick plots to kill Meghan too, telling her that he'd considered doing so before they returned to the Grand Victoria Hotel, but he could never find the opportunity.
Really Gets Around: Nick has a reputation as playboy and flirts with just about every woman he encounters; he even turns on the charm with Laurie. He's had heaps of girlfriends over the years, but none of his relationships last long.
The Resenter: Nick has deeply resented Jeff for years because Jeff has repeatedly managed to find romantic partners willing to commit to him, while all Nick gets is short-term flings or rejection. He resents Jeff so much he murdered his fiancee shortly before their wedding day and tried to incriminate Jeff.
The Sociopath: Laurie speculates that he's a sociopath and he certainly demonstrates sociopathic behaviour and thought patterns: he presents himself as a charming, gregarious and successful man who just wants to have a good time with his buddies, but he constantly compares himself with and looks down on his friends, views women as 'conquests' with no respect for their agency, and treats all his relationships as transactional. He's cruel and manipulative – including planning out murders and trying to frame his best friend – and shows no remorse for the harm he causes, even taking pleasure in it as he believes his victims deserve it for 'wronging' him. Even prior to The Reveal, he has difficulty showing genuine empathy for others and behaves in a selfish and inappropriate manner.
With Friends Like These...: He's truly awful to both his closest friends, with Amanda and Meghan's spats utterly paling in comparison. On one end, he mostly befriended and still hangs around with his childhood friend Austin because he enjoys having a follower and uses Austin to make himself look better by comparison, given Austin is less good-looking and less confident. On the other end, he's so consumed with jealousy of his best friend Jeff, he plotted to murder his fiancee a day before their wedding and tried to frame him for it, then tries to kill Jeff's new wife and frame him for that as well. It's speculated that Nick doesn't even regard his 'friends' as friends at all, seeing them either as followers or rivals.
Villainous Breakdown: After he's caught red-handed trying to kill Meghan, Detective Henson says Nick initially refused to cooperate, bragging that he could afford the best lawyers in the country; upon being told that getting a lawyer would be a good idea as he was being charged with one count of murder and attempted murder at the very least, Nick started blubbering and blaming his victims.
Walking Spoiler: It's difficult to talk about him in-depth without giving away the mystery, given he's revealed as the main antagonist.

Austin Pratt

A wealthy hedge fund manager and close friend of Jeff's; he was set to be one of his groomsmen. He is best friends with Nick and frequently hangs out with him, though he's much less successful with women.

Casanova Wannabe: Ever since college, Austin has accompanied his friend Nick in trying to score dates with as many beautiful women as possible. Unlike Nick, Austin tends to be less successful with the ladies, with Kate even calling him "a complete disaster with women"; he's not especially handsome and in college he always came on too strong, while these days he still has a tendency to be a bit awkward and reserved. Some consider his large bank account to make up for a lack of looks and charm. Austin isn't too bothered, though, as it turns out he's finally found a woman who genuinely loves him and they intend to marry.
Fratbro: It's implied he tried to present himself as a fratbro in college, emulating his friend Nick, but he tended to come off as a nerd trying to too hard. He was pretty hopeless with women, despite the charming and attractive Nick being his wingman. As an adult, while Austin does have a reputation as a playboy, he tends to focus more on his job his finance and has slowed down on the party lifestyle, enabling him to become an extremely successful hedge fund manager (it's mentioned that he's finally surpassed Nick in something in that regard). He also thinks that Nick drinks too much these days. The ending reveals Austin is settling down with a woman who is implied to be nerdy too, ditching the fratbro persona for good.
Hopeless Suitor: It's mentioned he awkwardly tried to make a pass at Kate in college, which she turned down, as she was already in love with her childhood sweetheart Bill and wasn't remotely attracted to Austin. He also told Nick he intended to ask out Amanda, to which Nick told him not to even bother because he'd have no chance with her.
Plain Jane: Gender-inverted; Nick lampshades that Austin is "a plain Joe". While he's not ugly, he's "average-looking at best", with thinning hair and a paunchy belly, especially next to his friends Nick and Jeff, who are both regarded as very handsome. This is precisely the reason Nick tends to hang around with Austin, especially when he's trying to pick up dates, to draw more positive attention to himself. Ironically, by the end Austin is the one who manages to find true love, good looks or no.
Romantic Wingman: He serves as one to Nick - and vice versa - when they're out on the town together. It's stated that the women tend to go for Nick regardless of who's trying to pick them up, as Nick is more outwardly appealing thanks to his charms and good looks. Austin doesn't mind too much, treating it more as a friendly competition though it turns out that Nick uses Austin as a wingman precisely because he knows Austin makes him look better in comparison.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Alex questions Nick and Austin about their perception of Jeff and Amanda's relationship, Austin says unprompted that while he witnessed them arguing like any other couple, Jeff would never have hurt Amanda; in response Nick gives him an exasperated look, as it sounds like he's covering for Jeff. It ends up subverted, as not only was Austin genuinely unaware of any serious issues between the couple, Jeff wasn't responsible for Amanda's death.

Others

Sandra Pierce

The mother of Charlotte, Henry and Amanda, and ex-wife of Walter. She is the one who first approaches Laurie Moran about featuring Amanda's case, determined to learn the truth behind her youngest child's disappearance.

Doesn't Know Their Own Child: Downplayed in regards to Amanda. While Sandra isn't a neglectful parent (especially compared to Walter) and dearly loves Amanda, it becomes evident she has an overly-idealised view of her youngest child. Laurie notes that Amanda's sister and friends talk about Amanda in "a darker way" compared to her mother; Sandra didn't appear to realise Amanda felt trapped by her family's expectations and was having doubts about her upcoming marriage. On the other hand, Sandra does turn out to be right that Amanda would never have run away and left her loved ones worrying over her for years.
Excessive Mourning: Walter accused her of this in response to their youngest daughter's disappearance, saying she had become "obsessed" with finding out what happened to her at the expense of his feelings and their other children. In this case, Sandra's response is a fairly reasonable one for a grieving mother who wants answers (especially given the police didn't do a particularly good job looking for Amanda) and Walter comes off as the one with unhealthy coping mechanisms, with Sandra asking if Walter really expected her to just give up and move on. Sandra is also hardly neglectful towards her other children and grandchildren; she actually spends more time with them than Walter does.
Grow Old with Me: Sandra recalls that she first met her future husband, Walter, at a football game in her freshman year of college; by the end of the game she felt certain he was the man she would marry. They indeed married shortly after Sandra finished college, had three children and eventually two grandchildren, and were happy together for over thirty years... until their youngest child disappeared, with the grief and stress straining their relationship to breaking point. They both still find it hard to believe they're now divorced, telling Alex they never thought that would happen to them. The ending implies they will rekindle their romance, with Laurie remarking that some people just seem destined to be together.
Mama Bear: She's protective of her children, albeit in a more subtle way. She's always tried to be warm and encouraging towards them to make up for Walter's emotional distance. She was actually the one who urged Walter to implement Amanda's ideas for Ladyform, saying that if he simply dismissed her it would break her heart and that it was hypocritical of him to have pushed their children to get involved if he wouldn't even let them contribute meaningfully. One of the biggest reasons she divorced Walter was because he was disapproving of her efforts to find Amanda, to the point he didn't even like her talking about Amanda. Sandra has vowed to never stop looking for Amanda as long as she lives. She is also quick to defend Amanda's reputation, being disgusted people think her daughter would run off and abandon her loved ones just because she didn't want to get married. Sandra can barely hide her contempt for Jeff due to her belief he was involved in her daughter's disappearance and cannot bring herself to seriously believe her other daughter could've been involved despite her obvious jealousy of Amanda, being horrified at herself for even entertaining the thought.
Older Than They Look: Laurie thinks that besides some tell-tale wrinkles on Sandra's neck, she would've guessed that Sandra wasn't much older than herself; Laurie is 37 while Sandra is indicated to be in her early 60s.
Parents as People: She's much more attuned to her children's emotional needs than Walter, but it's implied they sometimes feel the need to live up to her expectations too. Charlotte feels that Sandra is always trying to change her (and make her more like Amanda, in her opinion), and it's pointed out that Amanda and Jeff's ill-fated wedding was heavily influenced by Sandra's tastes; although Amanda clearly had some in-put, it's hinted she was going along with what her mother wanted for her daughter's dream wedding.
Strong Family Resemblance: Laurie thinks that the resemblance between Amanda and her mother is "uncanny"; they're both attractive women with wide blue eyes and light blonde hair. It helps that Sandra constantly wears buttons with Amanda's photograph in order to raise awareness about her daughter's case.

Walter Pierce

The father of Charlotte, Henry and Amanda, and ex-husband of Sandra. He is the president of the clothing company Ladyform, which has been in his family for generations. He has a tendency to prioritise his work over his family, but has started to re-evaluate this after Amanda's disappearance and his subsequent divorce.

Non-Idle Rich: Although he could easily afford not to, Walter prefers to be personally involved in the running of Ladyform, including regularly visiting the factory floor, interacting with employees face-to-face and answering emails if that's not possible. In his case, he probably could've benefitted from spending more quality time with his family, as his workaholic tendencies caused a lot of issues between them.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He tells his son over a phone call he's decided to participate in Under Suspicion to help find out the truth about his missing daughter, which will mean travelling to Palm Beach and staying there a week for filming. When Henry asks if he'll be okay stepping away from Ladyform for a week, Walter himself is surprised to realise he hadn't even thought about the company, demonstrating just how much his priorities have shifted in the past few years.
Parents as People: He was always preoccupied with his business and not good at connecting with his children emotionally; he fears that his detachment from them caused his daughters to pit themselves against each other to gain his attention and drove his son away. Part of him even believes he's the reason Amanda went missing, because she couldn't stand trying to live up to his expectations anymore. He professes to have been "a terrible father" and tries to be more emotionally supportive of his children.
Psychological Projection: His accusation that Sandra pushed him, their children, and their grandchildren aside to pursue answers about Amanda is a reflection of his own guilt about his neglectful parenting and his fear that Amanda disappeared to escape from his expectations. Walter's son also points out to him that he never even talks about Amanda anymore, almost as if she didn't exist. Walter eventually admits that he couldn't bear talking about Amanda partly because he blamed himself for her disappearance and partly because he was in denial she is likely dead, telling Sandra that she was actually stronger than him because his response was to act like it didn't happen rather than face up to it.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: He's always been more preoccupied with his company, Ladyform, than in spending quality time with his children, with his daughters getting involved in the running of the company to connect with him. Charlotte especially is desperate to prove herself to Walter, feeling that in spite of all the hard work she has put into keeping Ladyform on top, she's always been seen as second best to Amanda. Since Amanda's disappearance, Walter has become more aware of how his behaviour has negatively affected his family and regrets giving them the impression that they need to earn his love and respect, even wondering if Amanda got sick of this and took off.
When You Coming Home, Dad?: Walter was - and to a lesser extent still is - a Workaholic who spent much of his time running his family-owned business; even when he wasn't at work he tended to talk about little but Ladyform. While he did occasionally attend baseball games, dance recitals and so on, it was obvious to his wife that his mind was elsewhere, with it being implied his kids became aware of this too. Walter's idea of being a good father was working hard to create financial security for his children, but he now realises the negative effects of his emotional detachment on his kids and thinks he should've been more personally involved in their lives growing up; his son now lives on the other side of the country and rarely contacts him first, while his daughter runs herself ragged trying to impress him and developed a rivalry with his other daughter, who has been missing for nearly six years.

Jeremy Carroll

A professional photographer who was hired as an assistant by Amanda and Jeff's wedding photographer. He has a history of inappropriate contact with clients and was particularly fixated on Amanda.

Camera Fiend: He's obsessed with photography. While this made being a wedding photographer's intern a logical career choice and he is admittedly talented at it, he also has a habit of following people and taking photos of them without their knowledge, as he's fascinated in seeing their true selves beyond the "false faces" they put on when they know they're being photographed. He has dozens of candid photos of the wedding party from Amanda and Jeff's wedding trip, revealing some of their secrets. He was also the last person to see Amanda alive besides her killer, he having followed her all the way to the hotel garage after everyone else went to bed. Laurie ends up hiring him to take more photographs of the wedding party in the present day, as by this point she knows one of them killed Amanda and may give themselves away. Jeremy ends up snapping a picture of Nick forcing Meghan onto his yacht, enabling the coast guard to launch a rescue.
Creepy Red Herring: He's a bit of a weirdo and has issues with boundaries, but he never meant to harm or frighten anyone, and had nothing to do with Amanda's disappearance. In fact, his collection of candid photographs prove useful to solving the mystery of what actually happened to her and help save another woman's life.
Parental Substitute: He came to view his older neighbours, the Munsons, as substitute parents, including calling them "Ma and Pa", especially as he is estranged from his own parents. However, the Munsons did not remotely return that sentiment; while they initially liked Jeremy well enough for helping them with groceries, they were made extremely uncomfortable by him secretly watching and taking photographs of them. When he began referring to them as his parents, they were completely freaked out and reported him to the police, being granted a restraining order. This leads Laurie to wonder if Jeremy also imagined himself to be in some kind of relationship with Amanda, the bride who vanished from the wedding he was helping photograph.
Stalker without a Crush: He was convicted of stalking his neighbours, the Munsons, secretly taking pictures of their supposedly private moments and then sending the pictures to them; he also began calling them "Ma and Pa", despite the Munsons not remotely seeing him as a surrogate son and finding his behaviour disturbing. Jeremy got slapped with a restraining order, then received a caution for violating said order by sending the Munsons a photo of a bird as an apology. Jeremy's former boss, a wedding photographer, also says he let him go because he was making some customers uncomfortable due to him acting overly-familiar with them. Laurie and her team notice surveillance footage of Jeremy following Amanda around the hotel and wonder if he became a Stalker with a Crush towards her, and what he might have done if she rejected him. Jeremy did follow Amanda a lot and took many photos of her without her knowledge, but he just found her and her wedding guests fascinating and meant no harm.
They Just Dont Get It: Jeremy truly doesn't understand the ethical problems with following people and taking photos of them without their knowledge and consent; he just sees it as a way to get to know a person's real, unfiltered self. He thought that his neighbours would appreciate that he saw and liked their true selves, not realising that having someone reveal they have dozens of pictures of you taken during moments you thought were private would creep most people out. He also violated the restraining order to try and apologise to his neighbours, with it genuinely not occurring to him that this would just make things worse. Jeremy is also distrustful of the police, saying they always get the wrong impression and twist things around, unable to see that even to the average person his pattern of behaviour looks extremely shifty.

Marlene Henson

Detective Marlene Henson

The police detective who currently heads the investigation into Amanda Pierce's disappearance.

Amicable Exes: She mentions she's been divorced for several years; there's no signs of her and her ex-husband holding any resentment towards each other and they amicably co-parent their daughter.
Fiery Redhead: She has red hair and is a gruff, no-nonsense woman who isn't easily intimidated and gets snappish at people who annoy her.
Heroes Love Dogs: It's established in her introduction that she owns two dogs she sees as her 'babies'; they in turn adore her. This helps show that beneath her tough exterior, she's a genuinely caring and benevolent person dedicated to finding Amanda.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: She's not exactly thrilled by the idea of working alongside the Under Suspicion crew after Amanda's body is found thanks to an anonymous tip, being particularly wary of them because they're journalists and could potentially compromise the investivation for the sake of a good story. Laurie is able to convince her that they could actually help the investigation, as they have contracts to interview potential suspects about what happened during the wedding trip and share vital information with the cops. Henson concedes they have a point and agrees to work with them on the condition the crew comes to her first if they uncover anything important; she's not impressed when Laurie delays giving her some information as she wasn't certain how important it was. She mostly chooses to trust Laurie because Leo vouches for her; Henson more readily trusts and respects him as a former cop. By the end, Henson has warmed up to the team, especially as they helped catch Amanda's killer and saved another woman's life, to the point Henson agrees to be interviewed for the show.
That One Case: The Amanda Pierce case is this for her, she having inherited it from a now-deceased predecessor. Unlike some of the previous detectives who worked the case, Henson agrees with Sandra Pierce that Amanda likely didn't voluntarily disappear and that the original investigation was mishandled. As she herself has a young daughter, she also easily empathises with Amanda's family, especially Sandra. Although she's eager to solve the case, to her frustration there's not much in the way of leads or evidence, at least until the Under Suspicion team starts digging around and uncovers new information for her to work with.

Carly Romano

A student who attended Colby College at the same time as Amanda and her friends, though they weren't especially close as she was a year below them. She was tragically murdered in her junior year, with the case never being solved.

Chekhov's Gunman: Early in the story, Kate mentions she doesn't think Amanda would ever have disappeared voluntarily because of Carly, explaining that she was a student at Colby College at the same time as Amanda and her friends, who went missing from a party and was found strangled to death in a lake two weeks later. While Amanda didn't know Carly well, she told Kate that before Carly's body was found she'd met Carly's parents and felt terrible for them, almost wishing they would find a body so they'd at least know what happened; consequently, Kate thinks it highly unlikely Amanda would deliberately put her family through that torment. Leo Farley finds the case intriguing and does a bit of research, thinking his daughter could cover it in a future episode. He discovers old Facebook photos revealing that Carly had known and possibly dated Jeff Hunter, meaning Amanda wasn't the first woman close to Jeff who vanished in sinister circumstances.
Connected All Along: Kate says that no one in the wedding party was especially close to Carly, as they didn't share classes and she was a few years younger. However, it turns out she was close to some of them: she was romantically interested in Jeff and they'd casually dated, and she and Meghan were both on the college debate team, with Meghan replacing Carly as the team leader following Carly's death. It's also revealed that she and Amanda were both killed by Nick for similar reasons (rejecting him for Jeff), albeit years apart.
Disposing of a Body: Her murderer dumped her body in a lake, with it being two weeks before she was found.
Dude Magnet: She was described as "one of the great beauties on campus", with lots of male students being interested in dating her. Unfortunately for Carly, this included Nick Young, who really didn't take it well when she rejected him.
Hostile Hitchhiker: Inverted; it's believed that Carly tried to get a lift while walking back to campus from a party, and that whoever picked her up killed her. Nick later reveals that Carly actually refused to get a lift from him, so he forced her into his car.
Posthumous Character: She was murdered several years before Amanda's disappearance and about a decade before the present-day events of the novel. It turns out the two cases are connected, with Under Suspicion bringing this to light and finally getting her justice.

Characters / All Dressed in White

The Wedding Party

Amanda Pierce

Jeffrey "Jeff" Hunter

Meghan White

Charlotte Pierce

Henry Pierce

Kate Fulton

Nick Young

Austin Pratt

Others

Sandra Pierce

Walter Pierce

Jeremy Carroll

Detective Marlene Henson

Carly Romano

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Characters / All Dressed in White

Edit Locked

The Wedding Party

Amanda Pierce

Jeffrey "Jeff" Hunter

Meghan White

Charlotte Pierce

Henry Pierce

Kate Fulton

Nick Young

Austin Pratt

Others

Sandra Pierce

Walter Pierce

Jeremy Carroll

Detective Marlene Henson

Carly Romano

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