Of course, the overzealous police decide to make an offer. If Cora will confess to both murders, they will give her a piddly 20 years, when she can get parole. We know this is a death sentence. That's on the back burner as Harry continues to talk to possible informants. He finds out that there was more than one victim related to the guy who drugged and raped her. More pieces fall into place. A harsh woman, humorless and self centered, is the one doing her thing, which is presume guilt without any thing but the one crime which everyone saw. We get another look at Cora's sister in flashback. She and Cora are trying to envision womanhood and it is so dangerous to them. Cora has begun dating men whom she gets money from, a few bucks at a time, to rent a place for the siblings.
Here we are brought back to the lives of the two girls before Cora was assaulted. They have developed a bond where Cora knows she had nothing to do with the health of her sister. Her mother has the religious belief that if things go wrong one is not praying enough, or acting to please God. Cora goes out one night and ends up being attacked. She manages to get home and they are waiting for her. It is at this point where it becomes totally clear that religion, as practiced by her mother, has no relevance in her life. We already know that the sister will die because her disease is incurable. That nasty female police officer continues to harass and threaten Cora, bringing her to a point where it seems obvious that she will confess to the second murder. The ending scene is quite striking.
Here we are brought back to the lives of the two girls before Cora was assaulted. They have developed a bond where Cora knows she had nothing to do with the health of her sister. Her mother has the religious belief that if things go wrong one is not praying enough, or acting to please God. Cora goes out one night and ends up being attacked. She manages to get home and they are waiting for her. It is at this point where it becomes totally clear that religion, as practiced by her mother, has no relevance in her life. We already know that the sister will die because her disease is incurable. That nasty female police officer continues to harass and threaten Cora, bringing her to a point where it seems obvious that she will confess to the second murder. The ending scene is quite striking.