Cruel Summer Fans Think They've Figured Out Who Sent Megan That Sus IM Chat

The mystery of Luke Chambers’ murder is finally starting to come together on Cruel Summer. Well, kinda. It’s still not clear what happened to Chatham’s golden boy, but more clues are dropping, including one suspicious moment in Episode 4 that hints at Megan’s secret life. The stray IM chat on her computer had viewers wondering who was messaging Megan, but now fans have a convincing theory that may also foreshadow how this season of Cruel Summer will play out.

Spoiler alert: This post details events from the first four episodes of Cruel Summer Season 2. Megan’s hacker skills are clearly going to be important to this season’s central mystery, although she’s kind of been hiding big parts of her online life from everyone, it seems. Most suspiciously, when she was making fake IDs with Jeff, she quickly closed an IM chat that popped up on her computer before he could see it. Out of context, the message seemed harmless enough — someone with the screen-name CBABBAGE5 was offering to teach her shortcuts in C++ — but her clear panic at Jeff possibly seeing the chat immediately raised red flags.

The first clue about this mystery messenger’s identity is the screen-name. CBABBAGE5 seems to be a reference to Charles Babbage, the 19th century inventor who’s credited with building the first mechanical computer. Clearly, this is a person who’s knowledgeable about technological history.

Only one character who’s been introduced in Season 2 so far seems to fit this profile. As fans have pointed out in new theories, the man who was shooting his gun in the woods in the season premiere would make the most sense to be behind this IM. Megan described him as “coding royalty,” and even shared a lingering look at him when they first made eye contact. She likely reached out to him to help her secure her scholarship at the University of Washington by teaching her new computer skills.

And since this man was also notably present when Luke’s body was pulled from the lake, this connection probably goes even deeper. Luke’s autopsy revealed he was shot in the ear — could it have been with this man’s firearm? On the other hand, if Luke’s murder was faked, as some fans are theorizing, then maybe it was Megan’s preexisting relationship with this man that convinced him to help her fake the whole scenario by having a bullet graze Luke’s ear. Megan has been shown to be an excellent shot, after all.

Fans will have to see how this secret relationship comes into play as new episodes of of Cruel Summer Season 2 drop Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Freeform, and stream next day on Hulu.