Why Ashley's Secrets Might Be Bigger Than Jon's On 'A Million Little Things'

The cast of A Million Little Things is still trying to figure out why Jon, the nucleus of the group, killed himself in the first episode. The fallout is real, and because everyone else has their own secrets they’re trying to work through in addition to Jon’s death, they’re overlooking the one person who definitely knows more than she lets on — Ashley, Jon’s assistant. She was the person who watched him jump to his death, and perhaps, even more so than his wife, Delilah, Ashley was the keeper of Jon’s many secrets. Jon’s office is still technically a crime scene, but on the October 10 episode of A Million Little Things, Ashley was in there sneaking around. But why was Ashley in Jon’s office on A Million Little Things in the first place? Shouldn't she be taking time off or regrouping elsewhere within the company? It just doesn't add up as to why she's always around, even though her boss is now dead. She's definitely trying to protect her former employer, but from what or who?

We’re only three episodes into this new series, but Ashley has done so much hiding and sneaking about that it feels much more evolved than that. Following Jon’s death, viewers saw Ashley hide the note that he wrote to Delilah, and then, she deleted a dozen or so files off of Jon’s computer, all containing the word “Rutledge” in the file name. Can you say cover up? Later, Ashley read Jon’s letter to Delilah, and since, the viewer didn’t see it clearly on the screen, it was hard to make out. Phrases included “there’s an envelope behind the painting,” “Ashley had no idea I was going to do this,” and “doesn’t know what you know, she will be protected.”

But wait — it gets more complicated, because in the October 10 episode, Ashley is in Jon’s office on the phone when Delilah and her friends arrive to help clean it out. Before the women enter, Ashley tells the person on the phone, “No, don’t sell anything. I understand… just don’t liquidate anything yet. OK, the subway’s back on. I have to call you back.” Then, she flips over a piece of paper she clearly doesn’t want Delilah to see. Luckily for Ashley, the news of Delilah and Eddie’s infidelity throws any inkling of suspicion away from her (I think that Delilah still trusts Ashley implicitly, though), and Ashley’s machinations go on to continue at least a few more days.

Both Regina and Delilah were stumped as to why Jon bought a building in order to give Regina a restaurant and Delilah a place to do her interior design, but besides taking care of everyone in the wake of his death, maybe Jon was trying to hide some money. Buying property is an easy way to do that. It’s hard to tell what Ashley knew or didn’t know from Jon’s letters and computer files, but she knows that Jon was hiding a lot. She knows about his life insurance package that was addressed to his three besties and a woman named Barbara Morgan. Oh yea, who is that, anyway?

These are all answers we don’t yet have, but seeing as Jon told Delilah about some of it in his letter to her, these matters didn’t seem like they were meant to be under lock and key. Ashley could have her own potential involvement in something illegal, and by hiding away Jon’s dealings, she could be protecting herself from the worst. We'll just have to wait to find out.