Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Will's autopsy shows that he died before his body was carried into the cave. Wayne and Roland question Brett Woodard about seeing the children, while a public meeting brings the frightened town together under prosecutor Kindt's proposed restrictions. The detectives want to understand the dolls left near Will, and Amelia helps them speak to a pupil who remembers Julie receiving a similar one while trick-or-treating on Halloween.
Will's funeral gives the investigators an opportunity to question Dan O'Brien and Tom's parents about the children's home. Tom tries returning to the factory but quits when the sympathy and discomfort of his colleagues become unbearable. Wayne and Roland pursue another lead by taking convicted offender Ted LaGrange to a barn and beating him. His work history does not support their accusation, leaving the violence to reveal more about their methods than the children's disappearance.
A note delivered to the Purcells claims that Julie is safe and urges the family to let her go. Its reassurance provides no location or proof that the writer speaks truthfully. The later timelines show Wayne sharing news of Julie's survival with Amelia, now his wife and a writer working on the case. In old age, he faces questions about possible connections the original inquiry missed. The episode ends with Julie's whereabouts unresolved, while the letter gives the investigation another object to examine.