Thomas watches helplessly as Officer Wilson guides Jordyn to the police car. He waits until the car has pulled away from the curb and disappears down the road, then hands his keys to the deputy. He steps aside in resignation as they unlock the door, go inside and shut the door firmly, leaving Thomas behind.

Thomas stands awkwardly on the sidewalk for a moment and then turns and walks toward the bar. Once inside, he gives Kevin a look that tells him not to ask any questions. He goes behind the bar, pours himself a shot of whiskey, carries it to the cramped office in the back.

First he calls the lawyer that he and Tess used to update their wills. The attorney says that she doesn’t practice criminal law. She recommends Robert Peale, an attorney with years of working with juveniles accused of crimes. She will ask Robert to meet them at the police station within the hour.

Thomas sits down at the cluttered desk where he does the paperwork, downs the shot of whiskey and tries to decide how he’s going to get that book bag from the chimney before the police find it.

Chances are they won’t think to look in the fireplace, but if they do, Thomas will just have to admit that he was the one who hid it up there. Regardless, it won’t look good for Jordyn. And what will the officers do when they can’t find Jordyn’s clothing from the other night?

Thomas wonders if they will arrest him, too. They’ll all be locked up before this is all over. Maybe he should have gone with them and given them clothing that looks similar to what Jordyn wore the other night. All her jeans look the same and there were no photos, as far as he knew, of the shoes she wore to the overnight.

Would they ask Jordyn which ones she was wearing? Probably. He should have had a talk with her, should have told Jordyn exactly what to say. Emboldened by the whiskey, Thomas gets to his feet and retraces his steps through the bar, absentmindedly returning greetings from the regular customers.

Once outside he sees the police vehicles still parked out front and takes this as a sign that they haven’t found the book bag yet. Thomas tries the doorknob but finds that it won’t turn. The door must have locked behind the officers when they went inside. He pats his pockets before remembering that he gave his keys to the officers.

Thomas glances covertly around to see if anyone is watching, finds no one and runs his fingers beneath the metal mailbox affixed to the front of the house. Using duct tape, he had secured an extra house key beneath the mailbox in case of an emergency. But there’s nothing there now. He dips his head and twists his neck to get a better look.