The Reappearance of Rachel Price

Outside, Ash and Bel discuss the events of the dinner. Bel tells Ash about the baby sock, but Ash insists that it is not strong enough evidence of wrongdoing. Bel is interested in Sherry’s comment about Rachel’s potential affair and vows to find out more.

Dave Winter, the police chief, tells Bel that Ms. Nelson, their neighbor, has seen a man watching the house at night. He confirms that the tote bag was found on the highway as Rachel described, and that a DNA test has confirmed Rachel’s identity. Bel goes to Sherry, Jeff, and Carter’s house. Carter insists that everyone should make more of an effort with Rachel; Sherry and Bel point out that it’s a difficult adjustment to make after 16 years of her absence. Bel asks Sherry about her comment at the dinner party, and Sherry reveals that she was suspicious that Rachel and Mr. Tripp had been having an affair. However, she did not tell the police at the time because it would have made Charlie look more guilty.

Ash and Bel go to Mr. Tripp’s house. Ash is recording Bel’s private investigations for the documentary. Bel clarifies that she doesn’t like or trust Ash, but that she wants the material recorded. Mr. Tripp answers the door at his home, and Bel asks if they can interview him. He is reluctant, but Bel begins asking questions on his doorstep anyway, which he answers falteringly. Bel asks whether Rachel was in his car a few days before her disappearance. From Sherry’s account, she already knows this to be true, but Mr. Tripp denies it and shuts the door on them.

Charlie tells Bel that his favorite Santa mug was broken by either Rachel or Bel. Charlie also mentions that Bel’s school called; she is not allowed to ask Mr. Tripp about Rachel anymore. Bel tells Charlie that she thinks that Rachel is lying, but Charlie continues to insist that he believes Rachel’s story and that Bel should accept it as well. Bel reflects that maybe she will have to accept Rachel’s presence in their home. She suggests that the three of them could go on a hike the next day. Charlie cautions Bel against trusting Ash and reminds her that the documentary crew does not necessarily have her best interests at heart, as Ramsay is simply trying to create the most compelling story he can.

Bel is startled awake the next morning by Carter, who sits on her bed and pokes her in the mouth. Carter continues to encourage Bel to accept Rachel. Rachel makes pancakes for Carter and Bel. Bel is suspicious and upset to learn that her father isn’t home. She is more unsettled when she sees that his truck is still in the driveway despite his absence. Rachel urges Bel to eat her breakfast and insists that Charlie probably went out with a friend.

Carter and Rachel go hiking, but Bel opts to wait for Charlie. Bel goes to her father’s work and learns that he is not there. She also checks the film crew’s hotel without success. Bel realizes that Charlie’s wallet and passport are gone, as well as a going-away bag, so she calls the police to report her father missing.

Bel explains the missing items to Dave Winter. He is unconcerned, believing that the missing items suggest that Charlie left voluntarily. He reminds Bel that her mother’s return has been stressful and disruptive for Charlie, but he eventually agrees to register Charlie as missing and open an investigation. At home, Rachel and Bel have a tense standoff. Bel comments that it’s strange that Rachel didn’t hear Charlie leave in the night, given that she has been sleeping lightly. Rachel offers to make dinner, but Bel leaves.

The reporters on the street who are still covering Rachel’s reappearance start calling out questions to Bel about her father’s disappearance. Dave Winter tells Bel and Rachel that transactions were made on Charlie’s card in Vermont; the police are tracing the card.

Bel decides that unraveling the mystery of Rachel’s disappearance and reappearance is the key to finding Charlie. She suggests to Rachel that Carter should come over so that they can bake cookies. She then tells Ash to come over and wait in the garage. When Carter arrives, Bel asks Carter for Rachel’s passcode and grabs Rachel’s phone when Rachel isn’t looking. She is determined to find answers about the mystery of Rachel’s reappearance and her father’s disappearance.

Ash meets Bel in the garage outside her house. She reveals that she has Rachel’s phone. They look through it and find a message thread from Mr. Tripp, who says that he desperately needs something back. Bel calls him, pretending to be Rachel and relying on the fact that she and her mother have similar voices. She learns that Rachel 3,000 dollars from Mr. Tripp before she disappeared 16 years earlier. Mr. Tripp asks what Rachel was afraid of before she disappeared. Bel trips up by calling Jeff “uncle,” and Mr. Tripp realizes that he is talking to Bel, not Rachel. Bel hangs up. She returns to the kitchen and subtly replaces Rachel’s phone. Rachel looks at it and adjusts it slightly, and then smiles at Bel.

Bel goes to Ash’s hotel room, where Ash and Ramsay show her a recording of Jeff asking Grandpa, “Where was she? Where did they find her?” (193). Bel doesn’t understand what this means, but she resolves to find out from Jeff. Ash wonders if Rachel was afraid of Jeff before she disappeared. (Mr. Tripp had suggested that Rachel seemed scared). Dave Winter calls Bel and tells her that Charlie’s cell phone was used in Vermont to call someone named Robert Meyer. Bel doesn’t recognize the name.