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Summary

PART V: Found (continued)

Louise, August 1975: Day One–Louise: Winter 1973 

Louise, August 1975: Day One 

Louise, who has been sitting in a holding cell for ten hours with no food, is visited by Officer Lowry, who immediately questions her connection to John Paul. She answers truthfully, stating that they are engaged, but Lowry challenges this, revealing that John Paul claimed they had ended things. Louise is confused and defensive, insisting that it’s not true, but Lowry doesn’t believe her. She asks why the police are questioning her about John Paul, and Lowry’s response is unsettling: se is being held for minor drug charges, but they are after something bigger. 

When he bluntly suggests that she knows what happened to Barbara, Louise denies it, though she begins to doubt herself. Lowry tells her that John Paul falsely implicated her, causing Louise to spiral. 

Alice, August 1975: Day One 

Alice prepares for a centennial party at Self-Reliance, part of Peter’s effort to return to normalcy. They haven’t had a party since the summer Bear disappeared. After years of detachment and depression, Alice has new clothes and a fresh haircut for the party, but she still remains haunted by her past. 

The arrival of her mother adds to her unease. Their tense, criticism-laced interactions push Alice further into distress. Overwhelmed, she takes too many pills, retreating from the event meant to reintroduce her to society again. 

As the party unfolds, Alice is unable to connect with the guests or with Peter, who thrives in the social setting. Lonely and emotionally paralyzed, she withdraws to Bear’s old room, curling up as the celebration continues without her.  

Louise, August 1975: Day One 

Louise, frustrated and defeated, knows that both Annabel and John Paul are lying to the authorities, and that she appears guilty. As she lashes out at Lowry, he reveals that John Paul was found with Barbara’s bloody clothing. The police believe his lie that Louise gave him the clothes and even asked him to dispose of them—just as she had supposedly done with Annabel’s evidence earlier.  

Lowry presses further, insisting that everything she says is a lie. He warns her that a drug possession charge could mean a five-year sentence, which would leave her unable to care for Jesse. The pressure builds, forcing Louise to weigh her options. 

Left alone, she wonders if John Paul is truly capable of murdering Barbara. She fearfully realizes the authorities may believe him over her, knowing his history of manipulation and cruelty. 

Louise, Winter 1973 

In a flashback, Louise finishes her shift at Garnet Hill Lodge, her winter job, and drives to Union College to visit John Paul. At a party, he is drunk and aggressive, pulling her close before she eventually retreats to his room to sleep. Later that night, he barges in, violent and unrelenting, accusing her of sleeping with someone else before beating her severely. Louise manages to escape, fleeing to Camp Emerson, where she makes a fire and takes refuge in Balsam Cabin. 

She wakes to find T.J. putting out the fire, warning her that the old fireplace is too unsafe to use. T.J. tends to her wounds and brings her to the Director’s Cabin, where she provides food and a place to recover. After Louise sees a picture from the 1961 Blackfly Good-By, T.J. reveals that she has always hated John Paul, having grown up with him during summers at the preserve. T.J. also points out a map on the wall, explaining that her family owns a remote cabin on an island. 

As Louise settles in over the week, she learns that T.J.'s father, Vic, suffers from dementia and lives in the cabin with her. One evening, as loneliness sets in, Louise finds herself drawn to T.J.’s quiet strength and confidence. She moves closer to T.J. and tries to touch her, but T.J. abruptly steps away, firmly reminding Louise that she is her employer. The two never speak of that night again. 

Louise: Winter 1973 

Two weeks after the incident, Louise receives a letter from John Paul while at work, apologizing for his actions and claiming he has stopped drinking. She ignores it, but he later arrives in person, begging for another chance and leaving groceries as a peace offering for her and Jesse. 

She returns to her mother’s house and finds Jesse smoking weed. She confronts him, demanding the truth, but he barely responds. Eventually, he admits he got the drugs from a kid at school. Desperate for some sense of control, Louise tells Jesse she is engaged to John Paul, though she doesn’t truly believe it herself. Jesse is indifferent and walks aways. She tries to assert authority over him by ordering him to stop doing drugs. Louise's frustration with her brother's self-destructive choices blinds her to the fact that she is making the same mistake by staying with John Paul. 

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