Long Time Gone

John meets Dolly, Todd, and Sloan at Sloan’s parents’ home. He acknowledges two possibilities regarding Wendy Downing, the woman who sold Sloan to her parents. He says that Wendy may have been Annabelle or a family member, but Annabelle did not have any motive to sell her child. Instead, he suspects that Wendy, which is likely an alias, kidnapped Charlotte and sold her to Sloan’s parents for $25,000.

Sloan feels disconnected from her parents but compelled to solve her birth parents’ disappearance. She recalls Eric’s request that she infiltrate the Margolis family and wonders if Sandy was really killed for solving the crime. John says the FBI has notified the Margolis family that Charlotte was found, but they have not revealed any of Sloan’s personal information, leaving it up to Sloan to decide whether she wants to reconnect. He warns her that the press will swarm if word gets out that she is the famous Baby Charlotte.

Sloan cannot sleep, so she gets up to continue researching the Margolis family. She feels a pull toward Preston and Annabelle, even though she loves her adoptive parents and does not blame them for the circumstances of her adoption.

She texts James and asks if he can give her any personal information on Nora Margolis. James cannot give out user data, but he recommends contacting Nora directly through the ancestry website. When Sloan opens the webpage, she sees a message from Nora already in her inbox, asking if she is Charlotte. Sloan texts Eric to let him know that she found a way into the Margolis family.

Sloan spends hours in the library, compiling research on the Margolis family. They own a lot of property in Cedar Creek, including the Margolis & Margolis law firm, Margolis Timber, and Margolis Manor, making them both wealthy and powerful. Margolis family members occupy high-ranking positions in Cedar Creek and more broadly in Nevada.

Sloan goes to the gym to work out her anxiety and stress. She is scheduled to join Hayden in autopsies all week, after which she is flying to Reno on her way to Cedar Creek. In Cedar Creek, Sloan will meet Nora, and the workout is not enough to quell her anxiety.

Sloan arrives in Cedar Creek and looks out over the town, noting the river that separates the town into two halves. The town is beautiful, but Sloan wonders what secrets it hides. For 100 years, the Margolis family has controlled the town, and Sloan wants to know what separated her from this family.

Sloan goes to the rental she secured through the month of August. She does not know if one month is enough to find the answers she needs, but she feels like the universe wants her to be in Cedar Creek. She watches a hawk fly overhead and receives a text from Nora asking if Sloan made it to Cedar Creek. Nora gives Sloan her address, and Sloan agrees to come over.

After unpacking, Sloan drives north to Nora’s Victorian home. Nora greets Sloan, and they cry and embrace. Nora remarks that Sloan looks like Annabelle and has Preston’s eyes. Sloan compliments Nora’s home, and Nora reveals that all the Margolis homes are the same Victorian design, chosen by Reid and Tilly Margolis, Ellis and Preston’s parents. Nora asks about Sloan’s childhood and education, expressing pride that Sloan is the first doctor in the Margolis family.

Nora explains the full Margolis family tree, going back to the 17th century, but laments that genealogy has not explained what happened to Charlotte, Preston, and Annabelle. Sloan says she is hoping to learn more about her birth parents, and Nora admits that she was a close friend of Annabelle’s. Like Annabelle, Nora was not initially accepted by the Margolis family, so she became a source of support for Annabelle when she married Preston. Sloan asks why the Margolis family did not accept Annabelle, and Nora says Preston started dating Annabelle while engaged to another woman.

Nora tells Sloan that she was only accepted into the Margolis family when they discovered that her parents owned hundreds of restaurant franchises. She continues that, when Preston met Annabelle, he was engaged to Stella Connelly. Stella was approved of by Reid and Tilly because she came from a wealthy family. Preston left Stella for Annabelle, who soon became pregnant, and Reid was suspicious that Annabelle was after Preston’s money. Nora says Annabelle loved Preston.

After the hit-and-run, people speculated that Annabelle had convinced Preston to flee with her and Charlotte, but Nora now knows that could not be true. Preston and Annabelle loved each other, and Charlotte was the most important thing in their lives. The fact that Sloan was adopted proves that Annabelle and Preston did not leave voluntarily, since they would never give up Charlotte.

Sloan asks Nora about the hit-and-run, and Nora says she does not know much about it. She believes that Sandy overdosed, after which the state police took over the investigation, but she only got details from Reid and Tilly, through Ellis. Sloan wonders if Stella was a suspect, since she must have been upset with Preston and Annabelle.

Nora says that Stella was never formally investigated, but the police did suspect Lester Strange, the Margolis’s handyman. People thought Lester was in love with Annabelle, and some suggested that Lester and Annabelle were having an affair. Sloan takes note of Lester and Stella as suspects to discuss with Eric, and she says goodbye to Nora. Nora tells Sloan that Reid and Tilly want to meet her, and they arrange to meet at Nora’s photography studio in The Block, the commercial section of Cedar Creek, at 1:00 pm the next day.

Sloan goes for a run through Cedar Creek in the morning, stopping at the courthouse. Of the 12 officials listed on a plaque in front of the courthouse, 9 are Margolis family members. She goes back to her rental before driving to Eric’s remote cabin in the woods.

Eric greets her and is surprised to hear that Sloan has already met Nora and is about to meet Reid and Tilly. She tells Eric about Stella and Lester, and Eric remarks that Sandy was called to Preston and Annabelle’s home multiple times to remove Stella. She harassed Preston and Annabelle and only evaded arrest because of her father, who was a prominent attorney in town. The last time Sandy removed Stella from their home was June 30, 1995, four days before Preston, Annabelle, and Charlotte disappeared. Lester, meanwhile, is close with the Margolis family and works mostly at Margolis Manor in Oregon.

Sloan tells Eric about Wendy Downing and her lawyer, Guy Menendez, but Eric decides to leave that part of the investigation to the FBI. He gives Sloan Baker’s autopsy, noting how his body was transferred to Harrison County at the last minute. The Harrison County Coroner determined that Baker was killed by Annabelle’s car, but Sloan offers to give the report to Livia for assessment. Eric gives Sloan Sandy’s autopsy report to pass along to Livia as well.

John writes a report summarizing his investigation into Preston, Annabelle, and Charlotte’s disappearance, including his initial thoughts on Wendy Downing and Guy Menendez. Since Sloan was adopted by an unsuspecting couple, John thinks the disappearance was likely foul play rather than an attempt to avoid prosecution for the hit-and-run. He leaves the report with his assistant, Zoe Simpson, who recently replaced his prior assistant, Nancy.

Zoe debates leaving the report for Monday morning but ultimately decides to proofread the report now. She is thrilled to discover that Baby Charlotte has resurfaced as Sloan Hastings. Zoe is a devout follower of Ryder Hillier, a podcaster who covers true crime. She realizes she can leak the information to Ryder, but she decides to wait and send the information through a coffee shop’s wi-fi to avoid discovery.

Four days after Baker’s body was moved to Harrison County, the Nevada State Police take over the investigation, leaving Sandy without many details. Sandy wonders how Dr. Barry Rubenstein, a family physician who recently became the Harrison County Coroner, came to the exact opposite conclusion as Rachel Crane.

A report in the newspaper states that Patrick O’Day, the State Police Chief, considers Annabelle a person of interest. Sandy calls Rachel, who says that the body’s transfer was ordered by higher-ups. Sandy says not to fight the order. Rachel suspects that Barry is either incompetent or a liar, and Sandy agrees.

For the past five years, Marvin Mann has worked as an investigator under Baker Jauncey. At Margolis & Margolis, investigators work for two years as contractors, then three years under a senior investigator before being assigned to an attorney. Marvin and Baker became friends despite their different backgrounds, and Marvin does not know if he wants to remain with Margolis & Margolis now that Baker is dead. Marvin has a folder of crucial evidence, and he debates whether to burn it or give it to Sandy.

Marvin follows Sandy through town in his car, knowing that he cannot call Sandy or be seen with him. He believes the sheriff’s office is likely under surveillance, and he cannot risk being seen with Sandy. Marvin follows Sandy out of Cedar Creek up to Sandy’s family’s cabin in the foothills.

Marvin cautiously follows Sandy through the foothills, pausing as Sandy crosses a small bridge, grabs his mail, and continues up a driveway. Marvin waits a minute before following. He hears three bangs on his trunk and turns to find Sandy behind the car, his gun drawn. Sandy orders Marvin to exit the vehicle and lie on the ground, demanding to know why Marvin was following him. Marvin says Baker Jauncey’s death was not an accident.

Sandy brings Marvin inside, and they share a beer. Sandy explains how Baker was killed with a baseball bat. Marvin explains that Baker was killed for uncovering financial fraud at Margolis & Margolis. Before his death, Baker compiled evidence that someone was embezzling funds from the firm, and he asked Marvin to investigate it. The next day, Baker was killed, and Marvin was left with the files. Marvin gladly gives Sandy the files, and Sandy apologizes for pointing a gun at Marvin.

Margolis & Margolis has 24 partners and over 100 associates, so Sandy knew he would need help deciphering the firm’s structure to understand the files Marvin gave him. To avoid tipping off the Margolis family, Sandy plans to enlist the help of a friend, but the first step is to secure the files. Sandy and Marvin go to Reno National Bank, open a safe deposit box, and store the files there.