Long Time Gone

Sloan wakes up after dreaming that Charlotte disappeared while Annabelle developed photos. Eric makes breakfast, and Sloan is glad they did not sleep together. Eric plans to reach out to a colleague in the state police who worked on the Margolis disappearance, and Sloan plans to meet Nora to go through the rest of Annabelle’s pictures.

Eric shows Sloan the newspaper, which has her picture on the front page; they find out that Ryder Hillier broke the story of Sloan’s identity. Livia calls Sloan and tells her that news vans are parked outside the OCME, and she mentions that Ryder approached Hayden. Livia offers to help Sloan in any way possible, including connecting her with trustworthy journalists.

Sloan thanks Livia and then gets a call from Dolly. Vans are at Dolly and Todd’s house, too, and Dolly tells Sloan about Ryder’s visit to the office. Sloan tells her not to talk to the reporters. Eric offers to let Sloan stay at his cabin to avoid the press. Sloan agrees and heads to her rental home before going to meet Nora.

Margot reads the news at a café in Cedar Creek and looks through images of Sloan Hastings. She gets a call from Wiley Wagner, a friend in IT whom she asked to research Sloan. He reports that Sloan has a rental home in Cedar Creek booked through the month of August. Wiley gives Margot Sloan’s address, and Margot gets in her car.

When Sloan gets back to the rental, she notices an old car parked in her driveway. A woman is smoking a cigarette in front of her house. Sloan parks and keeps the car running, and the woman introduces herself as Margot Gray. Margot says she needs to talk to Sloan; she admits that she is the woman who gave Sloan up for adoption.

Sloan is confused, and Margot explains how she met Guy Menendez. Margot was working at a diner in Mobile, Alabama, and Guy always sat in her section. He asked her for a favor and paid her thousands of dollars to take care of a baby that was awaiting adoption. One day, Guy gave Margot fake IDs with Wendy Downing’s name and Margot’s picture. He had Margot meet with Todd and Dolly, pretending to be Sloan’s birth mother.

Margot met Guy in July, and the adoption went through in November. Margot took care of Sloan for the four months in between, and she gradually realized that what she was doing was wrong. Though Margot felt guilty, Guy helped her with money periodically. Margot says the last time she heard from Guy was about a year ago, and she gives Sloan Guy’s cellphone number. Sloan recognizes the area code for Harrison County and realizes Guy is probably in Cedar Creek.

Sloan tells Margot that she needs to talk with the police and the FBI. Margot is afraid of getting arrested, telling Sloan that she only wanted to explain herself to Sloan, hoping it might relieve her guilt. However, Sloan knows that Margot is the only link to the truth about her past. Margot agrees to wait at a hotel while Sloan goes to get Eric.

Margot waits to feel relief in the hotel room, expecting that the guilt of the past 30 years would dissipate after telling Sloan the truth. All she feels is fear, and she knows she will probably be prosecuted for her role in Sloan’s adoption. She decides to call Guy for help.

Sloan tries to call Eric, but the call goes to voicemail. Sloan worries that Margot will flee, and when she arrives at Eric’s cabin, she finds him packing a bag into his vehicle. Sloan tells him she found Wendy Downing, and they need to get back to town fast.

Guy arrives at Margot’s room, and she explains that she needs a lawyer. She found Sloan and told her everything she knew, and now Sloan is coming back with Eric. Guy says Margot should not have come to Cedar Creek, and he tries to formulate a plan. Margot insists she needs a lawyer. Guy kills Margot with a garrote.

Ryder’s post alerted the media to the developing case, and she is desperate to maintain her lead on the story. She bribes an employee at the Cedar Creek Inn, where Sloan and an older woman booked a room earlier. Ryder and her cameraman, Kerry, film a short video explaining the situation, and then they head up to Sloan’s room. As they approach, a man in a suit exits the room with a suitcase. They capture the man’s face on camera before entering the room. The room is empty, and they sprint to find the man in the suit, who has disappeared.

Eric and Sloan drive into town, and Sloan catches Eric up on the details that Margot shared earlier. Eric says Margot can probably evade legal trouble if she shares details that help the police arrest Guy. At the Cedar Creek Inn, Sloan notices that Margot’s car is gone. They rush to Margot’s room and find it empty.

Sandy climbs onto the roof of his cabin with a rifle and binoculars. He is taking a risk by inviting a suspect to his cabin, which has been a family secret since the first Stamos became sheriff of Harrison County. Sandy aims his rifle at the bridge leading to the cabin, then switches to his binoculars and waits. Preston Margolis arrives in a BMW, and Sandy watches for additional vehicles. When no one else appears, he switches back to aiming his rifle.

Sandy confirms that Preston is alone, hops down from the roof, takes out his pistol, and tells Preston to open the trunk of his car. Preston is confused, but Sandy confirms that the trunk and seats of Preston’s car are empty. Sandy says someone is trying to frame Annabelle for Baker’s death, and he needs Preston’s help.

Sandy offers Preston a drink and explains the details of what Marvin told him. He shows Preston copies of the Margolis & Margolis files and explains how Tom uncovered the embezzlement. Preston is confused and says that no one named Guy works at the firm. Sandy tells Preston about how the Reno and Harrison County coroners came to different conclusions about Baker’s death, implying that someone is framing Annabelle. Preston agrees to get files from Margolis & Margolis to help Sandy.

Preston waits for everyone to leave the law offices, and then he goes inside and starts sifting through files on a computer. Having set up the firm’s digitization of its files, he has access to everything. He finds Guy’s activity, tracks it, and finally finds out his identity. Preston calls Sandy to tell him.