Long Time Gone

Nora brings Sloan to her photography studio. Reid and Tilly are arranging for Sloan to go to Margolis Manor in Oregon, where they can properly plan Sloan’s interactions with the media. Nora also says Sloan should consult with the FBI to make sure she does not say anything sensitive to the investigation.

Sloan wonders how she will manage to contact Eric, but she realizes that Annabelle’s photos might hold the missing details they need. Sloan asks Nora how close to Annabelle’s disappearance she was still taking pictures, and Nora says the pictures run up to the morning Annabella, Preston, and Charlotte disappeared.

Sloan and Nora go through the photos Annabelle took during the Split the Creek Fourth of July Celebration on the day that she, Preston, and Charlotte disappeared. The photos show the festival, Preston, and Charlotte, and Nora praises Annabelle’s photography. The pictures do not reveal anything.

They look through the remaining box of Annabelle’s things, and inside, Nora finds the camera she gave Annabelle, with one roll of film still in it. There are over 20 photos to develop on the roll.

Ellis arrives and says they need to leave immediately via helicopter. Nora assures Sloan that they can develop the pictures at Margolis Manor.

Nora and Sloan run out to the helicopter and climb in. Reid and Tilly greet them, and Reid explains that he will protect any member of the Margolis family from harassment. Sloan is grateful for their help, and they head to Oregon.

Sloan, Ellis, Nora, Reid, and Tilly arrive at Margolis Manor, and Sloan apologizes for the media circus. Reid and Tilly discuss how chaotic the media got when Preston, Annabelle, and Charlotte initially went missing. Ellis suggests discussing what they should tell the press. Reid insists that they wait until the next day, saying he will make some calls. Sloan offers to call Livia. On the news, every station is covering Baby Charlotte’s return.

Reid, Tilly, Ellis, Nora, and Sloan watch the news coverage on the disappearance 30 years earlier. Tilly cries, and Sloan and Nora comfort her. Reid tells everyone they will strategize the next day, and Ellis and Nora lead Sloan to a guest house separate from the main building. There is a darkroom in the main house, which Nora says they can use tomorrow to develop Annabelle’s final roll of film.

Sloan calls her parents, who are still dodging reporters, and then she calls Eric. He is surprised that Sloan is in Oregon and reports that they have not found anything on Margot Gray. Guy’s phone number was a burner, but Eric will continue looking for clues. Sloan hears something in the living room, notices someone turning a light off in the main house, and locks the deadbolt on her door.

Marvin relaxes and watches Avery Mason on the news. After leaving Margolis & Margolis in 1995, Marvin set up a private investigation company, which he still runs. He and his wife decided Cedar Creek was home, but they regularly visit their children in other states. On television, Avery discusses the emerging details of Charlotte’s return, including Sloan’s face and name. Marvin locates the key to the safe deposit box he opened with Sandy 30 years ago. He realizes it is time to do something with those documents.

Sloan wakes up in the guest house and hears loud noises outside. Lester is using a large machine to stick fence posts in the ground. Nora knocks on Sloan’s door and apologizes, saying Reid told Lester to make a fence to keep out wildlife. Nora invites Sloan to the main house for breakfast.

Marvin goes to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, where he tells a receptionist that he needs to see Eric. The receptionist says Eric is busy, but Marvin insists. When Eric comes out, he asks if Marvin can wait a week for things to calm down, but Marvin’s news is urgent and concerns Sandy.

At breakfast, Ellis suggests bringing lawyers to their press interviews. Reid explains how the media twisted their words 30 years ago, and their main fear is that the FBI will try to use that against them. Ellis leaves, and Reid and Tilly comment that he still feels guilty that Preston disappeared. Ellis always tries to prove himself at work and in the family to make up for Preston’s absence.

Nora tries to change the subject, and Reid suggests a tour of the winery later. Sloan agrees, Reid and Tilly leave, and Nora takes Sloan to the darkroom.

Marvin explains what happened between him and Sandy 30 years ago. Baker discovered someone embezzling from Margolis & Margolis before his death, which was not the result of a hit-and-run. Marvin and Eric agree that the Margolis family controlled the false autopsy report. After Preston, Annabelle, and Charlotte disappeared and Sandy was murdered, Marvin did not retrieve the files from Margolis & Margolis. Marvin figures whoever killed Baker and Sandy would kill anyone with evidence of the fraud. Marvin gives Eric the key to the safe deposit box and tells him where to access it.

Nora brings Sloan to the darkroom in the basement of the main house and offers to let Sloan develop the photos herself. Sloan agrees and feels a connection to Annabelle as she handles the film. The first photo is of a Cooper’s hawk, taken from Preston and Annabelle’s driveway on July 4, 1995. Sloan and Nora prepare to develop the remaining 20 photos.

Annabelle takes pictures of Charlotte at the Fourth of July celebration. On Sunday, Preston and Sandy uncovered something sinister regarding Margolis & Margolis, and Preston is packing up their house. Preston, Annabelle, and Charlotte are planning to flee Cedar Creek, and Annabelle is both excited and paranoid. She narrowly avoids Stella as she pushes Charlotte in a stroller, and she wonders why Preston is taking so long.

When Preston finally arrives, Annabelle is relieved to see him. He says he packed up everything essential in their home. He tells Annabelle to go home with Charlotte and make sure he did not miss anything. Preston thinks they will eventually come back to Cedar Creek, but they do not know how long they will be gone.

Annabelle brings Charlotte inside their home, snapping a picture of a Cooper’s hawk flying overhead outside. Setting Charlotte down upstairs, Annabelle reflects on her and Preston’s decision to leave after discovering that Baker was killed by a baseball bat, rather than her car. Annabelle hears a car door, but it is not Preston approaching the house. She takes a few pictures of the person, sets the camera in the bassinet with Charlotte, and goes down to answer the door.

Marvin and Eric rush to the bank where Marvin and Sandy stored the documents proving the fraud at Margolis & Margolis. Marvin shows his ID to the teller, who brings him to retrieve the safe deposit box. Eric waits in a private room.

Marvin brings in the safe deposit box, and Eric begins sifting through financial documents. The documents do not mean much to Eric, but there is a sticky note on the final page with his father’s handwriting. Marvin and Eric are both surprised by the note, and Eric runs outside to call Sloan.

Nora and Sloan develop the next photo from Annabelle’s camera. The photo was taken from Annabelle’s bedroom on the second floor of her home, and it shows a man walking toward the house. Nora recognizes Ellis.

Annabelle lets Ellis inside. He notices the packed bags and asks if Annabelle and Preston are going on vacation. Annabelle says they are going as far away as possible, but Ellis does not think Sandy will appreciate Annabelle leaving because of the hit-and-run case. Annabelle explains how Baker was killed, how Preston uncovered Ellis’s fraud at Margolis & Margolis, and how Sandy will likely want to arrest Ellis. Ellis does not respond, leaves the house, and drives away.

Nora and Sloan wonder why Ellis was coming to Preston and Annabelle’s home that day, but they decide to develop more photos. The next few are too blurry, but then they find one that shows two people. After developing the photo, they see that it is a picture of Tilly and Annabelle, which means Annabelle did not take this photo.

Annabelle is panicking, but then she notices Tilly’s car pulling into the driveway. She starts washing one of Charlotte’s bottles. Tilly enters, asking where Annabelle and Preston are going. Annabelle tells Tilly that she and Preston are leaving Cedar Creek. Tilly implies that Preston will not leave town, and Annabelle ridicules Tilly’s wealthy lifestyle, saying Tilly does not have power over Preston.

Nora and Sloan do not know who took the final pictures on Annabelle’s camera, but they rapidly develop the final four photos. The first and second photos show Tilly grabbing Annabelle’s hair, then Annabelle pushing Tilly away. The third photo shows Tilly wielding a knife.

Tilly offers to pay Annabelle to leave Cedar Creek without Preston. Annabelle is shocked at the offer, insisting that Preston decided to leave town, not her. Tilly threatens to cut Preston out of the family if he leaves with Annabelle, meaning he will no longer have access to the Margolis family’s wealth and influence.

Annabelle reveals that Ellis is stealing from the company, and Tilly grabs her hair. Annabelle manages to push Tilly away, but Tilly grabs a knife and stabs Annabelle in the stomach. Annabelle collapses, and Tilly stabs her again. Charlotte, crying in her bassinet, keeps kicking Annabelle’s camera, taking pictures of the fight.

Preston gets home and sees Tilly’s car. He worries that Reid is also inside. In the kitchen, Charlotte is screaming, and Preston finds Annabelle in a pool of blood. Tilly, still holding the bloody knife, claims Annabelle attacked her.

Preston tries to call an ambulance, but Tilly knocks the phone away, saying that things are better with Annabelle gone. Preston attacks Tilly, strangling her, but Ellis enters and hits Preston over the head with a baseball bat. As Preston loses consciousness, he sees Charlotte’s foot hit the camera again.