At Gertrude’s, Marcella quickly senses that Theo is withholding information and confronts him. He confesses that May was absent for two nights and that April had been living alone, frightened. Theo expresses guilt for not acting sooner, explaining that April made him promise silence, while his parents consider whether to tell the police.

During the drive home, Theo tries avoiding going to school, first claiming exhaustion and then arguing that he should help with the investigation. His parents see through both excuses and insist that he attend.

At school, crying girls ask Theo for news. He watches television coverage showing April’s photo and Leeper’s mugshot, mentally questioning whether this qualifies as kidnapping since the Finnemores lack ransom money. In homeroom with Mr. Mount, students discuss nothing but April’s disappearance. Theo reflects that their classmates found April difficult to befriend due to her quiet nature and unconventional family.

Theo goes from school to his parents’ law firm, Boone & Boone, located on Park Street. The firm employs receptionist Elsa, real-estate secretary Dorothy, and paralegal Vince. Judge, the family dog, spends days at the office. Theo has his own small office where he helps with research and filing.

Elsa greets Theo with her customary hug and reports no news about April. Theo goes upstairs to his father’s cluttered office and complains that school was pointless when he could be helping search. Woods warns Theo to leave the search to the police and then ends the conversation to answer a call.

Theo retreats to his office and thinks about his secret plan: he and his friends on bikes, coordinated with phones and radios, distributing reward flyers. Students and teachers have raised nearly $200, though they still need $800 more for the reward.

At four o’clock, 18 students gather in Truman Park. After lengthy debates at school, they decide to focus on Delmont, a lower-income neighborhood near Stratten College, reasoning that a kidnapper would be more likely to hide there than in wealthier areas.

They split into three teams and begin posting missing-person flyers and distributing them at businesses. However, an urgent call comes from Theo’s friend Woody, who reports that the police have stopped his team. Theo’s group rushes over to find Officer Bard confronting them, claiming that their flyers violate city code.

Theo counters by correctly citing the law, explaining that permits apply only to political materials. Flustered, Bard grows hostile, placing his hand on his service weapon. Another officer, Sneed, recognizes Theo’s last name and helps de-escalate the situation. A girl named Sibley Taylor asks why they can’t cooperate in finding April, while a boy named Aaron Helleberg questions why the police are harassing them instead of searching.

Sneed proposes a compromise: They can distribute flyers but not post them on public property and must leave the streets by six o’clock. Though Theo knows that this exceeds police authority, he accepts to end the standoff. After regrouping, the remaining searchers move to the Maury Hill neighborhood and continue until six.

On Wednesday evening, the Boones follow their routine of eating Chinese takeout while watching television. Theo asks if his parents told the police about May’s absence; they say that they decided to wait, as it wouldn’t help find April. Theo has no appetite due to stress and worry.

During a newsbreak, reporters show April’s photo, one of Theo’s reward flyers, and Leeper’s mugshot. The coverage mentions that the police are investigating whether Leeper “returned to Strattenburg to see his pen pal” (43). Theo begins doubting this theory, wondering if April simply ran away without telling him; perhaps their friendship was not as close as he believed.

Physically and emotionally exhausted, Theo falls asleep on the sofa with Judge pressed against his chest.

The manhunt reaches the bridge area, a rough neighborhood along the Yancey River known as a home to “river rats.” On Wednesday night, an intoxicated resident named Buster Shell bumps into Leeper and recognizes him from news reports. Motivated by the police reward, Shell assembles an armed, disorganized posse to hunt for the fugitive.

At six o’clock on Thursday morning, 85-year-old Miss Ethel Barber discovers Leeper attempting to break into her home. She confronts him with a pistol, and he flees. Miss Ethel calls emergency services.

Within minutes, a police helicopter and SWAT team descend on the neighborhood. Shell is arrested for public intoxication, unlawful firearm possession, and resisting arrest, losing any chance at reward money. The helicopter crew spots Leeper hiding in a ditch, and the SWAT team captures him.

Theo and his parents watch the arrest live from their kitchen. When a reporter asks Leeper about April’s location, he grins and taunts that they will “never find her” (51). Believing that April is dead, Theo breaks down crying.

At school on Thursday, students and teachers are fearful and distracted following Leeper’s televised statement. In Spanish class, Madame Monique struggles to engage her students. Principal Mrs. Gladwell holds an assembly to reassure the eighth graders, but a helicopter flying overhead undercuts her efforts. The constant sound of helicopters throughout the day keeps the entire city tense.

At the police headquarters, Detectives Slater and Capshaw interrogate Leeper in an orange jumpsuit. After waiving his Miranda rights, Leeper confirms that his father was Winky Leeper and acknowledges his distant family connection to May. When asked if he returned to Strattenburg to see April, Leeper refuses direct answers.

Leeper proposes a deal: He will reveal April’s whereabouts in exchange for serving his sentence in the state prison system instead of California’s, plus $50,000. Slater flatly rejects the proposal. Frustrated, he threatens Leeper if April has been harmed. Leeper laughs at the threat and refuses to answer further questions.

After school, Theo stays for a girls’ soccer game to earn extra credit from Mr. Mount. When Mount becomes distracted talking to Miss Highlander, a seventh-grade teacher, Theo and three friends—Woody, Aaron, and Chase Whipple—slip away on their bikes.

The smaller search party returns to Delmont and distributes more flyers. Woody receives a call from his brother, who monitors a police scanner, reporting major activity at the river. The boys speed downtown, where Officer Bard threatens them to stay away from the controlled area.

Woody leads them through back trails in East Bluff, his neighborhood, to a cliff overlooking the Yancey River. From this vantage point, they observe a large police operation with boats, scuba divers, and helicopters recovering what appears to be a body. An ambulance leaves with a police escort.

Theo’s mother calls, having seen live news coverage, and asks where he is. He lies and then goes to his parents’ law office, where they watch coverage of the body being removed. When Elsa assumes the worst, Theo insists that they don’t know the victim’s identity yet.

When it becomes clear that no new information will be revealed, Theo goes to his office. He looks at a pencil sketch that April drew for his birthday. Overcome with grief, he locks the door and cries on the floor while Judge watches sadly beside him.