That evening, Marcella and Chase’s mother arrange for their sons to attend a Stratten College basketball game as a distraction. The families meet at Memorial Hall, and Theo sits with Chase while their mothers watch them anxiously. Chase explains that all parents are being protective because of April’s disappearance. At halftime, Theo calls Woody for updates, but the police have released no new information.

After the game, the families go to a pizza parlor called Santo’s. The fathers debate basketball strategy while the mothers discuss courthouse renovations. Chase plays a video game. Surrounded by happy, unconcerned people, Theo feels isolated in his grief.

On Friday morning, after a sleepless night, Theo receives a call from his uncle Ike Boone, a disbarred lawyer who served prison time and now works as a tax accountant. Ike summons Theo to his office with urgent news. After breakfast, Theo bikes over, and Ike reveals that the body recovered from the river is not April’s. It is an adult male and too decomposed to have been in the water for only a few days. The police will announce this at nine o’clock that morning. Ike then criticizes law enforcement for wasting time pursuing Leeper.

Ike is vague about his sources. He tells the decades-old Bates case story to illustrate that the body may never be identified. When Ike asks about April’s father, Theo describes him as an unreliable, aspiring musician whom April distrusts. Ike reveals that he also knows of her father through an acquaintance, calling him a “deadbeat” who plays in a band and noting that “there are some drugs involved” (99). Ike theorizes that April’s father took her, though Theo doubts that April would go willingly. Ike promises to investigate further.

In homeroom, Theo announces that the body found in the river isn’t April’s but an adult male who has been in the water much longer. The relieved class trusts Theo’s authority on legal matters, and news spreads throughout the school. Principal Gladwell calls an assembly to watch the police press conference.

When the broadcast time passes without the announcement, Theo grows increasingly nervous, fearing humiliation if his information is wrong. Gladwell gives him permission to call the police for an update, but he can’t reach Ike or the police department. He returns, claiming that there are technical problems. Just as Gladwell prepares to dismiss the assembly, the press conference appears onscreen. The police chief confirms that the body is not April. Though relieved, students remain worried since April is still missing.

During lunch, Theo and his friends discuss resuming their search, though enthusiasm wanes since fewer of them believe that April is still in Strattenburg.

During chemistry class, Theo is summoned to Principal Gladwell’s office. She introduces him to Anton, a sixth-grade Haitian student whose parrot, Pete, has been seized by Animal Control for harassing students at a nearby riding stable. A hearing is scheduled for four that afternoon. Gladwell asks Theo to help, and he agrees, using the opportunity to leave school early to prepare.

At Animal Court in the courthouse basement, Theo finds Anton’s elderly grandparents, the Regniers, who appear “terrified” and speak to each other frequently in Haitian Creole. Seated opposite them are Kate Spangler and Judy Cross, owners of SC Stables, who are represented by attorney Kevin Blaze. Judge Sergio Yeck, who knows Theo from a previous case, arrives wearing casual clothing. When Blaze objects to Theo’s participation, Yeck orders him to remain seated and dismisses the objection.

A bailiff brings in Pete, a 50-year-old African gray parrot, who immediately begins talking. Spangler testifies that Pete interrupted her riding classes, causing the horses to bolt and injuring a student. Cross describes Pete hiding in trees and yelling horse commands, creating chaos. Throughout the testimony, Pete interrupts with mimicry and insults, repeatedly calling Cross “fat.” The complainants demand that Pete have his wings clipped.

Anton explains that Pete is a beloved family pet and that they were unaware of his behavior at the stables. Theo negotiates on behalf of Anton and his grandparents, proposing probation. Yeck rules that Pete can go home but that if he returns to the stables and is caught on video, his wings will be automatically clipped at the owners’ expense. Theo discusses the agreement with Anton and his grandparents to ensure that they understand, and he then agrees. After the hearing, Yeck privately congratulates Theo and expresses concern about April.

Late on Friday afternoon, Leeper requests a meeting with Detectives Slater and Capshaw. He reveals that his lawyer is Kip Ozgoode and claims that he knows April’s location, expressing concern about her safety. Leeper offers a deal: He will plead guilty to one count of breaking and entering, serve two years locally concurrent with his California sentence, and reveal where April is. Though suspicious, the detectives have no other leads and agree to speak with the prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Theo visits Ike’s office and recounts his Animal Court victory. Ike then reveals that he has learned April’s father is Thomas “Tom” Finnemore, whose band Plunder is reportedly playing gigs in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. Ike, convinced that Tom is involved in April’s disappearance, urges Theo to use his computer skills to find the band. Though tired and skeptical that April would leave with her father, Theo agrees to search.

That night, Leeper meets with his lawyer, the detectives, and prosecutor Teresa Knox. Knox rejects his deal, explaining that he faces up to 40 years for kidnapping. She offers a counterproposal: a recommended 20-year sentence if he returns April unharmed. Leeper refuses.

On Saturday morning, the Boone family has a tense breakfast. Woods and Marcella are leaving for a 24-hour state-bar convention, and Theo is angry about being forced to stay overnight at Chase’s house under the supervision of Chase’s sister, Daphne, whom he dislikes. His parents make him promise not to search for April and to text them every two hours.

After they leave, Theo goes to the empty law office with Judge and resumes searching for Plunder. He begins cold-calling bars and clubs in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, learning little until a contact at a venue called Traction confirms that Plunder played there previously and refers to them as a “frat band.”

Chase arrives to help. They focus on North Carolina State and University of North Carolina (UNC) fraternity and sorority websites, discovering that many sites announcing parties don’t list the performing bands. Theo follows his mother’s instructions and continues to text her.

After taking snacks from the office kitchen, Theo suggests that they search Facebook photos from NC State fraternity parties held the previous night. While examining the public page of a student named Vince Snyder, Theo finds a party photo showing a small figure with short hair wearing a Minnesota Twins jacket standing behind speakers near the band. Theo is certain that it’s April, alive and traveling with her father’s band.

Chase suggests calling the police, but Theo decides that they should first determine where Plunder is playing that night. He begins calling UNC fraternity and sorority houses and learns that Plunder is scheduled to perform at the Kappa Theta house.

Unsure of the next step, Theo calls Ike. He and Chase rush to Ike’s office with Judge and show him the photo. Though Ike agrees that it could be April, he warns that they can’t be certain. He advises against involving the police, explaining that a botched intervention could endanger April, and against contacting April’s mother, as he has heard that the police are having problems with her. Ike concludes that the best approach is for someone April trusts, like Theo, to go to Chapel Hill and bring her back. When Theo explains that his parents are away and Chase says that his parents wouldn’t get involved, they’re left without an adult to make the trip. Seeing an adventurous look in his uncle’s eye, Theo suggests that Ike should be the one to go.