At 10:20 p.m., Luke was hidden in a Southway Express freight box, leaving New York for Pennsylvania along a high-speed corridor. Unaware of his exact position, he slept behind equipment crates as the train accelerated.

At the Institute, Frieda Brown stood before Mrs. Sigsby in her office, while Trevor Stackhouse dozed nearby. Mrs. Sigsby assessed Frieda’s ordinary-seeming profile but noticed the girl’s confident eyes and invited her to explain her claim that she knew where Luke had gone.

Frieda said Avery Dixon had come to her room and was sleeping there, and that he had lied to staff about Luke heading toward Presque Isle. When Stackhouse entered, he immediately keyed on the discrepancy and pressed Frieda for the truth.

Frieda demanded terms before speaking: she wanted to remain at the Institute permanently, avoid needles, tests, and Back Half, and grow into a staff role. Stackhouse tentatively agreed to permanent residency if her information proved good, and Mrs. Sigsby concurred. Frieda also bargained for tokens, settling at twenty contingent on the information’s validity.

Only after securing the deal did Frieda disclose the critical detail: Luke left the river before Presque Isle at a set of red steps that led up to a train station. She insisted this was the truth Avery had concealed, effectively pointing Stackhouse and Mrs. Sigsby toward rail rather than river.