Robert runs through a cornfield after escaping, but trying to stay hidden makes him lose the fence and his sense of direction. Terrified that Haddock has already released dogs, Robert panics, falls, and checks that the satchel still holds Redbone’s drawing, the stolen photographs, and the haint jar. When Robert calls for Blue’s help, a crow appears, and Robert realizes Blue is guiding him toward the woods.

At the Reformatory, Fenton Haddock grows increasingly certain that Robert’s disappearance and the kitchen fire are connected. While boys are gathered for an improvised dinner outside the smoky cafeteria, Haddock notices Robert is still missing and discovers the spare key he kept in his wallet is gone. That loss, combined with the fire and Robert’s absence, convinces Haddock that someone has targeted him directly.

Haddock rushes with Boone to the administration building and briefly hides his alarm from Doris and a job applicant. Inside his office, Haddock finds clear signs of a break-in: the window screen has been removed, the window is open, and the hidden space behind his desk is empty. The haint jar and, more importantly to Haddock, his secret photographs have been stolen, turning his fear into a personal crisis.

Outside the office window, Boone and Haddock find footprints in the hedges and signs that the intruder climbed in from outside. Boone identifies the prints as Robert’s boot prints, and they uncover an empty jar of Vaseline, which confirms for Haddock that Robert greased himself to slip through the window. Realizing Robert likely used the fire as a distraction to steal the evidence, Haddock gives in to murderous rage and orders Boone to ring the big bell and summon the dog boys for a manhunt.

Meanwhile, Gloria and Miz Lottie wait near a railroad trestle and a nearly dry creek where they expect Robert to emerge. Gloria worries the creek will not hide Robert’s scent, and when the truck sputters off, Miz Lottie insists it only needs to rest. Miz Lottie, visibly unwell, gives Gloria a pearl-handled .22 for protection, and Gloria climbs down the embankment to tie a rope that will help Robert scale the bank quickly.

When Gloria returns, she sees that Miz Lottie is suffering badly enough to need her angina pills and to admit Gloria must drive when Robert arrives. Before Gloria can adjust to that new danger, the Reformatory’s runaway bell begins ringing, followed by the sound of dogs. Understanding that Robert has been discovered and is being hunted, Gloria tells Miz Lottie to get the truck running and heads down toward the creek to find her brother.