Juliette arrives at her desk before dawn after very little sleep and finds a carefully wrapped package waiting for her. As she opens the reused ties and paper without damaging them, she remembers Walker teaching her never to waste useful materials and thinks about Scottie, the former shadow she once trained in Mechanical. The package confirms that Scottie handled her request: inside a plastic box of Mama Jean's cookies, Juliette finds a hidden data drive tucked among the crumbs.

Juliette plugs the drive into her computer and discovers that Scottie has copied everything from Holston's home and work computers for the last five years. Scottie's unsigned note warns her not to get caught, so Juliette deletes it and clears the trash to protect him. Although the sheer volume of files overwhelms her, Juliette is encouraged because she finally possesses the raw evidence that might explain why Holston chose to go outside.

Hours pass as Juliette searches the records. When the cafeteria staff arrives and breakfast begins, Juliette notices that Marnes is late, which immediately feels wrong because he is normally exact and dependable. Because Marnes has also been too grief-stricken to help her properly learn the job, his absence worries her enough that she leaves the office and hurries down through the crowded morning stairwells and apartment halls to check on him.

Outside Marnes's apartment, Juliette speaks briefly with Gloria, a neighbor, then tries the unlocked door herself. Inside the dark room, Juliette finds Marnes hanging by his belt from the bathroom door. She orders Gloria to fetch a doctor, rushes in, and with help from Gloria's husband lifts Marnes down and lays him on the bed. When Juliette loosens the belt and feels for a pulse, she realizes Marnes is dead; remembering George's body in Mechanical, she understands that becoming sheriff may mean facing death again and again.