Mallory studies the nine sketch pages she pulled from the recycling and becomes convinced that Teddy could not have drawn them on his own. The drawings are too skilled for a five-year-old, yet they came from Teddy's sketch pad and appeared after his private drawing sessions. Disturbed by the contradiction and unable to stop thinking about it, Mallory decides to research both child psychology and the supernatural.

That night, Mallory walks to The Raconteur bookstore, where a local event is filling the store and patio café. She runs into Adrian, joins him at his table, and gradually relaxes enough to trust him. When Adrian notices that she is reading books about abnormal child psychology and supernatural phenomena, Mallory warns him that her explanation will sound insane, and Adrian encourages her to tell the full story.

Mallory recounts everything: her job with the Maxwells, Teddy's changing drawings, the strange voices and conversations in Teddy's room, and the story of Annie Barrett, whom Adrian confirms is a well-known local legend. Finally, Mallory shows Adrian the recovered drawings and shares her theory that Teddy is not possessed but is somehow being used by Annie Barrett's spirit, which "borrows" Teddy's hand during Quiet Time to draw scenes connected to Annie's death. Adrian does not mock her. Instead, he suggests comparing the drawn woman to a real photo of Annie and offers help through his mother, who works at the public library and can search the town archives.

After the bookstore closes, Adrian walks Mallory home through town, and their conversation turns more personal. Mallory enjoys the easy companionship but avoids telling Adrian the truth about her past. When he asks about college, family, and her younger sister Beth, Mallory continues the false Penn State version of her life even as she feels guilty for deepening the lie.

At the Maxwells' house, the backyard is dark and the porch light on Mallory's cottage is out, which briefly unsettles both of them after the evening's discussion. Mallory checks inside while Adrian waits outside and finds nothing obviously wrong. After Adrian leaves, Mallory notices a rock pinning three sheets of paper near her door. Inside the locked cottage, she examines them and realizes they echo the three drawings Ted Maxwell previously tore up, but these new versions are more detailed and much darker: a man digging a grave, a woman being dragged through the forest, and a figure looking up from the bottom of a deep hole.