Patch and Saint reach the first grave about five hundred yards from Eli Aaron's burned house. As Patch studies the excavated hole and thinks about the dead girl once buried there, Saint widens the scale of the problem, listing nearby parks and then reminding Patch that the search may extend far beyond their local area.

Patch focuses on the humanity of the unknown victim and then admits how trapped he feels. He says Nix tells him to stop and move on, but Patch cannot let go because Eli Aaron must have known where Grace came from and where she was going. Patch explains that scattered memories of Grace keep returning at night, and he fears one of them might contain the clue that could lead him to her.

Because Patch needs someone to affirm his pursuit, he asks Saint to tell him Grace is real. Although Saint privately remembers the inconsistencies and lack of evidence around Grace, she tells Patch she believes him. Seeing his despair up close, Saint realizes she is emotionally entangled in his suffering and may never be free of it.

The conversation shifts when Saint brings up Misty Meyer. Patch describes Misty's food and says Misty has invited him to dinner at the Meyers' house, while Saint awkwardly offers her grandmother's invitation to eat with her family too. The exchange reveals Saint's jealousy and her wish for a simpler closeness with Patch.

Patch admits he does not know how to accept the Meyers' gratitude. Saint answers that people need to be reminded of the good they have done, then Patch notes that Nix told him Saint sat in the station every day so the police would not forget the missing girls. When Patch touches Saint's hand, she feels the depth of her attachment, and she tells him that what happened at least forced people to know Grace's name and value her life. When Saint finally asks whether Patch loves Grace, Patch gives no answer.