Saint goes to the mud trails where a single white van and three women in forensic suits have arrived to examine the old Tooms farmhouse. Although Saint told Patch not to come, Patch appears anyway and waits at a distance among the trees while Saint studies the house and the carefully kept land around it.

Saint does not enter with the team. Instead, Saint stays back and lets the specialists work, knowing the search depends on newer DNA methods and unofficial favors. As the day passes, the investigators spend hours processing the farmhouse before moving to the underground store, sorting through human remains and trace evidence in hopes of identifying the unnamed girl.

Saint waits in the Bronco and keeps noticing that Patch is still there, standing watch for seven hours despite his limp and the cold, damp weather. Saint understands that Patch's presence comes from need rather than curiosity: Patch wants some answer after carrying this loss for so long.

After the forensic van leaves, Patch joins Saint. They sit together on a slick rock with black coffee while light rain falls, and the tension shifts from investigation to hope. Patch asks when results will come, but Saint can offer no certainty because the search is fragile and dependent on favors.

Patch admits that this examination might finally be the moment that identifies the girl, but only if her DNA is in a database. Even if the search fails to produce a formal match, Patch says he wants to say goodbye and perhaps find the girl's family. Saint tells Patch that she understands, recognizing that Patch is seeking closure for a grief that has lasted far too long.