Elizabeth boards a minibus to Fairhaven and finds Carlito still driving, now with a moustache. Joyce is already on board, and the two friends quickly fall back into their usual rhythm of teasing and practical readiness, with Joyce armed with tea, dried apricots, and a hangover.

When Joyce asks what they are doing, Elizabeth finally tells Joyce that they are going to see Nick Silver, Paul's best man. Their conversation stays deliberately partial, but Elizabeth's questions show that Nick matters beyond the wedding. As the bus moves toward Fairhaven, Joyce notes that Paul met Nick at university and explains that Nick runs a business with another friend, Holly, while Paul was only an early investor.

During the journey, Elizabeth reflects on why she brought Joyce at all. Nick approached Elizabeth in confidence, and Elizabeth knows she could have handled the meeting alone. Elizabeth worries that if Nick's bomb photographs are genuine and the mysterious codes conceal something serious, involving Joyce may be unfair because of Joyce's family connection to Paul; at the same time, Elizabeth realizes she wanted Joyce beside her because she has missed her friend as much as she has missed trouble.

When the minibus reaches Fairhaven, Carlito jokes about picking them up later and warns them not to die. Then, in a quieter moment, Carlito tells Elizabeth that it is good to have her back and, gesturing toward an old photograph, offers a brief truth about grief: it never gets better, but it gets easier. Elizabeth takes the encouragement and follows Joyce off the bus, ready to assess Nick Silver for herself.