While Ron and Connie go down into the mine to open the safe, Joyce waits on the clifftop with Tia and Kendrick. Elizabeth and Ibrahim walk nearby, and Jason and Bogdan keep themselves occupied, but Joyce cannot relax. She senses that the adults are hiding things, doubts the cover stories explaining why Tia and Kendrick are at Coopers Chase, and grows increasingly uneasy because Ron has been gone too long.

As they sit together, the conversation turns from jokes to danger. Tia says that whoever killed Holly might try to kill all of them because the Bitcoin is worth so much, which makes the threat feel immediate. Then, with quiet directness, Tia asks Kendrick whether his father hits his mother. Kendrick confirms that he does, says he feels both sad and angry, and admits that he does not know where his mother is and is frightened for her.

Watching Tia handle the moment gently, Joyce realizes she had already guessed something was wrong but had avoided asking because the truth was painful. Joyce then asks Kendrick whether he is really scared about Ron being in the mine. Kendrick says he is not worried about his grandfather at all because he believes Ron can do anything, and Joyce is struck by the contrast between Kendrick’s faith and Ron’s real vulnerability. She also realizes Ron has likely known for weeks what happened to his daughter and has been carrying that burden in silence.

Elizabeth and Ibrahim return as the wait continues. Ibrahim briefly goes to buy an ice-cream, and when he comes back he says he has received a message from Ron: the codes were correct, the mission succeeded, and the key is now “in our hands.” That confirms that Ron and Connie opened the safe and recovered the Bitcoin key.

But the success message immediately creates a new problem: Ron has still not come back. Elizabeth points out a crucial detail Joyce had missed: if Ron has not returned, then Connie has not returned either. Hours later, both of them are still missing, leaving the group uncertain whether Ron has the key, Connie has it, or both do, and Joyce breaks off to tell Joanna what has happened.