Jameson arrives muddy and bleeding, but immediately assures Avery that both Jameson and Grayson are fine. Avery presses Jameson about what happened after Oren said things became “Hawthorne ugly,” and Jameson explains only that Skye got into their heads and that Jameson and Grayson learned Skye was not involved in Toby’s kidnapping.

Avery tells Jameson everything Avery has learned since Jameson left: the photo proving Toby is alive, the hidden message from the kidnapper, Eve’s warning about dark and dangerous Hawthorne family secrets, and Oren’s discovery that someone has tried to hire away Avery’s security team. Avery admits that despite all these developments, Avery feels no closer to solving the kidnapping.

Jameson reframes the problem. Jameson argues that the kidnapper is not playing one of Tobias Hawthorne’s usual games, because Tobias’s clues were sequential and led from one answer to the next. The kidnapper’s first and second messages do not connect that way, so Jameson suggests the messages are either meant only to frighten Avery or are separate pieces of one larger riddle or story.

Avery identifies the central unanswered questions as who took Toby and why, but Jameson admits they do not yet have enough information to solve the riddle. Avery then notices the cut on Jameson’s jaw and turns the moment into a challenge involving the first aid kit and his muddy state. Jameson counters with a flirtatious bet, using distraction and closeness to shift Avery away from fear and frustration.