Cover of The Reappearance of Rachel Price

The Reappearance of Rachel Price

by Holly Jackson


Genre
Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller
Year
2024
Pages
449
Contents

Chapter Four

Overview

As the documentary crew screens more family videos, Bel sees intimate moments of Rachel, Charlie, and her toddler self that complicate her emotional distance from her missing mother. The clips reveal Charlie's acquittal and painful reunion with Bel, Rachel's apparent love for Bel shortly before vanishing, and signs of Rachel's disturbing forgetfulness before the disappearance.

The chapter deepens the family's grief while exposing Bel's unease: she resists identifying with Rachel even as others point out their physical and vocal similarities. Grandpa's dementia and Charlie's enduring devotion underscore how Rachel's absence continues to shape every member of the Price family.

Summary

The family continues watching old home videos for Ramsey's documentary. In a Christmas 2007 clip at the old Price & Sons Logging Yard, Rachel holds sleeping baby Bel, whom she calls Anna, while Charlie, Jeff, Sherry, and Grandpa play in the snow. Bel is unsettled to learn that Rachel used a version of Bel's name no one has mentioned to her before.

After the clip, Ramsey questions Charlie about seeing Rachel alive and happy. Charlie explains that seeing Rachel smile makes him instinctively happy before grief catches up, and he says he still wears his wedding ring as a reminder of her. Ramsey then asks Carter about growing up with Rachel as a family presence despite never meeting Rachel, leading Sherry to discuss her hidden pregnancy and the family's struggles and hopes around Carter's birth.

The next clip, from January 2009, shows young Annabel at Grandpa's house on the day Charlie is acquitted. Jeff explains that Charlie had spent seven months in custody awaiting trial, and the verdict of not guilty finally allowed Charlie to come home. The footage shows Charlie tearfully reuniting with Annabel and promising never to leave her again, while the present-day family reflects on how Sherry, Jeff, and Grandpa cared for Bel and newborn Carter during that period.

The filming briefly turns chaotic when Jeff leaves for the bathroom while still wearing his microphone, and Charlie lightens the mood by telling an embarrassing story about Bel ruining his beloved truck years later. Ramsey then tries to question Grandpa Patrick about the trial, but Patrick's dementia leaves him confused and distressed. Patrick lashes out at Charlie, and Charlie gently explains that Patrick's strokes and vascular dementia have erased many memories, including much of the time Rachel was part of the family.

Ramsey plays what may be the last video of Rachel before the mall security footage, recorded by Rachel two days before she disappeared. In it, Rachel lovingly tickles toddler Annabel and calls Bel a mommy's girl before Charlie enters and notes that Rachel left the front door open again. Bel is uncomfortable seeing apparent love from Rachel because Rachel still vanished and left Bel behind, and Ramsey and Jeff observe that Bel now sounds strikingly like Rachel.

Ramsey asks Charlie about testimony from the trial describing Rachel as forgetful and distracted before her disappearance. Charlie lists incidents such as leaving doors, ovens, faucets, windows, the baby monitor, and even Bel in the bathtub, though he attributes it to stress or baby brain. Bel privately notices uncomfortable similarities between Rachel's forgetfulness and her own habits, then deflects Ramsey's question about what she would say if Rachel returned; Charlie answers instead that he would hold Rachel and tell her he loves and misses her before asking questions.

Who Appears

  • Bel Price
    Watches old footage of Rachel and herself, resisting grief and uncomfortable similarities to her mother.
  • Charlie Price
    Bel's father; emotionally revisits Rachel, his acquittal, and his enduring love for his missing wife.
  • Rachel Price
    Appears in old videos as loving mother to Bel and increasingly forgetful before disappearing.
  • Ramsey
    Documentary interviewer who guides the family through painful videos and probing questions.
  • Jeff Price
    Charlie’s brother; explains the not-guilty verdict day and awkwardly disrupts filming by leaving mid-segment.
  • Sherry Price
    Jeff’s wife; recalls her pregnancy, caring for Bel, and family life during Charlie’s custody.
  • Carter Price
    Bel’s cousin; reflects on Rachel’s family presence despite never meeting her.
  • Patrick Price
    Bel’s grandfather; appears in old footage, then becomes confused and distressed due to dementia.
  • Ash
    Crew member monitoring audio; notices Jeff’s microphone remains on during the bathroom break.
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