Bel meets Chief Dave Winter and insists that Charlie would never abandon her. She explains that Charlie’s passport, wallet, and packed bag are gone, but argues that the evidence is staged because Charlie left his truck behind and has not answered his phone for nearly thirty-six hours.

Chief Winter initially resists opening a full investigation. He says Charlie is an adult with a legal right to leave and that the signs point to a voluntary departure, especially after the stress of Rachel’s return and a reported family argument. Bel grows furious and insists Charlie is in danger.

Bel finally breaks her promise to Charlie by openly accusing Rachel of being connected to his disappearance. When Winter asks who Charlie might be in danger from, Bel names Rachel, believing Rachel staged her own disappearance and has now made Charlie vanish too. Winter still frames the situation as stress from Rachel’s return, but Bel changes tactics.

Bel reminds Winter that he wrongly suspected Charlie in Rachel’s original disappearance and put him through a trial. That appeal works: Winter agrees to take a written statement, request phone and bank records, send an officer to search the house, and take a statement from Rachel. Bel feels a fragile hope because the police will finally act.

Bel stays away until dark, then returns home to find Rachel waiting. Rachel says officers searched the house and that she gave Winter a statement, claiming she last saw Charlie before taking a bath and did not hear him leave during the night. Bel challenges this by pointing out Rachel’s earlier claim that she was not sleeping well.

In the kitchen, Bel notices signs that Rachel has been out, including a takeout coffee cup. Rachel says she spent the day driving to places Charlie might be, but found nothing. Bel tells Rachel that she will find Charlie and bring him home, turning the statement into both a promise and a threat, while Rachel tries to deflect the tension by offering dinner.