Contents
53. Harrison
Overview
Harrison, rattled by Carter’s scrutiny, prepares to flee that night with passports and cash. Through his thoughts and texts with Mary, he confirms Mary impersonated Eden and the cliff disappearance was planned. When Mary threatens to return to Hope Falls, Harrison resolves she must not be seen and decides to run immediately.
Summary
Harrison, alarmed by Sergeant Carter’s investigation and suspension, decides he must act tonight. After checking a secret room behind the library shelves and failing to find Eden, he heads upstairs, packs two suitcases, and retrieves passports and cash, switching to a contingency plan.
Mary texts repeatedly on their private phone. Harrison orders her to follow the new plan, but she panics and says she is coming back to Hope Falls. Unable to reach her, Harrison concludes she must not return now that Carter knows her name and workplace.
Harrison reflects that nobody was meant to see Eden at the cliffs or find the abandoned car; Eden was meant to disappear while Hope Falls believed Mary was Eden. He recalls Carter kissing Mary at the station—fueling Harrison’s jealousy—though Mary told him she stopped it. He admires Mary’s cunning, credits her with helping Gabriella, and imagines a future with her.
With police attention intensifying and Carter closing in, Harrison blames Carter for upending the plan. He resolves that Mary can never come back and that they must run immediately before anyone connects them to Eden’s staged disappearance.
Who Appears
- HarrisonNarrator; packs passports and cash to flee; confirms Mary’s impersonation plan; forbids her return; decides to run now.
- MaryCare assistant impersonating Eden; panics by text, threatens to return; once kissed by Carter; helped Gabriella; central to Harrison’s plan.
- Sergeant CarterInvestigator whose probing forces Harrison to flee; previously kissed Mary; seen as a hypocritical threat.
- EdenReal wife targeted by the staged cliff disappearance; feared dead; her reappearance haunts Harrison.
- GabriellaHarrison’s daughter; improved under Mary’s care, strengthening Harrison’s attachment to Mary.