Mia is reluctant to think the worst—that Eugene could have killed Adam—meditating on the “innate bias for causation-driven narrative” (288), but Shannon insists that they need to decide on a narrative that both explains the video evidence and exonerates Eugene. Later, while Eugene sleeps between them, John and Mia discuss a possible explanation using their “mind-meld” mode of conversation, in which they build logically on each other’s thoughts. In their version of the narrative, Adam’s wallet is stolen, Eugene tries to help and is on the verge of falling down the cliff, and Adam falls to his death trying to save his son.

Mia dreams about Harmonee teaching her and John “whispered screaming” (298) before Eugene was born, and wonders if Eugene’s morning wailing reflects disappointment at the end of dreams in which he can communicate. Having decided not to tell the police about the birdwatcher’s video, the family worries when Shannon announces that Detective Janus wants to speak with them. Via Zoom, Detective Janus reports that Anjeli has agreed to a virtual interview with Eugene.