The Fallout

For an audio version of this post, click here.

Before we move on to the fourth disappearance, I thought I should give you an update on the current situation.  The Fair River gossip mills have been running on overdrive ever since Grace's blog post reached the eyes of Jane Howard.  The email, from an account with a name that appeared to be a random string of letters and numbers, had the subject line "About Willow" and the body of the email contained only a link to the blog post.  Most folks know better than to click on mysterious links from unknown email addresses, something Grace should have considered before sending it out.  Jane knew better too, but I suppose she was willing to take her chance with computer viruses if it meant she might find a shred of evidence about her older sister's disappearance.

Seeing the photos of Willow only raised more questions.  Most important among them was, how had the police missed such a crucial piece of evidence?  Jane showed the blog post to her mother, who in turn called her father, and within the hour the entire town was pouring over the found images.

It did not take long for folks to piece together that Grace was the author of the post.  The Porters are the only folks who have moved to Fair River in the past decade, at least the only ones who've stuck around.  With language like, "since my family moved here" and references to social media, Grace seemed a more probable author than either of her parents.

Poor child.  Ever since the blog post started making its rounds, she has been inundated with messages and calls from gossips and amateur sleuths alike.  It seems every half hour, there's another knock at the door.

The Porters are from the city originally, which is why they're the only people here to have security cameras around the house.  The video and audio quality of the cameras is a little lacking; they're hardly more than a decoy.  But in reviewing the security footage of the front door camera, I came across an interesting encounter with Sheriff Mitchell.  Here is a transcript of the interaction.  Note that M is for Sheriff Mitchell and G is for Grace.

Transcript of Grace's Encounter with Sheriff Mitchell

There is a knock at the front door.  Inside the house, you see Grace come into frame and walk to the window.  She peels back the curtain and stares out for a moment before heading to the door.

The figure at the door is blurry, but if you're from around here, you'll know by the hat that it's Sheriff Mitchell.  He and Grace exchange pleasantries.

G: What can I help you with?
M: I read your, uh, blog post.  Some of the things you wrote, they weren't very nice.  I work hard to keep this town safe.
G: Sorry.  I wasn't [unintelligible 05:57:30]
M: You know, you can come to me if there's trouble.
G: Okay.

[Pause]

M: I saw you found Colin's camera.  Or at least, that's what your post says.
G: I ... I did.
M: Why don't you let me have a look at that camera?  Those pictures could be important to the case, you know?
G: I don't have it anymore.
M: Then where is it?
G: I don't know.
M: You don't know.
G: I ... lost it
M: You're a bad liar, Grace.  Now why don't you be a good girl and fetch it for me?
G: I can't.  I don't have it.
M: Why don't you let me in and I'll see if I can find it?

The sheriff puts a hand on the door frame.  Grace moves toward the sheriff, blocking the entryway.

G: My parents are out.  They don't want anyone inside when they're gone.
M: I'm sure they'd be willing to make an exception.
G: You can come back when they're home.
M: I don't have time to wait around.  That's potential evidence of a crime you've got there, assuming it's real and not some sort of prank you're in on with Willow and Collin.
G: It's not a prank.  I swear.
M: Sure.  I bet you got her out in the woods somewhere, right?  [Laughs]
G: I don't know what you're talking about.

[Pause]

M: Seems awful funny that camera sat out there two weeks before someone found it, still working after all that time.
G: Maybe it's weird, but it's the truth.
M: Like I was sayin', that's evidence.  If you don't turn it over, I can't do my job.  That's called obstruction of justice.  You know what happens to people who do that?
G: No.
M: They go to jail.
G: Please, I told you.  I don't have it.
M: Then where is it?

Grace is silent for a moment.  When she speaks, her voice is barely above a whisper, not loud enough for the camera's microphone to distinguish from the humming of the fan you hear in the background.

G: [unintelligible 06:01:43]
M: Jane, you say?  As in Jane Howard?

Like I said, the video quality's not very good, but if you look closely, you'll see the slightest bob of Grace's head.

M: If I find out you're lyin', you're gonna be in big trouble, you understand?
G: I'm not lying.
M: All right, well, I'll be off for now, but I've got my eye on you, missy.  You got that?

Grace nods.  The sheriff turns.  His figure is cut off when the door swings shut.  Grace moves out of frame, but you can hear her sobbing.

The sheriff now is saying that the pictures must have been staged by Willow and Collin as a publicity stunt.  They hired Grace to leak the photos, and soon enough, they'll be back in town to revel in their fifteen minutes of fame.

Fair River's residents are torn.  Plenty question the sheriff's competence, but how would he have managed to miss such a key piece of evidence in his search?  Then again, the woods work in mysterious ways.  Perhaps whatever entities inhabit the woods wanted it to be found by someone else.

And what about Grace?  Money's a strong motivator for a teenager, sure, but would she let Willow's family believe for weeks on end that Willow was gone if she knew otherwise?  Not to mention, Willow would have to be in on this too.  Sure, she didn't get on well with her folks, but she and Jane were always close.  Would she fake her disappearance and devastate Jane for a publicity stunt?

I'm not a betting person myself, but my money's on the woods.