AMANDA:
My daughter said Sadie tried to … take her? She had my daughter’s arm, and wanted her to come with her and when my daughter wouldn’t, Sadie gave her money to buy books. My daughter was reading voraciously then, she was always down at the used bookstore. You said you think Sadie might have been trying to remove my daughter from the house. To save her.
WEST McCRAY:
That’s what I choose to believe.
AMANDA:
When I asked my daughter why she didn’t tell me about Sadie, she broke down. She said I had enough to worry about, that she didn’t want to upset me. I found out later that was something Jack said to her a lot, to keep her quiet. That if she came to me, and told me anything was wrong, that I would be furious with her …
I’m glad he’s dead.
WEST McCRAY [STUDIO]: Amanda’s daughter’s account put Sadie in the area at the time Jack Hersh was killed. I called Danny that night.
DANNY GILCHRIST [PHONE]: How are you doing?
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: I just told a mother there was a high possibility her daughter was being sexually abused by the man she let into her house. She … screamed, Danny. I can’t even describe to you the sound.
DANNY GILCHRIST [PHONE]: I’m sorry, man.
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: I’ve told the Farfield PD what I know. They want to review all my material—I’ve got copies, but …
DANNY GILCHRIST [PHONE]: Give them what they want, and take the time you need.
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: I just—where is she, Danny? If they met, and he walked away from it—until it caught up with him, at least—where is she?
WEST McCRAY [STUDIO]: After I was interviewed by the Farfield PD, I headed back to Cold Creek to explain to May Beth and Claire all that had happened—what I knew, and everything I didn’t.
MAY BETH FOSTER:
Oh, Sadie. Oh, my girl.
CLAIRE SOUTHERN:
So where is she?
WEST McCRAY:
I don’t know, Claire.
CLAIRE SOUTHERN:
That’s not good enough.
WEST McCRAY:
I don’t know what happened to her after she arrived at Jack’s house. I don’t know where she went. Jack was there when she arrived. I think it’s safe to assume they met each other. I don’t know what happened after that. They must have left the house at some point. Jack returned. Sadie didn’t. Her car was found on a dirt road. He died. She’s still missing. The police are looking into it. That’s all I know.
CLAIRE SOUTHERN:
No. May Beth said you’d find her. May Beth said that’s the whole point of this—that’s why you’re here. You’re supposed to find her— WEST McCRAY:
I’ve tried.
CLAIRE SOUTHERN:
What does that mean? You’re just—you’re just giving up? You think there’s no one out there to look for, is that it?
WEST McCRAY [STUDIO]: At that point, my mind was circling the state Jack was described as returning home in; dirty, pained, injured and then dead. I believed an altercation occurred between him and Sadie.
I wanted to believe Sadie survived it.
But I couldn’t say for sure.
WEST McCRAY [TO CLAIRE]: I’ve got to review everything I have and figure out where that leaves us. I’m headed back to New York.
CLAIRE SOUTHERN:
Of course you are.
WEST McCRAY [STUDIO]: The trip back to the city was heavy.
I spent the weekend with my daughter and she could tell something was wrong. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight, but at the same time, I almost couldn’t bear to look at her. I felt as restless and reckless as I imagined Sadie was back then, like I had a need to run, to get back on the road, to drive until I fulfilled my purpose. I was supposed to find her, and bring her home to May Beth and her mother. I could barely cope with the failure stopping seemed to symbolize. It was too final. But I was in a position where the only thing I was able to do was go over what I had and wait for the next something—anything.
DANNY GILCHRIST:
Okay, assuming they did finally encounter each other, what do you think happened between them?
WEST McCRAY:
I think they met. Sadie was about to blow the lid off on Jack’s life and it went badly from there. The way Amanda described Jack to me when he returned, it didn’t sound like their encounter went down without a fight. I think his stab wound was an act of self-defense—for Sadie. Amanda didn’t say there was anything out of place at the house, no suggestion of violence. I think wherever Jack came back from, that’s where it happened.
DANNY GILCHRIST:
Maybe where they found the car?
WEST McCRAY:
Possibly. If Sadie didn’t drive it there herself, Jack could have.
DANNY GILCHRIST:
Where do you think that leaves Sadie, if Jack did drive it?
WEST McCRAY:
Are you asking me if I think he killed Sadie, ditched her car on a dirt road and managed to get himself back home before dying?
DANNY GILCHRIST:
Yeah, I guess I am.
WEST McCRAY:
Ask me something else.
DANNY GILCHRIST:
You think he killed Mattie, don’t you?
WEST McCRAY [STUDIO]: If I’ve learned anything about Sadie Hunter, it was that she was almost a secondary player in her own life. She lived for Mattie, lived to love, care for and protect her little sister, with every breath.
It seems likely now, that Jack abused Sadie, but I have a hard time accepting that this alone would inspire her to relentlessly pursue him the way that she did. And I don’t know how she knew that Jack was responsible for Mattie’s death, but, as she told Ellis at the Bluebird, “He did something to my sister.”
And if that is the case, why did Jack come back to Cold Creek? And was it always in his plan to return, years later, to find Mattie there, to steal her away from her family—forever?
These are the questions that keep me up at night.
[PHONE RINGING]
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: West McCray.
MAY BETH FOSTER [PHONE]: It’s May Beth.
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: It’s good to hear your voice. What’s going on?
MAY BETH FOSTER [PHONE]: They matched the DNA from Mattie’s crime scene to Jack.
DETECTIVE SHEILA GUTIERREZ:
The Farfield PD, in conjunction with the Allensberg PD and the help of the FBI were able to match the DNA evidence from Mattie’s crime scene with a sample we had on file from Jack, from a previous felony, a burglary. It was in the state database. Norah Stackett also confirmed the truck she saw Mattie get into was his. We’re still looking for Ms. Hunter. Our investigation is ongoing, so if anyone has any information regarding either Jack Hersh or Sadie Hunter, we ask them to please call us at 555-3592.
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: I’m coming down there.
MAY BETH FOSTER [PHONE]: No … no. It’s okay. Please don’t.
WEST McCRAY [PHONE]: I’d really like to talk to you— MAY BETH FOSTER [PHONE]: I’m sure we’ll talk again. But right now, right now, we just need some time.
WEST McCRAY [STUDIO]: So I give them time.
A lot of time. I spend the winter and spring working on the show, and when I’m not doing that, I continue my work for Always Out There. Sadie’s story starts coming together, building toward—well, that’s the problem. I still don’t know to what end. I ask May Beth if she and Claire would be willing to talk to me to figure that out. By then, it’s June.
She agrees.
It’s a bit poetic, arriving in Cold Creek a year after Sadie first left. This must have been what it looked like when she stepped out of her trailer and said good-bye to what remained of her life without Mattie. The flower beds are in full bloom and surprisingly, Claire still lives with May Beth. She helps manage Sparkling River Estates in exchange for the room and she’s clean, still.
MAY BETH FOSTER:
I don’t know. It’s not always been easy—sometimes I just wanna … sometimes, I just can’t stand her and I know sometimes, she can’t stand me. But it feels like the right thing to do. If she wants to stay, I guess I want to let her.
WEST McCRAY:
How are you doing?