Exiles

As Dwyer gets on stage, a picture of Kim is projected on the backdrop with the words “Have you seen me?” and a phone number (83). Dwyer asks the audience to share any information they have about Kim. Raco talks to Naomi Kerr, Henry’s future godmother. Then Raco and Falk talk about Dwyer going camping last year after the death of his daughter during the festival. Zara takes the microphone, and a slideshow of Kim plays behind her. Raco wonders where Zara got some of the images, including one with Naomi. She asks her mother to come home.

Rohan takes the microphone next and asks any witnesses to come forward. Raco tells Falk that only six minutes are missing from Rohan’s timeline the night of Kim’s disappearance. This probably rules him out as a suspect. Falk thinks over the rest of Rohan’s timeline. They observe a minute of silence for Kim. While most of the crowd looks down, Raco watches Dwyer scan the crowd, which Falk notices.

Raco, Falk, and Charlie head back to Charlie’s house while Zara continues to pass out flyers with Joel. Rita assures Falk that the firepit has only light bulbs rather than a fire, as they know he and Raco are traumatized from having been caught in a wildfire. They talk about Kiewarra’s fire season, and Falk thinks about the changes in his hometown. Friends moved away, and new people moved in. Charlie shows them an album that Zara made filled with pictures of her mother, including ones from the slideshow.

They look through the album. When they come to pictures of Dean, Rita suggests Zara make copies for Joel. Raco says that Dean’s car accident happened by the reservoir, and afterward the road was closed. When Charlie goes to bed, Rita tells Falk that Charlie was close friends with Dean, and their friend group included Shane and Rohan. The driver of the vehicle that killed Dean was never found.

Raco gives Falk a large file about Kim and asks him to look it over. Falk does so and finds summaries of witness statements, festival committee meeting minutes, an algae report, and more. The file contains a numbered and labeled collection of photographs. Raco’s notes indicate he doesn’t know some people in the pictures. Falk finds a picture of Gemma and a list of names of people that don’t seem to be in the pictures.

The chapter flashes back to Falk and Gemma’s meeting in Melbourne. After their kiss, Gemma buys Falk a paper planner to help with his busy task force at work. He asks for her number. She begins to write it down but stops and says no. As Falk thinks about his actions over the evening, she assures him that he didn’t do anything wrong. They part, and Falk wishes she had given him her number.

Falk thinks about how he spotted Gemma at the festival the previous year. He watched her talk with Naomi by the Ferris wheel, and his focus on her kept him from recalling details about Kim. Falk also passed her at the police station during questioning. He kept and used the planner she gave him.

In the morning, Falk and Raco sit outside the guesthouse and talk about Zara and the file. Raco explains some of the documents but doesn’t remember the significance of the algae report. Naomi arrives, and Raco mentions pictures of a party in the file. Naomi says it was the party that happens in the woods each year during the festival. One year when they were teenagers, Kim and Charlie fought at the party, and Kim left. Naomi found her passed out and covered in vomit. Her skirt was in an unsettling position, but her underwear was in place. Naomi walked her to safety.

Naomi tells Falk that Kim didn’t remember the event the next day and felt embarrassed when Naomi told her what happened. Kim asked Naomi not to say anything, and Naomi didn’t until Kim disappeared. Naomi regrets waiting. Father Connor, Raco’s priest, arrives to meet Falk and Naomi as they will be Henry’s godparents.

Naomi mentions that she feels guilty because she hadn’t spoken to Kim in over a year before her disappearance. Zara comes in, and Naomi tells her she wishes she had been a better friend to Kim. Zara asks for a ride to the festival to meet Joel, and Falk agrees to take her. Naomi hints that Falk should talk to Gemma, who is a good friend of hers. She also mentions that Gemma talked about meeting Falk in Melbourne in a positive light.

As Zara and Falk drive to the festival, Zara says that the large file Raco made is proof that Kim’s disappearance is not a suicide. After arriving at the festival, they walk to the woods where teenagers party during the festival. There is a clearing with a firepit, and Falk recognizes the location from the pictures in Raco’s file. Zara demonstrates the clear line of sight to the reservoir. Falk, however, doesn’t believe someone would necessarily have seen Kim at night during a party. Joel joins them with his dog.

Zara tells Falk that while she didn’t see Kim the night she disappeared, she saw Naomi by the reservoir. Joel confirms Naomi came out of the gate where he was working. Joel talks about his father’s death near the same spot. Zara believes there’s a connection between Dean’s death and Kim’s disappearance. They see Dwyer near the reservoir, which demonstrates the line of sight. Dwyer waves Falk down to him. Joel warns Falk that Dwyer wasn’t helpful in either Dean or Kim’s case.

Falk reaches Dwyer, who points out that the clearing in the woods can be seen from the reservoir. The line of sight is clear in both directions. He also shows Falk the memorial plaque to Dean, whose car accident happened here. (The plaque has been vandalized.) Dwyer tells him he doesn’t believe the theory that Dean and Kim are connected. Dwyer also admits his surprise that they haven’t found Kim’s body, but he hopes they will. When they talk about Naomi’s claim that Kim might have been assaulted at the party years before, Dwyer is annoyed that people are “clutching their pearls” (145). Dwyer says Raco’s file makes him think there is more to Kim’s disappearance than suicide. He mentions that no one testified to talking to Kim the night she disappeared, implying that someone in her close circle is hiding something.