The Things She's Seen

As Catching finishes her story, the wind dies down. Beth is shocked to realize that it is now morning. The story has had a powerful impact on her father; his face is “crumpled,” and he tells Catching how sorry he is for what she experienced. Catching reminds him of her earlier warning that he was too late to save her. She tells Michael where the entrance to the bunker is. As Michael stands, Beth sees him transform back into the father she has always known: a determined, strong, and clear-headed man. She recognizes that the familiar lines in his face are deeper now, etched by pain, but otherwise he seems like himself. Catching looks tired but somehow free. She surprises Beth with a genuine smile and tells Beth to go with her father and to stop worrying. She states that Beth will “know when [she] knows” (172). Beth decides that this is good advice and follows her father.

Michael heads toward the ruins of the children’s home and makes Beth promise not to follow him inside. Hartley is waiting, and she and Michael search the ground. Beth, still confused about the true meaning of Catching’s story, is surprised when her father locates the door to the underground bunker. Michael and Hartley descend. While Beth waits for them, she finds a pair of glasses on the ground and recognizes them as belonging to Alex Sholt. Suddenly, she understands the connection between Catching’s story and the children’s home and connects each element of Catching’s allegory with the real-life event it represents. She now knows who killed Sholt and the others.

Michael and Hartley emerge from the bunker, shaken. Hartley tells Michael that she spotted Derek Bell’s jacket in one of the rooms and now understands what he was hiding. She and Michael discuss the fact that Sholt, Bell, Cavanagh, and Flint were all likely involved in a scheme to abduct and sexually assault girls. Michael explains to Hartley that the burned body found at the home is almost certainly Sholt’s. He reluctantly explains that Sarah Blue was likely among the men’s earliest victims. Hartley is stunned and angry, and she blames herself for not seeing what kind of a person Bell was. Michael tells her to pull herself together for the long investigation ahead. They must now identify victims and discover who else might have been involved. Michael suspects that Gerry Bell failed to investigate Sarah’s disappearance properly because he suspected his son’s involvement.

Michael gives Hartley a plausible version of events that disguises Catching’s involvement. He tells her that Bell probably killed Sholt, Cavanagh, and Flint, and states that Charles Sholt likely killed Bell as revenge for his own son’s death. Beth can see that Hartley believes this version.

Michael sends Hartley to escort his team to the site, and he and Beth are left alone. He tells Beth that he believes that Catching is also dead. Beth protests that Catching is alive, in the hospital, and he reminds her of the night they met Catching. She realizes that the first girl she saw in the hospital really was the witness they were seeking; Catching simply inserted herself into the investigation. Michael tells Beth of his belief that Catching’s mother died a few months ago during a big storm in the area. He theorizes that Bell covered up this death to keep anyone from looking for Catching. Michael believes that Catching died in the underground bunker or on the night of the fire, but Beth still disagrees. When Michael tells Beth that they arrived too late to help, Catching, who has appeared nearby, tells them that this doesn’t matter because “It’s the beginning that hasn’t happened yet” (184).