The Partner

With the federal deal done and the paperwork signed, Patrick and Sandy turn their attention to the murder charge. Pepper Scarboro is still presumed to be the body in the car. Sandy asks Patrick what happened to Pepper. Patrick says that as far as he knows, Pepper is still alive.

Patrick tells Sandy the story of his relationship with Pepper. They met years earlier when Pepper was living alone in the woods. Pepper was an expert woodsman. He also had a miserable home life and some minor legal troubles. Patrick talked him into disappearing. He acquired a new ID for Pepper and a few hours before Patrick’s own disappearance, he put Pepper on a bus headed for Oregon, where Pepper dreamed of becoming a hunting guide. Patrick’s intention was for everyone to think—once it became obvious that Patrick was still alive—that Pepper had died in the car crash, thus ensuring that Pepper will get an entirely new start.

Benny Aricia is on the run. Eva is released from jail. She calls her father and learns that he has been released unharmed. A letter from Patrick tells her to go first to New York and then to London. She thinks of Patrick bored in his room with nothing to do but think of places to send her.