Jack (Matthew Ashford) and Chad (Billy Flynn) find something shocking… or someone.
Clinging to the possibility that his late daughter may actually be alive, Jack tells Chad the lab is making a final attempt at enhancing the “Abigail” video.
Father Knows Best
“Jack dares to be hopeful,” says Matthew Ashford (Jack). “He came back to Salem to check in on Chad and his kids. Chad’s doing the best he can, but Jack knows that Chad is afraid to hope, so he’s saying, ‘I’ll hope for both of us.’ Then, suddenly, they’re running down these leads. I mean, the fact that they went and dug open Abigail’s grave and it was empty was pretty spooky. The fact that [her body is] gone and Clyde is [saying she’s alive]…. They don’t know if what he’s saying is true or not true.”
Jack decides to move forward and, hopefully, find out the answer to that million-dollar question. “They have these pictures, and it’s something they can look into,” notes Ashford. “Jack has connections locally with The Spectator. Even though the pictures and video are not really conclusive of anything, he can do more with it. So he does.”
Later, Jack returns from the lab with the enhanced video. He and Chad watch it, but are discouraged when they still can’t tell if the woman is Abigail. “Jack feels partly responsible for [getting Chad’s hopes up],” explains Ashford. “But at the same time, if there’s a possibility, a chance [that Abigail’s alive], who knows her better than her dad and her husband who could make this judgment? It appears to be a dead end, and it’s terribly frustrating and hard to face, especially when all they want is proof of life.”
Getting A Clue
The two men begin to look for clues in the video, something that might lead them to the woman’s whereabouts. “Chad is the first one to do it,” recounts Ashford. “He starts questioning the room. It’s all they have to work with. If this is Abigail, then she is being held, which is not good. And this place doesn’t look like a nice hotel by any means.”
They finally find a clue that leads them to Poplar Bluff – Clyde’s hometown. Galvanized, Chad and Jack decide to head there immediately. “Chad has a jet, so they can do it,” says Ashford. “They’re not contacting anyone or telling anyone where they’re going, but they decide to go. If it turns out it’s nothing, then so be it. They’re going to follow this to the end because at least it’s something they can do.”
Chad and Jack land in Poplar Bluff, and after a false start, arrive at an abandoned apartment complex. They discover a locked door and hear a noise from within. “There’s somebody in there,” Ashford reports. “Jack’s thinking, ‘It’s got to be Abigail on the other side.’ But I think Chad is just afraid to dream that, afraid to hope that. Jack’s hoping for both of them again. As her parent, he just has to believe.”
After making their way inside the room, Jack and Chad discover something disturbing. “It’s the last thing they expect to see in this abandoned apartment in this little Podunk town,” teases Ashford. “They’re both shocked.”