Chapter Eighteen: What Happened to Adam Parson?

Summary

• The detention center where Eugene is supposed to be detained looks deceptively like a school, but with security measures like barbed wire and iron grates.
• Eugene is taken to the detention center with his family, where he is expected to stay temporarily due to a detention order.
• Shannon, the caregiver, informs Eugene and his family about the detention process and the expected routine in detention, but visitors are not allowed due to Covid restrictions.
• Outside the detention center, Detective Janus and the family experience a delay, waiting for forms at the picnic area rather than being allowed inside immediately.
• As they wait, the chapter describes the distress felt observing the happy display cases in contrast to the grim reality the detention center represents.
• A brief break from the stress comes from watching Eugene enjoy a Manhwa video, and the family shares a moment of warmth in the sun.
• Their worries escalate when they see an emotionally blank teenager behind the detention center bars, leading to fear for Eugene's well-being should he be detained.
• There is a sudden turn of events when an outbreak of Covid in the juvenile detention center leads to a temporary facility lockdown, preventing Eugene's admission.
• The family briefly celebrates the possibility of Eugene going home instead of being detained but remains concerned about the upcoming court hearing.
• Back at the police station, further investigation into their father Adam's disappearance reveals a new security video that might provide answers.
• Guilt surfaces for momentarily forgetting their missing father among the relief for Eugene.
• Amid the complex situation, it's revealed the family kept secrets, including the father's potential cancer diagnosis and the results of his unusual experiments.
• The lawyer Shannon warns the family about the severity of possible charges against Eugene, like manslaughter, and the potential for him to be sent to a state facility for treatment.
• Shannon lays out a clear and pragmatic strategy for defending Eugene, focused on alternative theories for Adam's disappearance.
• The family grapples with the devastating thought that proving scenarios like their father's suicide or disappearance would be a better outcome for Eugene's legal situation.
• A realization dawns that if their father is alive and absent by choice, he doesn't deserve their loyalty, but if he isn't, protecting Eugene is paramount.
• Shannon and the family make plans to gather evidence and prepare for the hearing within the next two days.