Hilde Lisko

"You're afraid we’re right and if we are that means you did something wrong here. The truth is what makes everything work right. That's what my Dad says. It’s bigger than me. It's bigger than you. It's bigger than all of us."

- Hilde to Sheriff Briggs

Hilde Lisko is the titular character in the Apple TV+ series, Home Before Dark. She is portrayed by Brooklynn Prince.

Hilde returns to her hometown and uncovers the secrets behind a mysterious murder. She becomes a brave investigative journalist with a penchant for exposing the truth. In the process, Hilde is forced to confront her father's secrets. She is the founder and publisher of The Magic Hour Chronicle.

Biography
Hilde was born on October 29, 2009 in Brooklyn, New York to investigative reporter Matthew Lisko and his wife, defense attorney Bridget Jensen. She is the younger sister of Izzy and older sister of Ginny. Hilde and her family lived primarily in Brooklyn, New York, where Hilde would often keep her father company during his investigations and reporting's. He taught her how to memorize witness statements, look for clues, ask the right questions, and they were quite the duo. She was happy to live her life in this way and was adored by her parents for her brilliance. She soon created her own online newspaper The Bed Stuy Beat where she reported on things happening around town, with her strong desire to find the truth in every situation motivating her. While her presence was small, Hilde took pride in her work, even though it led to friction with Izzy, who wanted a normal sister. When Matt was fired from his job, he wanted to work on a fiction novel, while Bridget longed for a break from the city. With the decline in Matt's father's mental health and the Lisko's financial troubles, it seemed like the perfect time to move their family to Erie Harbor, Washington. Hilde wasn't happy with the move as she didn't want to give up reporting despite her sister's hopes the move to a small town would make for a quieter life.

Season 1
In "Magic Hour", nine-year-old, Hilde Lisko moves from New York to Erie Harbor following her fathers firing as a reporter for a New York magazine. She is upset about the move for a number of reasons, but primarily due to her growing online investigative newspaper that had garnered over 100 subscribers. Her family, comprised of her father Matthew Lisko, mother Bridget, and her older sister Izzy, hope that Hilde will let go of her investigative side and be a normal kid in Erie Harbor. This is not the case, as her first night in the small town, she takes detailed notes of her surroundings and finds everything to be suspicious. She logs a man digging in his yard - wondering if he's digging something up or burying it. A yard sale also catches her eye. In the middle of the night, she sees a car outside her house watching her. She finds it suspicious and relays the sighting to her family, who tries to brush off the situation off, though Hilde thinks it was an undercover cop. Hilde and Izzy are forced to attend school that day, though Hilde struggles to find a group of friends and resorts to eating her lunch alone outside.

Hilde leaves school early and rides her scooter to the yard sale. She bombards the house's owner, Penny Gillis, with questions about the items she's selling and the lack of price tags. Penny recognizes Hilde's last name as she was friends with Hilde's father, Matt, when they were kids. Penny walks Hilde home, along with Matt's former bicycle, as she wants him to have it back. Matt is surprised by the gift and his distance is noted by Hilde, who is reprimanded for being out past dark. Her father scolds her that she can't be out past dark, as that's the magic hour she has to abide by. As she struggles to sleep, she hears commotion in the streets and investigates. She finds Penny's house surrounded by emergency responders and learns that Penny had an alleged accident that resulted in her death. Hilde doesn't believe it's an accident as she takes note of the forced entry, odd footprints, and the lead cop, Lieutenant Frank Briggs Jr. calling the area a crime scene despite it not being a murder. Hilde is forced off the scene but takes mental pictures of everything she sees.

She goes door-to-door in an attempt to learn more, but finds no success as people turn her away. Hilde returns home and write a new article, "The Magic Hour Chronicles" where she reports that Penny's death was a murder. Her article causes ramifications in the town with Matt confronting her for not being a normal kid. At school, she is met with bullying over her allegations and becomes a social pariah. Bridget is even called to speak with the principal over Hilde's article, and pressured to make Hilde stop writing. Bridget refuses to stop her daughter's dreams. Outside the office, Hilde meets a fellow student named Donny Davis. After her last last period, Hilde goes to the police station to request files on Penny's case, but is met with pushback by the male officers. Mackenzie Johnson takes Hilde under her wing and lets her see the reports, becoming impressed with Hilde's investigative skills. Hilde points out that a VCR is missing from the yard sale. She also learns that years ago, a boy named Richie Fife was abducted and murdered, with Penny's brother having been convicted of the crime. Officer Johnson encourages Hilde to continue investigating, but use her as an anonymous tip.

Meanwhile, Hilde's parents tell her that her article had no comments despite there being nearly a hundred negative ones. She is hurt by her parent's lies and confronts Matt over the secret. She loses faith in herself for a while until she recalls her favorite film's message to get back up after being knocked down. At school the next day, she stands on the cafeteria table and reads the mean comments aloud. The school initially laughs at her until the comments become cruel, in which, they listen silently. Izzy, Spoon, and Donny Davis join Hilde on the table in solidarity. The event leads to a food fight, in which Principal Collins intervenes. Hilde matches the oddly shaped triangular shoe print in a pile of mashed potatoes to the one outside Penny's house. Hilde is taken to the principal's office and reprimanded for her actions. When Principal Collins leaves to get a change of clothes, Hilde notices the symbol on the cover of Moby Dick matches Principal Collin's necklace. Behind the book she finds a key to a locked cabinet, where the missing VCR is stored. She pushes the machine out the window and steals it after school. Hilde and Izzy play the tape at home and witness Richie Fife being abducted as he rides his bike home with two kids. Hilde believes the other kid is her father Matt, and wants to confront him over the secrecy. She also has a theory that Principal Collins killed Penny. Izzy tells her not to confront their father over the tape until they know it's him, because even if it is, this could be serious. Hilde agrees but does confront her father over not letting go of the Gillis case, as she believes he muted the comments so she wouldn't be discouraged. She plans to solve her friends murder.

In "Never Be the Same", Hilde awakens at the sound of a disturbance in the house. She and Ginny go the kitchen where they find bloody footprints leading to an older man. Ginny is scared by the man and runs away, but Hilde recognizes him as her grandfather. She takes the knife from his hands and gives him a hug. At breakfast, Matt bandages his fathers feet while Bridget attempts to get the sisters ready for school. Hilde loudly tries to tell her father of her recent discoveries but is asked to be quiet as this isn't the time. She stays quiet as she goes to school, but looks through old yearbooks and finds pictures of her father, Principal Collins, and Richie Fife together. She talks to Richie's former science teacher Mr. Sipple, who claims Matt changed after Richie's disappearance and wasn't an outgoing student. He became obsessed with solving the case but never could. With a mountain of evidence further connecting Principal Collins to Richie Fife, who was allegedly abducted and killed by Penny Gillis's brother, Hilde asks her newfound friends for help. She, Spoon, and Donny break into Penny's house to search for clues. Hilde finds more evidence that the story the police told her is a lie, including the working lightbulb over the stairs despite the police claiming Penny died while changing the lightbulb. The lack of glass, height of the light, and strange blood patterns further convinces Hilde this was a murder. She also finds dozens of prescription pills in a bathroom cabinet. As the trio look in the attic, they are caught off-guard by the sound of someone else in the house. They hide in a closet but are found by Officer Trip Johnson, who is gravely annoyed at their trespassing. They hear another sound of someone else inside, a true invader, though Officer Johnson isn't able to catch the perp.

Hilde and Officer Johnson exchange words outside Penny's house, with Officer Johnson admitting - off the record of course - that the death is suspicious and there could be more to the story. Hilde returns home and tells her parents about her day inside Penny's house, which shocks them. That night, Principal Collins visits the home to inform Matt that Hilde stole the VCR from her office. Hilde tries to explains her reasonings but is yelled at by Matt and sent to her room in tears. Matt eventually apologizes to Hilde for yelling at her, but states Principal Collins was at Penny's house earlier in the day to pick-up the VCR and tape from Penny. He calls her investigative work bad journalism as she had an unreliable source. She doesn't accept his apology as she views it as insincere and ingenuine. She wants to pursue the truth and is disappointed he is lying, keeping secrets, and trying to deter her from finding the truth. Ultimately, Matt does come around to the idea of Hilde being a legitimate reporter and gives her a genuine apology for his actions. He explains that he was friends with Richie and watched him be abducted, confirming what Hilde already knew - he was one of the boys on the tape. Knowing that she needs more information, she adds a "tips" section to her online newspaper with help from Izzy. She receives her first tip the next morning - from the imprisoned Sam Gillis.

In "Sting Like a Bee", her parents reluctantly agree to let Hilde interview Sam Gillis in prison, as Matt believes their daughter is ready after years of being his journalistic assistant while in Brooklyn. The trio visit the prison, but is overwhelmed with flashbacks and has to leave. A guard named Ed Quinin refuses to let Hilde or Bridget talk with Sam, citing that he's been moved to solitary confinement. He refuses to tell them what Sam did to deserve the punishment, and the girls are forced to leave. Bridget confronts Matt in the car over him leaving the jail, while Hilde listens worriedly as she can see the cracks in her parent's relationship. The car is pulled over by Lieutenant Frank Briggs Jr. for a petty violation of failing to register a new license plate since moving out of New York. It becomes clear to Bridget and Hilde that the conversation between Frank and Matt isn't just about the plates, and Frank gives Matt a layered warning. When he leaves the window, Hilde reveals to her parents that Frank is the man who watches their house every night. Bridget tries to assure Hilde that it isn't anything to worry about.

That night, Hilde confides in Izzy over her fear that something is happening with their parents, though Izzy falls asleep before hearing Hilde's question over a divorce. Hilde crawls into bed with her sister but when she wakes up a few hours later, Izzy is gone. Hilde follows her sisters trail to an abandoned cabin in the woods. She returns home where she makes contact with Sam via JPay, an app that allows inmates to video chat with outsiders for a fee. They plan to video chat tomorrow at school. Hilde, Spoon, and Donny go the school's library where Hilde asks the librarian to add her articles to the school archives, though the woman makes it clear she is displeased with the way Hilde is handling the case. The trio make contact with Sam via a school computer and try to convince him it's safe to tell them what he knows about Penny's murder, but Sam refuses to say anything over the phone as "they" are monitoring his calls. The call is cut-short when the librarian calls Kim Collins down to stop the children. Sam recognizes Kim which Hilde picks up on, shortly before she is taken to the principal's office again. Principal Collins admits that she thinks Sam is innocent, but the rest of the town thinks he's guilty.

That night, Hilde and her friends interrupt Izzy and Ethan at the cabin to make a deal - they get the cabin three nights a week in exchange for Hilde not telling their parents about her rendezvous with Ethan. Meanwhile, Matt comes home drunk which causes an argument with Bridget. In the morning, Matt finds Hilde poking around in his office. She asks him if he misses writing or being a journalist. He claims he doesn't. When alone again, Hilde finds one of her grandfather's origami projects in the trash and fixes it, remembering how he once taught her. She notices numbers on the creases and props it up for her father to see later, as she knows Matt is trying to crack the safe in the attic.

Now having a safe space to work, the trio creates a crime board where Hilde realizes that the Corrections Officer Ed Quinin is the one monitoring Sam's calls. She calls Trip and convinces her to follow-up on her hunch, later forcing Trip to take her along on the interview. When it becomes clear that Ed isn't home, Hilde breaks into the house through an open window to investigate. She finds the same pills that were in Penny's house in Ed's possession, and concludes that Ed was forcing Penny to provide the CO with drugs for the prison in exchange for Sam's safety inside. This gives Ed probable cause to murder Penny if she was planning on coming clean about the deal, or failed to deliver the drugs. This led to an altercation between the pair and Penny was pushed down the stairs by Ed, who then framed the crime scene to look like an accident. Ed is arrested for Penny's murder while Sam is called to see the warden.

Hilde writes a final entry in The Magic Hour Chronicle regarding Penny. She took the librarian’s advice to remember that Penny and Richie were real people with loved ones in Erie Harbor, and writes a beautiful commemoration to both of them. While Penny's case is solved, she knows that Richie's story is just beginning. Hilde’s article, coupled with Bridget’s discovery and the knowledge that his dad stopped doubting him a long time ago, encourages Matt to accept his journalistic side one again. Hilde reveals to Matt that according to Kim, Penny made a copy of the tape to give to Matt as she knew he was the only person who would help her. Matt tells Hilde that the kidnapper told him to “run” when Richie was abducted, but he doesn’t want to run anymore.

In "The Bird, Man", the sisters try to make breakfast without the help of their parents, who are at the local clinic to treat Matt's wounds from his fight the night before. Hilde goes through the mail and trash looking for clues and finds bloody paper towels. She also finds a copy of the VHS tape from the night Richie disappeared and tries to fix it with a spoon. She tries to play the tape but its a futile effort as it puffs out smoke. Izzy mentions that she knows their mom is mad at their dad and doesn’t know if they’ll break up. Hilde doesn’t want them to breakup and neither does Izzy. Izzy asks for Hilde's help in cleaning the house, that way their parents can just focus on their relationship. Hilde thinks the VHS is the way to fix things. Everything that's happening Erie Harbor is why Matt was obsessed in New York and she wants to find out what happened with Richie to make him better. She notes that the tape is new and wasn’t there thirty years ago. She needs to know who made it and where it came from if she wants to find out what happened that night. Just then, Frank bangs on the back door shouting for Matt as he wants the original VHS tape and not just the copy. Izzy and Hilde hide until Frank leaves, though Hilde leaves soon after him.

Hilde conspires with Spoon and Donny to get Principal Collins back to the school. She tells Kim what happened between Matt and Frank, including Frank destroying the copy, which is why Hilde wants to make a new copy to ensure its safety. Kim can't outright give them the tape or access, so she leaves her key on the table and gives them ten minutes alone. Hilde has Donny record the video on his phone. As they watch, they see a young boy appear - a boy that wasn't on Hilde's version. She recognizes him as Al Wergeles from the alumni board at the school. Spoon remarks that Al is called Birdman. The trio try to learn more about Birdman by interviewing the townspeople, but most of their findings are unimportant. They regroup at the cabin to share information.

Mr. Sipple didn't teach Birdman as he was homeschooled after a certain year, according to Meena. Hilde wonders if his parents took him out of school because he was a danger to himself and others, basing her assumptions on the more disturbing rumors of bird mutilations. They decide to find Birdman for themselves, and search for him at the old carnival site where he works the graveyard shift. They split-up to cover more ground, with Hilde eventually following him through the mirror exhibit. She emerges to find him with Spoon and Donny admiring a flock of birds.

Hilde interrogates Birdman about his past and learns that his previous arrest for ruining a bulldozer was because the loggers wanted to destroy his favorite bird-watching tree. He explains that he was nicknamed Birdman by Hilde's father, Matt, and his two friends Frankie and Richie. The trio would torment Al over his obsession with birds. He hated the nickname at first but came to accept his given role. She asks why he set up the camera and he admits it was to watch the birds. He unknowingly caught the kidnapping on camera. She asks why he didn't give it over to the police, but he reveals that he did. He gave it too Lieutenant Frank Briggs Sr. in the hopes it would free Sam and help Richie come back. However, Briggs paid Al forty dollars and threatened to charge him with obstruction of justice if he leaked the video.

Now fueled with evidence, Hilde attends the local clambake Q&A with the Sheriff. She is the only person with a real question who isn't just interested in the food. She confronts Briggs about the existence of the tape, but he claims it doesn't exist. Hilde has a copy that proves his son’s testimony is a lie. He tries to brush it off as her being an imaginative child. Izzy and Matt arrive and Matt announces that he's done fitting in. He bursts into the Q&A to defend Hilde's right to ask her questions. He encourages his daughter to ask. She asks why Briggs didn't submit the tape into evidence and why he forced his son to lie on the stand. Matt asks Briggs if he forced Frank to perjure himself. Briggs orders the deputies to escort Matt away. As she leaves, Hilde promises the truth will come out.

Back at the Lisko house, Hilde finishes posting the Richie Fife abduction video. She also talks with Matt over his omission regarding the fight with Frank not being an accident. They both agree not to leave things out of their stories anymore. Matt knows Bridget wants him to tell Hilde not to get into fights, but he wants Hilde to know that if she does get into a fight it should be for for a good reason. Because who she is right now is gonna follow her for a long time so she has to make it count. The family's quiet moment is ruined by the smell of smoke. They find Hilde's bike in flames.

In "The Green Bike", Hilde and Izzy join Matt in the living room where he has things in case of an emergency. He assures them it’s precautionary and they don't have anything to worry about. Izzy recaps the events of the last few weeks and sarcastically adds that everything is amazing. He wants to be prepared and runs through the supplies - including an air horn. Hilde blames herself for bringing the paper here and Izzy agrees that Hilde should stop writing. Matt refuses to let that happen. Instead, they need to be prepared and alert. Some fear is a good fear. People will always tell them they’re overreacting and it’s worse for girls so they have to stick to their gut. He makes them promise to tell him the next time Frank Briggs shows up. Bridget is going to a meeting but wants Matt to ensure Ginny doesn’t play with the fire extinguisher anymore.

Hilde's article on Richie Fife has over twenty-thousand views in one night. Donny and Spoon are elated over the rise in their online popularity. Principal Collins pulls Hilde out of class and takes her to the office where Mayor Jack Fife is waiting for her. He asks her to take down the abduction video but she refuses. Mayor Fife is tense with Hilde, forcing Collins to mediate the conversation. Hilde is sorry for his loss but thinks Sam is innocent and the real killer is still out there walking around. Fife remarks on the oddity of having such a conversation with a child, and Kim remarks that she's still getting used to it. Hilde knows Briggs saw the video before and reminds the Mayor that Sheriff would never admit to losing evidence before an election. She asks him to reopen the investigation but he's reluctant.

After school, Hilde, Spoon, and Donny head to Syl's Cycles in search of a new bike for Hilde. They only have twenty-two dollars for a bike, so Ethan lends them a bike for free. She learns that Sally's Salvage yard has all the old vehicles from police cases. The trio head to Sally's and find the van. They also witness Briggs paying Sally to destroy the van so no one can ever see it again. Hilde notices that the gas cap is on the wrong side of the van - the one in the video was on the left but Sam's is on the right. The group is spotted by Briggs and fork off in different directions. Hilde uses the air horn to distract Briggs so her friends can escape. She is taken to the Holmes County Sheriff's Department as punishment.

Briggs warns that while trespassing might have been a minor infraction in New York, here in Erie Harbor, it can result in family services being called. Bridget picks Hilde up from the station. Once in the car, Hilde breaks down as she can't fix her family. Bridget comforts Hilde by reminding her they have to do it together not by themselves. When they get home, Kathryn Briggs is waiting with a special tip. In 1988, she saw her father watch the Richie Fife abduction video and throw it away. She gave it to her mom who gave it to Penny Gillis last year.

In "88 Miles an Hour", Hilde reexamines the Richie Fife case, learning that the Sheriff never investigated certain leads or interviewed a number of witnesses. Most of whom are now dead. However, she does find it interesting that Sylvester kept referring to a man with a sinner tattoo in his notes. Her investigation brings her back to Mayor Fife, who is avoiding her calls. She's spoken to the other witnesses from Richie's case but they haven't produced any credible leads. She asks her father what he does when sources are dodging him, and believes it's time to appeal to the stomachs. He and Hilde bring Mayor Fife ice cream from the Waterside Creamery, as Spoon's mother owns the shop. They appeal to the Mayor's emotional yet logical side. Lucy thinks her father should at least entertain the idea of Richie's case having been solved incorrectly. Fife concedes and shows them Richie's room, which is still preserved from 1988.

A table is full of cassette tapes from a tip line that Richie's mother set-up. She record hours worth of tapes. A collection is from a man named Fernando - an indigenous man who claimed to be a psychic. He had hours worth of tapes as he charged Richie's mother twenty five dollars and hour for them. Fife leaves Matt and Hilde alone so they can listen through the tapes. They recruit Spoon and Donny for help. The tapes don't produce anything so they decide to track down Fernando since he's the only one who said Sam was innocent.

Hilde and Matt visit the psychic shop and are talked into performing a séance with Fernando. He brings out Richie's red jacket that Mrs. Fife had given him so he could better channel Richie's spirit. Hilde eagerly notices there is blood on the jacket, with Matt adding that DNA testing didn't exist back then. He offers to but the jacket but Fernando refuses to sell as he needs it for his séance and other rituals. The séance itself doesn't go very well as Fernando seemingly connects with Richie's spirit. He answers a few questions for Matt in an attempt to prove his credibility. When it becomes evident that Fernando is lying, Hilde grabs Richie's jacket and runs out of the shop. She and Matt hide while Fernando searches for them. They rejoice in their victory as even though the jacket would be inadmissible in court, it's at least a solid lead.

As they wait for Matt's contact to respond to his inquiry for DNA testing, Matt forces Hilde to attend the Erie Harbor School 1980s costume dance. Hilde is reluctant to go but manages to find a decent time with Donny and Spoon. Donny is excited as his father owns a screen-printing company and printed merchandise for The Magic Hour Chronicle. He and Spoon try to get Hilde to dance with them but she refuses, offering to "guard the merch" instead. She notices Izzy leave the dance with Ethan and follows her into a bathroom.

A group of older school kids are vaping marijuana in the bathroom. Alpha Jessica is there and threatens to hurt Hilde as a way to keep her from snitching. Izzy intervenes as she won't let Jessica hurt her sister. The two girls exchange shoves before the fight escalates. The older boys run out to shout that there's a girl fight in the bathroom. Izzy ultimately punches Jessica in the mouth and runs out with Hilde. In the halls, Hilde is exhilarated by the bravery that Izzy showed. But Izzy isn't happy at all. She emotionally unloads that Hilde ruins everything. She wishes Hilde would just disappear and stay out of her life. Now alone and upset by the fight, Hilde runs out of the school.

In "Search Party", Hilde doesn't return to the Lisko house after the dance which is a cause of concern for her parent's, who learn that Sam Gillis has escaped police custody. Matt and Bridget work with Frank to organize a small search party for Hilde which includes Trip, Kim, and Carol.

Meanwhile, Hilde follows Sam who is slowed down by the police chains around his wrists and ankles. She purposefully avoids the police cruisers looking for her as she wants more time to talk with Sam. He consistently tells her to go home or to leave him alone, but she is adamant on not only talking to him, but helping him. She takes him back to the Lisko's shed where she tries to cut the handcuffs off his wrists using bolt cutters. She isn't strong enough to break through the chain. Sylvester enters a few moments later in one of his states. He recognizes Sam and greets him happily. He helps Sam removed the cuffs and even gives him a warm jacket. He then remarks that he knows Sam saw the man with the sinner tattoo, and Sylvester still thinks that man had something to do with Richie's kidnapping. Hilde finds this interesting but doesn't press for answers right away. Instead, she asks her grandfather to deliver a message to Izzy - that she's okay. They hug as he promises to tell Izzy.

The duo leave the shed and head for the woods, where Sam still tries to get rid of Hilde. He agrees to answer three questions for her. She asks first if he knows of anyone who wanted to hurt Richie. Sam explains that he saw bruises on Richie's arms and bodies a couple times when they hung out and thought someone might have been hurting him, but didn't know who. She asks if Sam knew the man with the sinner tattoo but he claims he doesn't. Finally, she asks where he's going but he doesn't answer. He merely walks away. She follows again and they hear an airplane overhead and the shouting of nearby police cars. They take off running but Hilde's foot is stuck in a branch. She tells him to leave her behind but he doesn't. He risks capture to help her get free from the branch.

It's nearly daylight when Sam takes Hilde to the old airport. He wants to sit on the planes again and watch the sunrise. His father used to fly planes and bring him here as a child. He doesn’t think his father crashed the plane that killed him on purpose. Sam thinks it was the companies fault and they covered it up. He tells Hilde that she’s a good person and thanks her for all the help. He doesn’t get her through the wire fence as he said he would, instead, he climbs on top of a plane. He enjoys the sun as the police arrive. Hilde screams for Sam to run but he doesn't. Sheriff Briggs and the sheriff's department arrive alongside state troopers, all of whom point guns at Sam. Frank arrives and refuses to let his father shoot Sam. He stands between Sam and the gun. Meanwhile, Trip talks Sam off the plane and arrests him. Hilde witnesses the event and breaks down in tears as Matt holds her.

After the ordeal, Hilde tries to tell her father what she's learned but he shuts her down. He doesn't want her to investigate the Richie Fife case any longer.

In "The Future Is Female", Matt grounds Hilde as he wants her to do everything that a normal fourth grader does. Bridget doesn’t agree as they should have talked about Hilde being grounded. This which leads them to argue in front of the girls. Bridget wants Hilde to testify on Sam's behalf at Frank’s suspension hearing that afternoon. This means Hilde will miss school, something Matt isn't thrilled by. He wants her to write an apology letter to everyone who spent the night looking for her. Izzy, however, is annoyed that Hilde isn't being punished for what happened and instead, it's being referenced as a "big event". When Bridget and Matt leave the room, Hilde and Izzy worry their parents are getting a divorce. Ginny inquires what that means.

That afternoon, Hilde and Bridget attend the hearing. They are horrified when Frank claims he didn't break protocol. He decides to go with a fabricated story that he pulled over to let Sam relieve himself which is when he escaped. He states that everything Officer Johnson testified - that Frank had Sam to the old Gillis house when Sheriff Briggs arrived and threatened that Sam would never be released - was a lie. Bridget intervenes that she has a sworn testimony saying the opposite. Hilde adds that she was with Sam and he told her the same thing Trip said in her deposition. The judge disregards the Lisko women's interjections and rules that pending an internal review, Briggs will be allowed to stay on as a Lieutenant.

They return home heavy-hearted where they find Sylvester believing that it's different year and time altogether. Hilde doesn't correct him or tell him he's wrong, but rather, talks to him and manages to connect with him. Bridget asks to be a guest columnist for The Magic Hour Chronicle which Hilde allows, but clarifies she can't pay Bridget. Matt asks Hilde to lay low and let him take control of the investigation. Because she's still on thin-ice since the Sam incident, Hilde agrees. Matt then asks how she connects with her grandfather. She explains that she talks about what he wants to talk about and she doesn't try to correct him all the time.

The next day, Hilde is inspired by To Kill A Mockingbird and decides to het Trip elected for Sheriff. She works with Donny and Spoon to scrape together the signatures needed for the form. They visit the Erie Harbor School's senior lounge but are thrown out aggressively. They decide to target the other seniors at the faciilty where Sylvester used to be a patient. The seniors aren't very engaged with the kids or the idea, so Hilde decides to have a dance party with her grandfather to get them moving and inspired to sign. As she dances with Sylvester, she remembers doing the same dance with her grandfather at Christmas. The community claps when the dance ends and they gather half the signatures needed.

Next, the trio heads to Syl's Cycles to speak with Ethan. They ask him to have his customers sign the petition when they check out at the store, but the store is pretty empty. He’s going to the EHS fundraiser event after work where he can ask for signatures instead. The signatures gathered at the event give them the needed numbers, with Carol Collins signing the last signature. Trip and Hilde turn in the completed forms.

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Season 2
In "Not Giving Up", Hilde and Matt enter a house holding hands. They got into a living room where a man is sitting in a chair looking at a black screened TV. The TV whirs on and plays the abduction video. Hilde greets Richie and the boy turns around smiling. He knew she would find him. Hilde is standing in the living room when it begins to rain ashes and water. She turns into a newspaper article and sees everything around her fill up with water. She lurches awake in her bed gasping for air. She feels water dripping on her forehead through the ceiling. She runs into her parent’s room frightened and curls up with Bridget. Her parents comfort her as she panics, and they know she had the dream again. Matt assures her they have her and she’s okay. He asks if she wants to talk about it but she doesn’t. As the storm rages on she curls into her mom. Matt continues to comfort her as they fall back to sleep.

At breakfast, Hilde asks if anyone else heard a loud explosion or saw a bright light around two in the morning. Izzy quips that it’s Hilde o’clock while Matt and Bridget are excited for school starting back up again. Hilde scolds her father for writing about the clambake and not something more serious. Matt explains they need the extra stories for money now that Sylvester is moving in with them for good. Hilde wants to go back to Portland and figure out who paid the kidnapper. He iterates that they spent eight months looking for answers and following every lead but nothing panned out. Bridget applauds Hilde for doing a great job but they’ve come up with an executive decision - the Richie Fife case is closed. Matt understands it means a lot to Hilde, but everyone has read about it, including Richie if he’s out there. He thinks maybe Richie doesn’t want to be found. Izzy quips that Hilde's theory might be wrong and Richie’s dead - she spells out the word dead. Ginny chimed in asking if the fish ate his body, spelling out the word body to prove she understands what they are talking about. Matt tells Hilde to cover new stories by taking a break and doing normal kid stuff. He explains that Sylvester moving in will be a big change and things will be different. They make sure the girls don’t have any questions.

At school, Hilde puts business cards for The Magic Hour Chronicle on the lockers with help from Donny and Spoon. They want to get 200 subscribers and offer a student discount on the back of the cards. A kid throws the card aside and accuses Hilde of thinking she’s important just because The New York Times picked her story up. Donny defends Hilde by saying it was syndicated by several national papers. As Hilde tries to defend herself, Principal Collins intervenes and tells Hilde to go to class.

During a break, Hilde sits by herself as she remembers the boy taunting her. She remembers taking Matt to the cabin. She remembers the dream, too. She is joined by Spoon and Donny. She thinks something happened in the town and that’s why he was taken. She wants to follow every lead until they find him. They go back to the cabin to find that it’s been flooded by the heavy rainfalls. They try to salvage some articles but most of them are ruined.

The trio hangs their crime board in the attic of the Lisko house as they discuss the loud noise and light that Hilde heard last night. Spoon thinks it was just thunder and lightning but Hilde thinks it was different. Donny explains that with climate change there are superstorms more than ever before. Hilde reiterates that it was more like an explosion. Spoon recommends calling Water and Power, so Hilde leaves to talk with Trip.

At the police station, the deputies turn off their computers and close files as Hilde walks past them. Frank gives her a stern look as she pours a mug of coffee. Trip intercepts and refuses to let her have coffee. Hilde needs help and asks why everyone is staring. Trip explains there’s a new guy in the office so everyone is on edge. Plus, Hilde took down Sheriff Briggs which makes her a big deal. A man wearing a suit walks over and greets Sheriff Johnson. Hilde introduces herself as a reporter. She wants to know if there were any loud noises or flashes of light around 2:00 that morning. The man hopes Trip isn’t leaking information to the small person, and Hilde defends her right to freedom of the press. Trip interrupts that she isn’t leaking anything and was about to call her parents. The man’s name is Rutherford and he carries a badge but he refuses to give his first name to Hilde.

Trip takes Hilde into her office and reminds her that she can’t keep coming in. Trip is the Sheriff now which comes with a lot more responsibility. The man outside was sent by the state attorney general after everything that happened with Sam’s case. He decides who gets to keep their job so, in a way, he’s her boss. Hilde doesn’t think Trip needs a boss. Hilde asks for answers on the noise and lights but Trip can’t give her anything. She’s proud of everything that Hilde is doing but can’t be her source anymore.

Hilde angrily leaves the station while Trip tries to stop her. She tries to explain that she and Hilde are held to a different standard in this town, but Hilde thinks that’s why they have to keep fighting. If she stopped reporting every time someone scared her she would never get a story. Trip has to be careful with Rutherford watching her every move. Hilde just got people to take her seriously and now no one will talk to her. Trip understands and explains the explosion was a transformer at her dad’s farm. He doesn’t think it was an accident but Trip presses that there are more important things going on than their relationship. If she gets caught leaking information to Hilde she could get fired. Everything will go back to the way it was before Briggs was fired if that happens. Hilde offers to protect her but Trip needs to focus on doing her job right and keeping it.

Hilde angrily bikes to the Johnson Farm where she introduces herself to Trip’s father, Junior. He knows who she is as Trip talks about her plenty. He also knew her grandfather. She asks to take photos for The Chronicle and he agrees. She asks if he thinks the transformer got struck by lightning. He knows that’s what Wott Management wants him to think. He turned their offer down again last week and then, all of a sudden, they stopped calling. The next thing he knows they're flying helicopters low to scare his animals, he found dead animals on his farm, and now the transformer blows. They have some fancy legal jargon they’re trying to pull on him now. He asks if she knows a good lawyer, so she refers him to her mother.

That night, Sylvester moves into the house and is happily greeted by his granddaughters. Sylvester doesn’t recognize Ginny but they show him to his new room. Sylvester becomes agitated as everything in the room is different from how it should be. He gets increasingly more hostile as Matt tries to calm him. Hilde offers to have Sylvester sleep in her room or for Ginny to move in with her, but Matt knows it’s not safe for Sylvester to take the stairs. Bridget suggests that Hilde play the record that usually calms him. Hilde asks if Sylvester wants to dance and then helps him put his feet on the stool. She sits on the chair with him and they hold each other close while her parents watch.

Hilde and Matt sit at the table each working on separate things. He asks if everything is okay and she admits she’s been thinking about what he said about Richie. She wonders if Richie is already in town. He doesn’t understand. She feels like someone’s watching her but he doesn’t feel that way. He asks what she’s working on and it’s the Richie case. However, she lies that she’s working on “how to be a kid”. He claims he’s working on another crab story, lying about working on a chapter for his book on Richie, and Hilde picks up that his previous story that had been about clams.

The next day, Hilde and her friends enter the library where they meet the new librarian, Tony O'Hara. They are hoping to get off on a better foot with him than their previous librarian. He likes her paper since he studied library sciences in college. He asks what he can do for them. She’s looking into Wott Management and couldn’t find anything online. He finds that strange. The kids split up to scour the library for answers. She recaps what Junior told her about Wott Management. They’re trying to use eminent domain to kick him off his land. The land itself isn’t anything special, but Donny explains that next door is the Catherine Woodruff Mansion. She wonders if they’re trying to buy that place too.

Kim finds Hilde in the library and asks if she should be in class. She calls Hilde smart and driven but states that her grades suck. She talked to Hilde’s parents. She missed a lot of classes last semesters which has negatively affected her grades. Hilde promises to try not to let it happen again. Kim notes that it’s interesting Hilde said “try” instead of “will”. She promises she’ll be watching Hilde. Hilde asks if Kim is okay after the holidays. Her father says that people who have loved ones in prison need extra support. Kim tells her to go to class.

Izzy eats alone in a classroom at lunch. Hilde finds her and asks what she’s doing. Izzy claims she’s studying but Hilde knows she isn’t. She gets Izzy to admit she’s lying and asks if her sister is hiding from someone. Izzy admits it feels weird being there without Ethan, but Hilde doesn’t understand. Izzy is realizing how many friends she doesn’t have. Jessica Fife is trolling her as she keeps messaging Izzy. Hilde thinks Jessica wants to be friends with Izzy, but Izzy doesn’t believe that. She calls Hilde bad at people. Hilde thinks her sister is the best, coolest, smartest, sister in the whole world. Anyone would be lucky to be friends with her. When she’s nervous she puts her head down and works. It makes her feel better to know that no matter what, she’s a journalist. No one gave it to her so no one can take it away. Izzy also has her as a friend. Izzy thanks her and the sister’s hug. The bell rings so they leave the classroom.

After school, Izzy and Hilde go shopping for the sweet sixteen. Hilde points out that the idea was invented so girls could find rich husbands. Izzy is looking for something an Instagram model would post. She explains what Coachella is and Hilde points out she was right about Jessica wanting to be friends. The party is taking place at the Woodruff mansion, so Hilde asks for her phone to text Donny.

Hilde bursts into the kitchen asking if her mom learned anything about Wott Management. Matt smirks as he asks if she has any schoolwork to do or anything a normal kid should be doing. She starts telling them about the party when Izzy walks in, so Hilde tries to disguise her intentions as she leaves.

At the party, Spoon, Donny, and Hilde stand near the stairs. Donny comments on Spoon’s costume, but he clarifies that it’s a conversation piece, not a costume. Izzy sees her sister across the room just as Jessica shows up. Jessica grabs her friend and they go to the trio and ask for a photo from Hilde. Jessica tells them to have fun and walks off. The trio scampers off to do their work, while Jessica pulls Izzy onto the dance floor.

The trio searches the house for answers and Spoon spots a portrait, so Hilde takes a photo of it. They look through the drawers and hide from the security guard who leaves a room. The trio opens the door to find steps. Donny refuses to go down there and recommends just leaving. Hilde decides to go as there could be a vault of secret files. Donny gives her a flashlight. As Hilde investigates, she finds a door with a deadbolt and secondary lock. The lock has a strange symbol carved into it. She takes a photo of the symbol. She then finds cut electrical writing.

She hears a loud sound and calls out for her friends as she needs their help. The window breaks and she screams, running out. Her friends follow her and she admits that she doesn’t think Richie is the only secret in Erie Harbor. She runs out of the building and triggers the emergency alarm. The trio stands in shock as they look at the ground, which is covered with dead crows.

In "I Believe You", A storm rages outside but Izzy and Hilde are awake in their room. Hilde isn’t sure which is weirder - a whole flock of birds is dead or that it wasn’t on the news. Izzy thinks it’s weird Jessica was nice to her. She wonders if everything is related but it’s weird. Izzy thinks Jessica, a junior, should be hanging out with seniors by now since she can drive her car. Hilde continues to wonder if the weather impacted the birds, especially since Erie Harbor has been having weird weather lately. Izzy can’t believe she had fun in Erie Harbor. Hilde looks up something online but the power goes out. Izzy sits on her bed and they use the computer for light. Ginny runs into the girl’s room and screams as she’s scared. Izzy pulls Ginny onto her lap and tells her everything is okay. They hear a crash and run downstairs while screaming for their dad.

Matt and Bridget are standing by the window where a tree has crashed through it. They tell the girls to go back to bed as there’s glass everywhere. Sylvester gets out of bed but Matt tells him not to worry as he’s going to clean it up. Bridget goes to take Izzy and Ginny upstairs, but they are distracted when Hilde hears a noise. She advances to the tree with Matt warning her to be careful. She picks up an injured bird and soothes it. She promises nothing bad will happen to it.

The next morning, Matt is boarding up the broken window while Hilde hopes she can stay home from school to look after the baby bird. She and Izzy debate about how to feed the bird. Hilde wants to ask Birdman his opinion on the dead birds and Walter Cronkite, a former TV journalist who was the most trusted man in America. Matt drops the boards and Izzy wonders if they should help him, but Bridget explains that Matt believes he’s “handy”. Hilde states he’s not and references the attic incident. Bridget knows how Hilde feels about the truth but it isn’t always the best thing. She’s about to explain something about men to them, then decides to cheer Matt on instead. Izzy and Hilde join in. Hilde then asks Bridget about the Wott Management company. Izzy thinks she should write an article about the bird and tree instead. Hilde knows a lot about Wott Management and its founder. Hilde is worried about her bird and tells her dad she has to take him to Birdman. Matt reminds her that his name isn’t Birdman anymore, but Mr. Wergeles. Bridget gets the girls ready for school.

Erie Harbor School is closed for the day due to the power outage. Hilde gives the bird to Donny as she climbs into a window of the school. She uses Spoon as a step stool which confuses him as he's the smallest. When she's through, they pull Spoon through the window behind them and Spoon remarks that he sees their plan.

In the school library, Mr. O’Hara is listening to music and sorting cards. He is startled by the trio. They explain their presence as Ms. Collins having told them to work on their homework. Spoon adds that Ms. Collins loves how the library looks with him there. The trio asks if he knows anything about birds, but the stock is limited with it being a school library. They can’t use the computers as the power is out which is why they shouldn’t be there. Spoon and Donny distract him while Hilde grabs a book. The trio leaves while Mr. O’Hara tells them not to run in the halls or call him Tony. Hilde leaves behind a homemade library card.

Once out of the school, Hilde assures her friends she’s just borrowing the book and left her homemade library card as collateral. She made it when she used to play library with Izzy. She is surprised to learn that neither Spoon nor Donny played the game, with Spoon just smiling at his friend’s weird games. Donny has named the bird Walter after Walter Cronkite, but Spoon thinks the bird is going to die as it still won’t eat. Hilde reads the book and learns they’ve been feeding him the wrong food and need to make a bird smoothie out of worms, bird poop, and water.

Hilde, Donny, and Spoon, bike to Al Wergeles’s house to have him look at the bird. They explain it’s not eating and he’s glad they brought him here, as the formula will help. They are worried that the bird has whatever caused the flock to die last night. He’s confused as to how many birds died, with Spoon explaining there were hundreds of them all over the lawn. Al is sure he would have heard about it. Hilde was about to publish when the power went out. Donny and Spoon explain it was at the Woodruff Mansion and they made everyone leave out the back door so no one could post pictures. Al asks if this bird was part of the flock, but Hilde explains the situation about the tree. She worries the bird is sick with what killed the flock. Al asks Hilde to take him to see the dead birds.

By the time they arrive, the lawn is clean of any birds. He’s worried as if there’s that many dead birds there would be a wider investigation, and he would have to call animal control. Spoon finds a feather but Al refuses to let the boy touch it. He gives gloves to Spoon and Donny so they can pick up any other feathers. He tells Hilde to look after Walter and try to get him to eat.

She comes home to find Izzy leaving for a sleepover, which makes Hilde said as her sister blows her off without saying goodbye. That evening, Hilde continues to try and feed Walter. She asks Matt about Wott Management but he’s not giving her anything as she needs to focus on schoolwork. He asks about Walter but she knows he has something on Wott Management. He concedes that he found some financial records. She gets excited that it could be connected to the Johnson Farm or Richie. He is exasperated and asks her to stop. She asks him not to do what Sylvester did to him - not believe him and force them to break apart. She doesn’t want to break apart from him.

Hilde wakes up every hour to feed Walter when Matt comes to check on her. He offers to do some feedings for her so she can sleep for a few hours. She would wake up anyway because she needs to know he’s okay. He remarks that her mom used to say that when the girls were little. He apologizes to Hilde for what he said before. He believes her about someone watching her and that it might be Richie. He was reluctant to believe her because he thought he'd seen him too. She hugs him tightly and forgives him. She thanks him for always talking to her like a real person as some parents don’t do that with their kids. She wishes more kids had parents like them.

The power whirs back on across town, waking Hilde up. She opens Walter’s box as she gets to work on research for her article. That morning, Al takes Hilde, Spoon, and Donny to a field where a weed call bulrushes located. He was examining a feather when he sneezed, and bulrushes are all he’s allergic to. Beyond the field, much to their shock, is a pond full of dead fish. Al’s contact at animal control didn’t have any reports on dead birds so nothing makes sense. Hilde sees someone in the woods watching her and takes pictures but the man runs off. She asks if her friends saw it but they didn’t. She claims it was nothing. She wonders what the fish mean, but Al needs to get them out of there.

In "Fighting His Ghost", Hilde questions her father on who he's talking to on the phone, but he tells her to be quiet as he's speaking to his editor. Matt hangs up, finally focusing on a persistent Hilde. She talks to him about the dead fish and how she feels like someone is watching her. She tells him about the man she saw and how she thinks it’s Richie. He feels like that’s a reach but asks her to walk him through her evidence, the facts. The man was about the right age but she didn’t get a good look at his face because he had a beard. He understands as he has the same fixation and tells her about a bias. He assures her they all have a bias but they have to check it as they go. But she has to sticker with the evidence as that will lead her to the truth. They decide to go back to the beginning. She tells him about the dead birds and fish, linking them to the water as that might be why Walter is sick. It might be a poisoned pond. She is excited and they high five and he tells her to follow the facts. She proceeds o stay up all night writing an article about the pond.

In the morning, Ginny and Hilde try to feed Walter but they can’t get him to eat yet. Ginny wants to help so Hilde shows her how to use the dropper.

That afternoon, Hilde, Spoon, and Donny bike to Pinewood Park. Donny asks why Spoon is wearing a bland jacket. He thinks it’s because Spoon is waiting to commence the style. He suggests zippers where the pockets should be and pockets where the zippers are. Spoon merely smiles in response while Hilde worries about Walter not eating enough, as she isn't paying attention to her friends conversation. Donny remarks that Walter is patient zero. Hilde plans to test it with the kit she bought at the store, while Donny frets over how it will affect them. They put their bikes down to discover that the pond is closed off as a restricted area. The pond itself is murky. A dog barks at them from behind the fence, scaring them off.

Hilde and her friends head to the Holmes County Sheriff's Department, earning a “no comment” from the desk officer Bob. She asks who put up the fence at Pinewood Park, to which Trip gives them the press speech. Spoon interrupts that they aren’t there as reporters but private citizens. Trip doesn’t know anything about a fence so Hilde wants her to find out. Bob gives Trip a look so she tells Hilde this is a sheriff’s station and not her clubhouse. She can’t drop everything to look into a mysterious fence. Hilde asks if she cares the animals are dying. Trip gives her a form that she can fill out just like everyone else does. She tells Bob to take care of it, but Frank intervenes to handle the situation. He apologizes to the kids for things being tense around the station with Rutherford there. He offers to help them with whatever they need. They explain the situation with the pond and the fence, as they need to test the water. He remarks that it’s a public park so the town might have put up the fence after reading her article. He offers to make some calls for her. She thinks there would be meetings and red tape before the fence was put up. They run out but Frank stops Hilde to tell her to keep her head up. She smiles as she realizes he can be her new source.

Hilde comes home looking for her dad as she wants to tell him about her new source. She finds Briggs in the kitchen with her father. Matt tells her they’re just talking so she slowly leaves then comes back to eavesdrop. Briggs can deal with people shutting him out but not his own son. Frank won’t talk to him and he just wants to be heard, so he wrote something. He wants to send it to him instead of a face-to-face conversation. He asks Matt to read the letter as he is a words person and knows Frank. Hilde walks in, but Briggs thinks this is an adult conversation. She asks why as she’s a words person too. Briggs decides to let her read it as he never got very far treating her like a kid. She doesn’t get past the first sentence before calling him out on it being a poor apology. She knows her father would say to show him with her actions. Briggs argues that Frank is stubborn, but Matt knows he’s different now. Hilde explains that Frank sticks up for the little guy now. Matt calls him a good friend to the family even when they didn’t make it easy for him. Hilde thinks Frank deserves better than a letter. He deserves action. Briggs doesn’t know how to make things right. Hilde tells him to show Frank that he’s changed.

Donny calls Hilde to tell her she can come to his house for their science experiment. She bikes there. She, Donny, and Spoon sneak into the park where they see construction trucks working and a bulldozer. They sneak behind the fence to watch a group of people in hazmat suits collecting barrels of water. Hilde takes photographs with her camera and sees the man from before. She takes his picture and a photo of his badge, which has level 3 access.

Hilde runs into the house but Matt calls her back downstairs. She is emotional as the man wasn’t Richie. She gives him the photos and the man doesn’t look anything like Richie. She feels so stupid now but he tells her not to say that as he comforts her. She genuinely thought it was him. She lets her bias affect her story and thinks she’s a bad reporter. He assures her that she isn’t a bad reporter at all. He was supposed to teach her the job but instead, he gave her his bad habits. He wanted to believe it too - that Richie would come back. He wanted to believe it so badly, but she can’t find the truth if she’s trying to find something. She doesn’t think she has a story but he reminds her a story can be what it looks like or boring. She has to figure out what happened at Pinewood Pond. Sylvester remarks that he loves that pond and used to fish there all the time. Hilde wonders if Sylvester got sick the same way the fish did, but Matt doesn’t think it’s likely. He invites her along to the doctor’s appointment next week.

Matt and Hilde talk with Sylvester’s doctor about his health. Matt asks if there’s a chance he could have been exposed to something while fishing. The doctor tells them that Alzheimer's is an incredibly difficult disease. Hilde wonders if she’s wrong and if he could be sick with something treatable. Hilde wants to figure out what’s in the water so the doctor can make her grandpa better. The doctor agrees to try. Hilde goes to speak with Sylvester. The doctor asks Matt if she should have said no, but he doesn’t think Hilde would have believed her if she said no.

After the appointment, Sylvester and Hilde walk along the pier and he spins her happily while Matt tells them to be careful. Matt tells her she got a text from Frank for her. Hilde reads the text and then runs off as she has to go. Matt calls after her asking what the text “meet me at the place you were talking about” is about, but she doesn’t answer as she runs off. He chuckles and shakes his head at her.

Hilde, Spoon, and Donny bike to the pond where they find a group of gathered people. She walks to the front where a woman is delivering a speech about Erie Harbor’s newest community garden they are planting. She tells them the pond was overrun with an invasive strain of toxic blue-green algae. But thanks to their corporate sponsor, they were able to get it cleared up quickly. While everyone else claps, Hilde realizes they didn’t just clean up the pond - they made it disappear. Spoon remarks it’s like it was never there. The woman credits The Magic Hour Chronicle for helping them catch the poisoned strain.

Hilde comes home upset as the pond is gone. Matt thinks it’s great as she has an end to her story. Hilde can’t fix her grandfather now. He tells her that algae wouldn’t cause the symptoms Sylvester has. She thinks there could be more to the story and something else in the water that made him sick. He’s confused so she explains that he didn’t call it algae, but they did. He asks who “they” are, which she doesn’t know. But if it was the town they would have held hearings or more formal procedures instead of making it disappear. He feels like she’s reaching again. She wants to make Sylvester feel better. Matt tells her that she makes him feel better - like a magic potion. He tells her they can’t change or reverse what happened to him as it doesn’t work like that. She doesn’t care as she has to try.

In "Dark Rooms", Hilde bikes down the road and stops at a gas station, setting her bike against the door. She starts to put money into the drink machine but stops when a man comes up behind her. She turns and he asks to use the drinks first. She allows it and sees his badge when he takes out the money. She asks who he works for and confronts him about all the strangeness in town. He merely walks away. She shouts after him that she won’t stop until she finds out the truth, but he ignores her and drives away. She screams after the car that she isn’t afraid of him.

Hilde tells Matt and Izzy about the man at the gas station and how she thinks he was trying to intimidate her. Izzy reminds Hilde that the man just ignored her. Matt asks to pause the conversation until dinner. Izzy starts to belittle Hilde until Matt intervenes. She corrects that Hilde just saved the town so she should try to enjoy that before moving on to the next conspiracy. Hilde sees her grandfather in the other room working and refuses to stop because each day he’s getting worse and no one is helping him. She knocks the camera off the table and instantly falls to her knees as she apologizes to Matt for breaking it. Bridget comes into the kitchen after hearing the noise. Matt assures Hilde that it’s okay and looks at it. He sees that it needs a new lens and he can fix it in a few days. Hilde thinks that’s too long, and just then, Sylvester gives her his camera. She’s confused about where the screen is but her parents explain that it’s a film camera and how special it was to get the film developed. Matt offers to help show her how to develop it.

Hilde and Donny join Spoon at the table as Hilde has to show them the press release saying it was green algae. She refuses to give up even now. They talk about who could be responsible for the poisoning. Donny recommends following the money as whoever paid the construction companies is the anonymous donor. Hilde finds one contractor who wasn’t paid by the town, but by Strata Tech Industries. Donny is surprised as his father works there as his new job. Hilde asks Donny if he can take them to his new office and Donny agrees.

Hilde, Donny, and Spoon bike to Strata Tech Industries. Hilde takes a photograph outside before they head inside. The security guard greets them and Hilde explains who they are and they have questions about the Pinewood cleanup. Donny wants to see his father. A man recognizes Hilde and tells the guard he can handle it. He introduces himself as Grant Williams - he runs the whole place. He offers them a grand tour. He’s been meaning to reach out to The Magic Hour Chronicle as they are working on becoming the greenest company in the world, and wanted her to tell the town in a puff piece. Hilde refuses as they don’t do puff pieces, while Donny questions Williams’ statement claiming the paper is just Hilde’s.

Grant explains this is his family’s company, as he inherited it from his father and grandfather. They’ve been building planes for generations. He then shows the trio his secret hiding spot for snacks. While Spoon and Donny raid the snacks, Hilde talks to Grant about the anonymous donation to the Pinewood pond cleanup. The city wanted to pave over it instead of cleaning it up, something that the company tries to be supportive of the town. Hilde notices the key card on an employee’s jacket and asks if all employees have one. Grant explains that all of the employees have one to some degree. She tells him about the man she saw, so he offers to let her look at the employee ID photos. She’s confused as to why he’s answering her questions since most adults don’t do that. While everyone else might talk about the Fife piece, Grant found the smaller piece on the ethical treatment of animals in pet stores to be compelling. She thought no one read it but he did. He even donated $20,000 to the animal shelter. Donny and Spoon emerge with tons of snacks.

Hilde looks through all the photos but none of them match the man Hilde saw. He wants her to tell him if she ever sees the man again. He’s glad that her parents know about the man. He hopes she can solve all the mysteries in life, starting with this one.

Back at the Lisko house, Hilde tells Matt that her leads are dead ends but she knows there’s more to the story. She checked with the pet rescue place and there was a donation made. They go to the basement which Matt has converted into a darkroom with his old photography equipment from high school. Taking pictures was how he got into journalism. They work together to develop the film. They hang the developed photos as they go. Most of them are photos of her and her friends, but some are also from Strata. She recognizes a sidewalk emblem from Strata as being the same one in the mansion.

The next morning, Hilde is eating breakfast when Donny comes in having got her urgent messages. She explains that the emblem isn’t anything special as it’s on half the sidewalks in town. She’s not sure what it means, though. They look through photos on her computer and find one of Jessica with Emma. They see the guy that’s been following Hilde in the background of the photo. She realizes it’s all connected.

Hilde, Donny, and Spoon enter the Woodruff Mansion from the employee entrance and search for the symbol as it could lead them to the basement. She finds it under an old dumbwaiter and assures them that it is safe. Donny thinks they should show independence and not do everything together. Hilde goes down alone and begins looking around. She finds a door locked with an iron chain. She sends the dumbwaiter up empty to tell her friends to come down to see something. They hear a man outside the kitchen and hide. The man is the same guy who was following Hilde. They decide to warn her and head to the basement. Hilde shows them an airplane that is in the basement. Spoon remarks they need to get out of there as the key card guy is upstairs.

Donny finds the black box, which is actually so investigators can find it. The trio hears a noise and rushes to the dumbwaiter, putting Spoon in there first. Hilde and Donny are hiding when the man enters and finds the backpacks on the floor. He then leaves. Donny calls the dumbwaiter and encourages Hilde to enter with him.

In "The Black Box", Hilde, Spoon, and Donny run down the path while Donny clutches the black box. They eventually come to a stop as Donny tries to catch his breath. Spoon, elated to be free, kisses the ground then dusts off his pants. Hilde worries someone saw them but Spoon knows that no one did. Donny is a little disappointed that he isn’t agoraphobic. She knows someone they can ask about the box.

Hilde comes home excited to tell her father about her adventures. He tells her to tone it down as Syl is sleeping. She obliges and tells him about Woodruff Mansion. Matt shows her the photo of Syl’s friends and his adventures to find them. Everyone but Junior is dead. He thinks she was right about Syl as they were sick far too young, so something in the town affected them or hurt some of them. He wants to dig into the story and she agrees to help him. She goes to walk away when he calls her back to ask what she was talking about when she came in. She quickly tells him about her adventure then leaves as he sits there confused.

The next day, Hilde tells Spoon and Donny about the photograph. They will each choose three names and do a deep dive into their life. The bell rings just as Hilde remarks that Spoon’s clothes aren’t his usual attire. He states that he’s just not in the mood sometimes.

She bursts into the Lisko house, frustrated that her search turned up nothing. Matt is still waiting to hear back from some people and hasn’t found anything yet. Hilde checks on Walter while Ginny watches Sylvester shake. Hilde thinks her bird is shaking more and Ginny agrees, though she’s referencing Sylvester. Matt looks over at them. Later, Bridget drops Hilde and Izzy off at school.

Spoon stands by his locker as two older boys pick on him for his clothing. They mock his earmuffs before walking away. Hilde walks over to ask if he’s okay, but he lies that he’s never been better. She calls him out for lying, comparing him to a dishonest source. Spoon scoffs that not everything is about The Magic Hour Chronicle. She stops him from leaving to say he can talk to her off the record. Donny arrives so Spoon walks off. Hilde tells Donny that she’s worried the kids are being mean to Spoon. He wants their address so he can send strongly-worded emails.

In the library, Hilde and Donny discuss what they’ve found so far which isn’t much. She’s realized how little she knows about her grandfather. He states that people are vast and contain multitudes, at least according to the documentary he watched. She decides to start Sylvester and find the missing piece. They look at the yearbook for 1968 and make copies of everything they find. They make a very crafty crime board as they glue photographs to the board and articles, making a timeline. Donny finds a potential lead with Strata Tech Industries employees volunteering with the local fire department. She’s surprised that Sylvester worked for Strata.

Hilde presents her board to her parents as she found a lot of information. She reveals that he was a volunteer firefighter, managing the Erie Harbor softball team for six years as he played first base. He realizes there was a lot he didn’t know, almost getting emotional. Hilde wants to show him the board and see if he remembers anything. Her parents are hesitant. Bridget explains that he becomes frustrated when he doesn’t remember things. Matt thinks hitting him with it all at once might not end well. She panics as they’re running out of time to help him. They decide to try it as a nice memory and not pressure him. They don’t want her to get a false sense of hope if it doesn’t work. Hilde accuses her parents of getting in the way instead of helping her. She takes her board and leaves the room.

She runs past Izzy who is on her phone. She sighs and follows her sister to their room. Hilde is on the bed facedown, crying. Izzy walks over and sits on the bed, asking if she’s okay. Hilde hugs her sister tightly. She knows she can help him and solve this but they won’t let her. Izzy reminds her that if she’s ever feeling scared or feeling like she can’t do anything, she should put her head down and work. Izzy reminds Hilde that she loves being a journalist because no one gave it to her so no one can take it away - not even their parents. She’s got this. Hilde hugs Izzy then hears her parents calling her. She comes downstairs to find Frank talking to her parents. His NTSB contact came through and the original magnetic tape was damaged but their lab was able to recover a decent audio track. Hilde thinks that’s great but their faces say otherwise. Matt reveals that it’s from Sam’s dad’s plane. It’s mostly static but there is something they all need to hear.

Matt and Bridget prepare Hilde for what is on the recording as it could get intense. She states that Sam is her friend and if there’s something on there that can help him she will. Bridget reminds her that they have to look out for her. Matt firmly tells her that if things get too intense he’s pulling her out of there with no negotiating. She agrees and he reminds her that the hardest stories to cover are the ones you care about.

Frank sets the computer down and plays the audio. They hear air traffic control and then Hank’s voice. Hank tells them to stand by and says “that’s gotta be it”. He’s turning around to get a closer look. He can’t believe that Richie was right. Matt is shocked as Hank Gillis knew Richie. Matt wonders if it’s because Richie loved planes but they all did. He plays the recording again. Hank is getting photos but something goes wrong as the engine’s stalling. The control center warns that his plane is getting too low. Hank knows something is wrong but notes that it’s too late. He asks the control center to tell his kids he loves them. Bridget stops the audio. Everyone is in a state of shock as Hilde looks at the airplane figurine.

Later, Frank and Matt sit with Hilde and ask if she’s okay. She’s doing okay but playing with origami her grandfather made. She wonders what Hank was looking for when it crashed. Frank can’t do the math needed to figure out the location of the plane when it crashed. Matt knows that pilots need to file a flight plan. Hilde replays the audio in her mind and remembers that Hank wanted pictures. Richie must have told Sam’s dad to look for something. She finds it weird that they didn’t know their best friend was hanging out with an adult. Frank remarks that she hangs out with adults, but she justifies it as having sources. He’s a little offended as he thought they were friends. She smiles as she’s not sure yet. Frank remarks that Richie could be introverted or shy sometimes. Hilde remarks that Spoon is like that sometimes. Matt and Frank discuss how Richie was just like that sometimes even before anything happened. They wonder if that was who he was or if he was hiding something. Hilde wonders if someone hiding something like that means they don’t wanna be your friend. Matt tries to explain but struggles, so Frank intervenes. He explains that it can sometimes mean that they’re scared of what you’ll say. Matt adds that she has to help her friend through it. Hilde’s going to try and find that flight plan. Matt believes she will.

The next day at school, Hilde and Donny confront Spoon at his locker to tell him they can talk to them. They know Spoon hasn’t been acting like himself lately. He admits that he’s decided to tone it down a bit. He’s been feeling as though he should stay below the radar. Hilde disagrees as clothes are his thing. He brushes them off as he’s fine and they shouldn’t worry about it. He then walks off so Hilde asks to borrow Donny’s phone. She calls Spoon’s mom to ask if they could swing by when Spoon isn’t here.

Later, Spoon stops at his locker and looks at his reflection in comparison to the other boys in school. He stuffs his jacket in the locker and takes out a piece of paper with a drawing. He then takes out articles of clothing and puts the clothes on, transforming back into his true self. He looks over and sees Spoon and Donny walking down the hall wearing clothes from his closet. They admit they missed him so Spoon tells them everything they’re wearing is tragically outdated, but they’re pulling it off. The friends run outside together and get their bikes. They bike together as they leave the school.

They head to the plane storage unit and Spoon asks to take a look at the archives, claiming it’s for a school project. The receptionist eyes their outfits, causing Spoon to state that isn’t for the project but just how they dress. The receptionist tells them they can look.

The trio looks through the archives but it’s a mess. Hilde finds one from October 1987 and so does Spoon. She almost finds the manifest for the plane but it’s the wrong date. Donny finds that he made the flight three times - his intended flight plans are listed as air traffic control needs to know who is in the air at all times. Hank Gillis filed on September 28th, October 5th, and October 12th of 1987 to the Saratoga Mountains. Hilde realizes Hank knew what he was looking for but the flight plan is missing. Donny blurts out that there’s another copy on the plane. Hilde wants to go back but her friends are dead set against the idea.

Hilde and Matt go to Trip in the hope she’ll investigate the plane, but she’s more interested in why Hilde was in the basement in the first place. Matt argues that it was a party and there’s no law prohibiting a journalist from investigating a public event. He asks her to help them out. Rutherford observes and states he loves the first name basis thing the town has going on. Matt reveals that it might be Hank Gillis’s plane. Rutherford interjects that a wild-goose chase isn’t a waste of time. Trip asks Hilde if she’s sure she saw that so Trip and Rutherford head to the manor.

But this time, the plane parts are completely gone and a pool table is in its place. The man that’s been following her enters and she points him out to her father. He’s Karl Kurz, head of security. Hilde begins to confront him but Matt stops her. Trip apologizes for bothering him and Rutherford states he wants a word with her outside. Hilde tries to stop Trip but she isn’t interested. Everyone told her to stay away from the Lisko’s as they’re trouble. She was just dumb enough not to listen. Matt runs after her as he assures Hilde he’ll figure it out. Now alone with Karl, Hilde states that she knows he has her backpack. He merely walks out of the room without another word.

Hilde and Sylvester sit on his bed as she wonders what Hank saw before the crash. Matt opens the door to see if she wants to talk about Trip, but she doesn’t. She calls Trip just a source and that she has to focus. Sylvester states the waypoints are longitude and latitude. He shows her on a map as she reads off the coordinates to him. He tracks it on the map and finds the last place he went before going back. There’s a small island there that Matt points out. Matt wonders what could possibly be out there, and Hilde knows they have to find out.

Hilde comes downstairs in the middle of the night to get a glass of milk. As she’s leaving the kitchen she notices her, Spoon, and Donny’s backpacks on the kitchen table.

In "What's Out There", Bridget and Matt are eating breakfast on the steps, causing Izzy to question their motives. Ethan appears on the top of the steps with folded clothes. Ginny asks if he lives there now. He nervously says it’s only temporary. He tries to thank the family for letting him stay, but Izzy thinks he’s being weird. He thanks Matt for lending him the pajamas but he has to go. Izzy gives her parent’s a look. Hilde approaches Izzy and asks if she cares to comment on her boyfriend living in her house. Izzy runs off while her family chuckles that it’s just a joke. Hilde then tells Matt they need to look for the island.

Hilde knows where Hank was headed and, using Sylvester’s boat, they can get to the island soon. Bridget worries that Hilde is getting involved with Richie again despite her saying not to. She’s worried Hilde is having nightmares again, but Hilde claims she hasn’t had them. She thinks whatever is on the island is why Richie was taken. Matt reminds her there’s no evidence to support that so Hilde wants to go find it. She shows him the island map but he’s unwavering as he promised Bridget he’d stay home so she could work. Hilde tries to sway them but the parents are on a united front for once despite Hilde’s antics. Bridget finally caves and agrees to stay home. Hilde drowns her mother in compliments as she hurries out the door.

Hilde bikes to the HQ to give her friends their backpacks. Donny and Spoon both decide to skip the part where they don’t want to go and get straight to the convincing. She invites them along for the island adventure.

Matt, Frank, Hilde, Spoon, and Donny take Sylvester's old boat to the island. With Frank operating the boat, Spoon pushes the lever to make it go faster. He remarks that you only have to be 12 to operate a boat in Washington, so he’ll be certified next year. He then tells them that something is up ahead and makes Franks top the boat. Spoon thinks it’s a reef but Matt knows it can’t be as there are no reefs in freshwater. The more they look, they realize the lake has overflowed and the fence. They decide to drop anchor at a sandy beach.

Matt carries Hilde to the shore on his back and helps Frank set up a picnic area on the beach. He and Frank want to go in a little further and leave the kids behind, which Hilde doesn’t like. He promises that if it’s safe they’ll come back and get them. Hilde is mad as this is her lead and story. He knows she’s frustrated but he’s still her dad and his gut is saying he needs to make sure he’s safe. He gives her binoculars to look for anything suspicious, and long-range radios from Frank so they can stay in contact.

Donny worries about illnesses from bugs as Hilde tries to scope out what’s happening in the woods. Donny refuses to go in there and Spoon refuses too. She realizes they can use the drone. Hilde tries to radio her dad who responds quickly but he still doesn’t have anything to report. Spoon calls her a drone but she notes Donny brought a drone. He explains it’s his dad’s and he taught Donny how to use it. Spoon tries to grab the monitor to try for himself but Donny can’t let him as it’s expensive technology. Hilde spots a building just as Donny loses control of the drone as the technology goes out.

Donny thinks a geofence is to blame as it stops drones from flying near it. Only important buildings and sporting games use the technology. Hilde thinks they’re on the right track then. She begins to walk off as they have to get the drone back. Donny argues that they aren’t supposed to leave as Frank, an officer of the law, told them not to. Hilde plans to go get it before they come back.

The trio searches for the drone when they find a dead raccoon. Matt calls Hilde asking if she’s okay. He asks about the boat so she lies that everything’s fine. He admits they found something that people must be using the island for. Frank spots someone running and alerts Matt, who inadvertently alerts Hilde. He tells her to stay by the boat so they can check it out. Just then, the trio realizes they’re lost.

Hilde tries to use a compass to find her way, but nothing looks familiar. She looks at the map as Donny says they should check in on her dad. There’s no sound on the other end, just static. A storm is rolling in. They have to find the drone and get back before the storm hits.

Hilde and her friends come across a bunker wired with cameras. They debate whether or not to enter the bunker, as the storm is approaching and they should go back to the boat. However, when the thunder hits, they hurry inside leaving the drone behind. She moves away some curtains to look in the room, ultimately turning the power on while her friends wait outside. She tells them to come in and when they do, the room is some sort of lab. Things look untouched, like someone just up and left one day. The majority of the room is animal skeletons and animal research. The room snaps with electricity, making Hilde wonder if they should leave. Spoon spots the surveillance monitors and the man on them.

The trio deduces they should just go back to the boat and forget about the drone. Hilde tries to consult the map in secret again, but Donny catches her. He confronts her the entire time she’s been looking for the X on the map instead of his dad’s drone, which is not okay. Spoon also didn’t know about the map or that Hilde was lying. Donny thinks she cares more about the story than them. Hilde claims that isn’t true, as whatever Hank saw before he crashed could be the key to finding Richie. Spoon tells her that is Frank and Matt’s job, not theirs. Donny has seen her do this to others - do whatever she has to for the story no matter who gets hurt. He just never thought she’d do it to him. Donny runs out of the bunker followed by Spoon, leaving Hilde crying in the room. She steadies herself and then leaves, but they’re gone by the time she comes out of the bunker.

Hilde stands outside the bunker as she looks at the map, trying to figure out where to go. She hears rustling in the woods and calls out to her father or Frank but doesn’t get a response. She finds the symbol on the tree. She sees a man running and decides to follow him. However, she trips over something lodged in the ground and realizes that’s where the plane crashed. She turns around to find a man staring at her - Frank Briggs Sr.

Briggs and Hilde both ask each other what they’re doing out there. They both tracked the flight patterns to this island looking for answers. They compare maps as he’s covered a lot of ground. He’s there because he was wrong about Hank crashing his plane on purpose. She notices that pieces of the wreckage are still scattered. He has a debt to Sam that he can’t repay, but he can at least try to get the truth of what happened to Hank. Sam told her that he moved to the reservation to walk on the land his ancestors walked, as that makes him feel at peace. She tells Briggs that Sam doesn’t have to forgive him. Briggs knows as he doesn’t deserve that. Matt and the others arrive and are surprised by Briggs being there. Briggs came looking to set things right as Frank recommended. They hear a helicopter overhead.

Matt and Hilde find a waste dump of empty barrels from toxins. She wonders if the barrels are what Hank saw. This could be why the birds are dying as they could reach the water. She doesn’t think it explains the fish. He looks at the water and notices that it flows directly into the lake surrounding the island. The pollution is heading straight to their drinking water. The toxins are oozing out of containers. Hilde needs a sample so Matt goes to get one. They hear the helicopters and hide so no one spots them. The plane stays low to the ground.

In "Just a Bird", Hilde refuses to let Ginny use the water as it might be poisonous. Ginny is reluctant to believe her sister, but Hilde explains the toxins could be making Walter sick. Ginny hopes this means she doesn’t have to brush her teeth, but Hilde has that covered with a store-bought test. The test comes back safe so Hilde allows Ginny to brush her teeth. Someone rings the doorbell and Hilde has to answer it as her parents aren’t around. It’s Trip waiting outside as she has to arrest Hilde.

Down at the sheriff’s department, Trip has arrested the trio for criminal trespassing, which Bridget remarks is conjecture. Donny has to do his inhaler. Trip remarks that the island is private property but needs to know how they go to the island in the first place. Spoon states that he has his permit, but Trip isn’t buying their excuses. Matt admits he brought the kids out there as an educational field trip but they didn’t know it was private property. Trip informs them that each kid will pay a ticket but since Matt is an adult, charges might be pressed. She admits that Wott Management owns the land and has evidence of the trespassing - a drone that took a photo of the three kids. Michael Davis is surprised to see his drone as Donny took it without permission. Matt is rather amused at how the kids managed to get a drone, even letting out a chuckle, which earns him a look from Bridget.

Bridget offers to help Michael fight the tickets. Matt has faced this before which angers Michael as he wants him to leave his son out of it next time. Meanwhile, Hilde tells her friends this won’t slow them down, but they are mad now. Donny’s father is mad and won’t get his drone back, while Spoon’s mother pulls a double shift. They don’t want her help, either. Michael leaves with Spoon and Donny. Bridget and Matt still can’t reach Izzy as she just claims to be home soon. They had to ask Kim to babysit but also put her in a position not to tell Frank about the charges. They call Hilde over to tell her that Trip, who joins the family, convinced Wott to drop the charges. However, it’s contingent on her not publishing anything about the island. Hilde doesn’t want to be silenced. Trip argues that they broke the law and, as an officer, she has to hold everyone accountable. Hilde accuses her of helping Wott, but Trip doesn’t want to be doing any of this. She wishes she could look the other way but that’s not how the department works. She has to face consequences for her actions, with Matt admitting she’ll pay the ticket. Hilde looks over at the Wott employees and adds she won’t stop reporting.

Hilde is still working on notes as Izzy prepares to move her things upstairs. Hilde doesn’t want things to be different as she wouldn’t know how to be a journalist without Izzy. She sometimes forgets to consider people’s feelings, but Izzy never forgets that. Izzy just smiles at her as she heads upstairs.

In school, Spoon and Donny are talking when Hilde walks over. She knows things were rough but wants to keep chasing the story. Spoon is taking the deal to do community service in exchange for not writing about Wott Management. Donny is taking the deal too as he isn’t built for prison. They’re both out. She tearfully says they’re a team but they ignore her to focus on homework.

Between classes, Hilde tries to give out tests for the water as she explains the toxins to those who do take the tests. However, most people aren’t interested. Kim stands behind her and tells her she can’t set up booths like this. Hilde tries to justify what she’s doing and accidentally lets it slip that Frank is fired. Kim tells her to get permission before she does this again. She takes the booth supplies and leaves, telling Hilde to think about the consequences before she takes action.

Hilde bikes to the Johnson Farm to speak with Trip. She apologizes for what she said, and Trip appreciates that. Hilde’s been trying to get people to test the water which angers Trip as she can’t panic the community. She took her tip about the Woodruff mansion and that was embarrassing. Hilde gives them a test kit as the water will hit him first, but Trip is reluctant as her dad has enough to worry about. Hilde knows Trip can’t be her source or friend anymore, but she’s going to care about the truth and her. She doesn’t want them to get hurt, so Trip takes the test.

That night, Matt and Hilde are working as she clicks her pen incessantly. She’s annoyed that people don’t want to know the truth. They uncovered a huge story but no one wants to know. He tells her that bad news makes people feel helpless so they don’t want to know. She thinks that’s why he didn’t want her to find out why Sylvester was sick. He admits he was afraid the answer would be something he couldn’t help Sylvester with. She wishes she could ask Sylvester about it so they could go back in time with him. She knows it’s a stupid idea but he isn’t so sure. Ginny intercepts Hilde to show her the book she made of her adventure with Sylvester, and Hilde barely looks through the book before running off.

Matt is looking through files to find his story about reminiscing therapy as it’s supposed to help people with dementia remember the past. They were able to recreate the past to help people remember. They want to try it so Hilde calls for Ginny again to look at the book for real this time. They find Scoglio’s which is a restaurant Matt and Sylvester went to years ago, though it closed down. Hilde wants to recreate it and runs off to get her family to help. Matt tells Ginny she did a great job.

They decorate the house to make it look like a restaurant. Hilde and Sylvester walk into the room as Ethan plays the piano. The family sits down to eat together as Bridget asks about Jane. Sylvester admits Jane hated the place at first as it reminded her of the social clubs in Chicago. He dragged her there anyway because it was the best veal chop in Erie Harbor. He doesn’t understand why the guys are so late today of all days. The Plant Five boys are leaving Strata. They each got a big severance check and everyone’s getting one since the division is being shut down. Hilde shows him a picture of the men and he notes that’s them, except Junior, who didn’t work that. Strata gave them all money for putting them out of work, but he’s glad as the spray made him cough like crazy. It was sealant they sprayed on planes. A Strata doctor checked them out and concluded that the headaches were from the dust in the plant. Hilde asks if he believed them, but Sylvester whispers that it doesn’t matter anymore. He admits that he’s taking his severance money to open a bicycle shop. He asks what Matt thinks and Matt remarks he thinks it’s great. He wants Matt to like it as the shop will be his one day. Matt assures Sylvester he does love it.

Hilde and her parents talk about how they can’t prove the intent of Strata. Ginny walks in as Walter has died. The next day, Hilde buries Walter with her family in the yard outside. Spoon and Donny also come. Hilde gives a speech to Walter as she tried everything to make him better but it wasn’t enough. Matt finds himself watching Sylvester. Hilde places Walter on the ground as she says goodbye, tossing a handful of dirt into the hole. Ginny follows suit with the dirt. Izzy asks Hilde if she’s okay, and Hilde states she’s fine as he’s just a bird.

Matt walks downstairs to find Hilde doing research. He offers to tag in for a while as her little sister needs her big sister right now. Hilde hands over the highlighter and heads upstairs. Ginny is in her room making a memorial for Walter with her animals, clay, and a flower. Hilde sits next to her sister. Ginny wonders if Walter is in heaven, but Hilde doesn’t know. Hilde worries that grown-ups made it up so they don’t feel scared. But, she does think Walter’s in heaven, chirping away with his family on a bird beach eating bird ice cream. She apologizes to Ginny for ignoring her earlier as she thought she knew better. People do that to her all the time, so she promises Ginny she won’t do that ever again. The sisters then hug.

The next morning, Matt is sitting at the desk as the water sample results come in. Hilde finds him and asks what’s wrong. He reveals there’s cadmium in the barrels - a heavy metal. What’s more, heavy metal is linked to dementia. This could be why Sylvester goes in and out, as it’s not just memory loss. Hilde takes a sharp breath and Matt wonders what’s wrong. She shows him proof that Strata used cadmium but allegedly disposed of it which could be a lie. Matt thinks the barrels could have come from Strata Tech. He angrily realizes they’ve been covering it up for years, decades even. Hilde gets to work on writing a new article. Matt tells Hilde they can’t reverse Sylvester’s illness if cadmium is responsible. She wants them to pay.

In "The Bad Guy", Hilde conducts a science experiment and watches as the liquid turns black. The school bell rings so Hilde clears off her desk. She re-opens her book to see that the book is sponsored by Strata, remembering that the computers are too. She runs out of the room as Mr. Sipple calls after her.

She bikes along the boardwalk as she notices Strata sponsors the Farmer’s Market, the lights, the binoculars overlooking the water, and the expansion of the waterfront. As she walks past Bayview Quay, she stops to notice the sign that claims Strata founded it in 1995 alongside with Township of Erie Harbor in 1945. She remembers Grant telling her how he inherited the company from his family. She recalls the symbol is everywhere.

She rushes home to tell them that Strata is everywhere. She is Karl in the door and freezes. Matt calls her into the living room, where Grant Williams, the president of Strata, is waiting for her.

Hilde demands to know what he’s doing here and he retorts that he’s there to comment. She turns on her tape recorder, sets it down, and the two square off. She confronts him about the cadmium and accuses him of poisoning the town’s water supply. He denies the allegation but does admit that there was a leak at an old facility but they cleaned it up. She thought Wott Management owned that land. He admits that Wott Management is one of his subsidiaries, with Matt commenting that it’s a shell company. Hilde accuses Grant of covering up what happened on the island. While he understands why it appears that way, it’s an internal issue. She wants him to take responsibility for what he did. He notes that this seems personal to her and accuses her of not being objective. She does think he’s the bad guy as he claims. Grant wants to have a word with the grown-ups outside.

Hilde eavesdrops from her upstairs window, she hears Grant warn her parents that they need to control their daughter. Matt barely contains himself as Grant stalks off. Hilde opens her computer.

The next morning, Hilde enters the kitchen as she solemnly admits that no one is reading her article, not even Donny or Spoon, who don’t seem to care about the paper anymore. Matt and Bridget are sympathetic to her situation, but also her friends, as they don’t have the same exposure to journalist repercussions as Hilde. Hilde thought things would get better once the article was published since Strata wouldn’t be able to hurt them either. Bridget thinks they’re more hurt by Hilde than Strata. Matt and Bridge advise her to make things right with her friends by focusing on them for a change. They mention the upcoming Spirit Week at school, just as Izzy sulks into the kitchen. Izzy isn’t a school-spirit kinda person and goes to leave. Bridget answers a call from Junior and tells Matt to turn on the news. The family gathers in the living room and turns on an old TV. The newscaster reveals that the Johnson Farm has just been sold to Strata Tech Industries after old chemicals were found on the land. Grant gives an interview where he admits to the cadmium being improperly disposed of, but he cleaned it up immediately. A reporter asks if the public is at risk, but Grant lies that they aren’t. They purchased the land to store the residual industrial waste. The Lisko’s are in shock as Hilde can’t believe that no one will know what Strata did to Sylvester or Junior.

It’s spirit week at school, with the entire gymnasium transformed into Erie Harbor memorabilia. Hilde finds Spoon and Donny in the hall doing cleaning duty for community service. She tries to make conversation with them, but they’re still upset at her. Donny reveals that this dad was demoted from his job at Strata after the company suddenly decided it wasn’t working out. She wonders if it’s because of them. Donny blames her instead. They aren’t just giving them community service, they’re taking it out on his father. The duo stalks off.

Spoon and Donny head to Principal Collins's office to have their time slips signed. Kim notes that people make mistakes so they aren’t criminals. She knows that just because people say something doesn’t make it true. What the trio has is special and what really matters. She leaves for a moment. Hilde admits she’s sorry they got hurt as no story is worth losing them as friends. She wants to make it right and they know she will. They give a group hug. They sit in the lobby when Ethan, Emma, and Izzy walk past. Izzy is eager to leave but Emma offers them a ride so they can be outcasts together.

The group heads for food as they talk about Strata and how no one’s listening to their stories. They can’t do much as Strata has a bigger voice than they do, which makes Hilde think no one is listening. The rest of the group convinces her to find another way into the story. Ethan realizes that he might be able to help. His mom is Grant’s assistant and keeps all his files on her computer, at the house, to which he has a key. Hilde doesn’t want anyone else to get in trouble. He assures them it’s fine as they’re just taking a look to see if anything is wrong. His mom will be fine with it if they can prove the town’s water is corrupted. Emma asks Izzy if she’s met Ethan’s mother, which she hasn’t, to which Hilde realizes what Emma is planning. She calls her smart as they put together their plan, much to Izzy and Ethan’s confusion. Hilde remarks it’s time to meet the parents.

As Izzy meets Ethan's mother that night, Hilde and her friends sneak into the Deluca house while Emma waits in the car. Ethan takes a photo of the password on the key as it changes every 30 seconds. She hesitates but her friends push her to do it anyway. Once they gain access, they search for incriminating evidence. Hilde, Spoon, and Donny find a family tree that reveals Grant’s grandmother’s maiden name was Woodruff - she’s the owner and namesake of the Catherine Woodruff Mansion. They also find a picture of the man whose portrait hung over the fireplace at the mansion. They find a file titled Lisko. Hilde finds information about her entire family and Donny thinks it’s a hit list. Spoon gives them a thumb drive and instructs them to put it all on there. Hilde obliges and tries to copy the files.

Emma calls the trio to warn them that Grant is pulling into the driveway. Hilde and her friends are busy copying the files but can’t stop without corrupting all of them. Grant arrives and greets them. Gina grabs the computer and storms off while Ethan tries to reason with her.

That night, after being reprimanded by her parents, Hilde comes downstairs to find her grandfather in his room. He asks if she can’t sleep and tells her to sit with him, knowing she’s upset. She admits that he failed but he doesn’t understand. She was trying to prove Strata did this to him to make him better but she couldn’t do it. He tells her that it did work. He’s an old man from a small town who thought his life was small, that he didn’t matter that much. But she showed him there’s no such thing as a small life because if his story can help others, then it matters. He tells her to keep going and keep telling her story. They hold hands as she thanks him and tells him she loves him. He returns the sentiment and does a hand signal. Matt didn’t want him to drop him off in front of the school, so Sylvester had to drop him off at the corner. When Matt would look back Sylvester would do that symbol so Matt knew he loved him even from far away. Hilde returns the gesture and they smile. She doesn’t know what to do next so he invites her to read with him. Sylvester is doing a puzzle of their family photos. He explains his book to her as they curl up together.

In the morning, Matt checks his email to find an anonymous tip. He calls Hilde over to look at the email. It’s a recording of Hank and Gillis and Arthur Conway, air traffic control tower. Arthur worked with Hank. They believe the sealant is causing health risks as they heard company executives talking about cadmium. They had it tested and it came back toxic. Hilde realizes that Strata allegedly stopped using cadmium in the 70s, but this recording from 1987 proves they lied. In the recording, Hank reveals that it makes sense since a lot of workers at the coating plant have gotten sick. They overheard the executives while showing Richie the planes at a birthday party.

In "The Biggest Life", the trio watches Hank and Arthur’s video, determining that Strata worked to kill Hank. However, they can’t prove any of it. But they can prove they knew about the cadmium since they covered it up. Donny notes they’re going to blow the whole thing open.

Hilde bikes home but skids to a stop when she sees the ambulance. She turns up the drive to her father who beckons her to him. He tells her that Sylvester has passed away and she breaks down as he soothes her. He assures her that he slipped away in his sleep and went peacefully. Matt holds her close to his chest as she sobs.

Hilde sits in Sylvester’s room sobbing as Bridget and Ginny stand in the door. She can’t believe he’s just gone. They join Hilde in the room and Bridget tearfully explains that Sylvester was happy. She apologizes to her and tells them that Sylvester loved the kids very much. He got a chance to love them and he wasn’t in any more pain which is the best they could ask for. Hilde didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. Ginny assures her sister that Sylvester isn’t alone as he’s in heaven with Walter. The trio hugs tightly as they cry.

Hilde is in Sylvester’s room looking at her latest article. She remarks that it’s too late now and throws the paper off. A man arrives at the door asking for Hilde, as she’s being served. Matt is in surprise as the parents read the injunction. It will halt the publication and dissemination of Hilde’s article. Bridget tells Hilde that she can’t publish anything. Bridget reveals that it’s not Strata but everything her paper covers. Hilde emotionally runs off as Matt assures Bridget he can handle it as he follows her.

Hilde bikes down the street to Spoon and Donny. They are surprised to see her considering everything going on with her grandpa. They go down to their shed to see a no trespassing sign taped to the door. Inside, everything is broken and torn apart. The entire shed has been ransacked. Hilde knows it was Strata even if they can’t prove it. She tells Donny to take photos so she can email them to her subscribers. She’s locked out of the servers due to legal reasons. Donny reveals they’ve blocked their website due to legal reasons. She realizes everything they have worked for is gone. Spoons and Donny try to collect the shreds of paper but she tells them not to bother. Donny knows he can’t fix everything but he’ll fix this. Spoon’s been wanting to do a deep clean anyway. Donny goes to get the trash bags, with Spoon knowing they’re in his work bag, and he remarks that Spoon just gets him. Together, they work to clean up the shed.

Hilde overhears her parent's talking in Syl's old room. She enters the room, putting a hand on Matt’s shoulder to assure him it’s okay. He abruptly stands as it’s not okay. He should have protected her and Sylvester from Strata. Hilde hugs her father and he apologizes after a moment as a lot is going on.

Hilde works on a new piece when Izzy knocks on the door, ready to move back into her old room. The family leaves the house for the funeral service. She sees Sylvester as they pass Syl’s Cycles. They greet the multitudes of people who are at the service, including the Johnson’s, Spoon, Donny, Frank, Kim, Emma, and Ethan. Hilde’s piece is a eulogy that she wrote for the service. Matt thanks everyone for coming. After which, Hilde places an origami rose on his casket as she remarks that his life was the biggest.

By nightfall, Matt is playing his guitar while Bridget, Ginny, and Izzy set the table. Hilde asks Matt if Strata will ever pay for what they did but he doesn’t know. He won’t give up without a fight. All Hilde wants is to show the world what Strata did to Sylvester and the others. She wants to keep going for him. Matt promises her they’ll figure something out together, as a family. She brings up the family newsletters she used to mail to Sylvester. She wants to make a newsletter as a special edition to the paper. Izzy remarks that the court order only applied to The Magic Hour Chronicle, so long it isn’t the same name, articles could just show up. Bridget remarks that she might have to give Izzy a raise. Matt thinks they should do this and decide to do it together.

The students in the school plan a walkout at two to protest Strata. The class gathers outside at two. Spoon asks Hilde if she’s going to say something, but Hilde knows it's Izzy's thing. She gives her sister a nod of encouragement. She then watches her sister's motivational speech and cheers with everyone else.

Once home, Matt gets a text and calls Hilde into the room. He spoke to an air force general who knew Arthur and where he worked after. Arthur left Strata to be an air force control room and was the voice on the black box. Matt thinks he’s found his first eyewitness. Matt pulls out their passports as they’re headed for Canada.

Matt and Hilde pull up to the immigration station where they hand their passports over, before passing through the terminal. They pull up to the house and Hilde has copies of her article to give to the man. Matt wants to make sure it’s safe first as they don’t know what state of mind Arthur is in. However, if he’s a normal person, she can come in. Matt knocks on the front door and a little boy answers. The boy reveals his grandpa died last year, but he can get his dad. Matt waits inside per the boy’s request. Matt looks around and at photographs on the walls. The man appears and both of them freeze. The man realizes the man is Matty, and when Matt looks down at the photo, he realizes the man is Richie. Richie asks how Matt found him. Hilde appears and is shocked to see Richie there.

In "The Smoking Gun", Hilde stands in the living room as Matt can’t believe it’s Richie. An adult Richie has Tommy show Hilde his room, something Matt allows. Tommy shows Hilde his room which is full of airplane memorabilia and old toy cars. She asks questions and he reveals his mom died when he was little, something that makes him emotional. She assures him that their dads are old friends. He shows her airplanes that were his grandfather’s. Hilde sits by the air vent so she can eavesdrop while Tommy shows her how they fly.

Richie asks why he came looking for him, but Matt didn’t know he was there. Matt apologizes as he’s a bit stunned. He came looking for Arthur Conway with his daughter, and they wanted to talk to him about Strata. They know he’s a whistleblower. He shows Richie the video of Hank and Arthur. Matt asks Richie where he’s been and what he’s doing there. Richie admits that Arthur brought him there. Richie wasn’t kidnapped but rescued.

Matt is confused and asks Richie what he means. Richie reveals he’s the reason Arthur had to blow the whistle. When his mom got sick she started taking him down to the airfield to watch the planes, which is where he met Arthur. He didn’t know it then, but Arthur was his biological father. Matt looks at the photographs of Matt and Arthur together. He asks if anyone else knew, but Richie doesn’t think so. She wanted him not to tell anyone about the airfield as things were hard enough at home, referencing his father’s abusive nature. Richie was happy at Strata but overheard something he wasn’t supposed to.

Arthur let him check out a new plane as it was being built. The executives were talking about cadmium and how toxic it was. They didn’t want anyone to know about it so they hid it outside of town, on the island. Richie warned Hank and Arthur who then came forward. They thought they could force Starta to tell the truth. But instead, they came after them one by one. Arthur had to get Richie out of there and put his trust in the wrong man, Ezekiel, and things went wrong. When they didn’t show at the meeting point, Arthur came for him and they’ve lived in Canada ever since.

Hilde suddenly appears as she knew Strata was the reason he had to leave because of the chemicals. She asks him to come back as he’s the eyewitness they need to take them down. Richie is confused as to whom she means, so Hilde interjects that Starta is denying everything and is the reason her grandfather died. Richie didn’t know Sylvester died and asks what happened. Matt admits it was the cadmium as Strata is claiming they didn’t know back then. Richie knows they did and that Arthur had proof, a smoking gun - he had video evidence of an executive admitting to everything. He planned to bring it to the police but then Strata sabotaged Hank’s plane. He left town that night and made a plan to get Richie out. He doesn’t know where the tape is now as his father wouldn’t tell him. It was too dangerous for him in Erie Harbor. He admits he killed a man so he can never go back. Matt calls him Richie but he refuses to be called that as that isn’t who he is anymore. He refuses to help them and tells them to leave. Hilde thinks they can fight this together, looking to her father for reassurance, but Matt thinks they should go. As they do, Hilde gives Richie a packet as she admits there were people in Erie Harbor who loved him and never gave up on him.

They return to Erie Harbor to Bridget's office to tell her that Richie is alive and in Canada. Izzy thinks it’s messed up that Richie knew Sam was arrested and didn’t tell anyone it was the wrong guy. However, Matt reasons that Richie might not have known as he lived in a different country and Sam’s story was local news. Hilde thinks he could be here now but won’t now. Matt reasons that Richie killed a man but Bridget knows that there could be legal repercussions for Richie. They have to report Richie being alive to the police or they could be accused of covering it up. Matt leaves to handle this himself.

In the Lisko house, the girls are watching the tape and wondering where Arthur’s tape could be. They have to find out what Arthur did on the day Hank’s plane crashed. Hilde asks if he remembers anything about that. He remembers going fishing with Sylvester, Frank, and Richie on the pier. They were supposed to go on a fishing trip and he remembers Arthur being there as he told them about Hank’s plane crash. Hilde wonders if the tape could be on Sylvester’s boat. She tells Bridget and Izzy to bring a bunch of people to town hall so they can convince them.

Matt and Hilde head to the pier to find Spoon and Donny ready to help. Bridget, Izzy, and Junior give out fliers to advertise the Town Hall meeting and explain how the law work is pro-bono.

Matt and the group look over the whole boat but don’t see anything. Donny gets a text and goes quiet. He reveals that Strata knows about the lawsuit and sent an email to the entire company. Matt takes a look and reads the email aloud and it threatens everyone’s job. Donny leaves to check on his dad, with Spoon having to leave so he can hang up the fliers at school. Spoon tells them to try not to get arrested as the duo leaves.

Matt doubts the tape would even survive after thirty years. They sit together as Hilde brainstorms where Arthur could have hit the tape to keep Richie safe. She wonders if he moved the tape like how Sylvester used to hide things in the heating vent. They rush home and she pulls a notebook out of the vent in Sylvester’s room. Matt looks through it as it’s a journal of notes about Hank’s disappearance and how something was wrong. Sylvester saw his old friends dying and tried to piece it all together. He just ran out of time before he could solve it. Matt thinks he could have helped him with it if had been there, but he never knew about it. The notebook reveals he didn’t have the tape, but also that he wanted to know what was happening to him.

Back at home, Matt can’t believe that someone spray-painted their car. Bridget is worried that they know where they live and that the town hall was a bad idea. There’s a knock on the door as the girls nervously look at Matt, who goes to check it out. Trip and Kim enter the house with bad news - Richie is gone. Trip held off on calling it in but he left soon after their visit.

The Lisko’s arrive at the town hall but it’s virtually empty. Grant and his Strata employees are also there, much to Hilde’s chagrin. Matt assures her that she doesn’t have to do this, but she wants Grant to hear it even if it doesn’t make a difference. Spoon and Donny are waiting for her up on the stage. Hilde stops in front of Grant, who is happy to listen to the community’s complaints, though she doesn’t have much support. He tells her to say her piece and then go home. Hilde goes to the microphone and shakily begins her speech.

Izzy live streams the speech on her Instagram account. Hilde talks about losing Sylvester too quickly. She reveals that he worked at Strata before opening a bike shop. Nearly everyone in attendance knew someone who worked there or worked there themselves. Hilde looks at the memory board behind her. She reveals there are so many stories about former Strata employees who got sick and died too young. They were people who were loved - somebody’s mother, somebody’s son, and everybody wishes they had more time but those people should have had it. Grant is aware of the baseless lawsuit to benefit off the misfortune of others.

Frank angrily says that she’s doing it for free, while Kim states the family cares about the truth and helping people. Hilde blurts out that Grant’s father poisoned the town. Grant threatens Hilde with his lawyer as Matt angrily tells them not to speak of her that way. Grant knows they have no proof or case. Sam Gillis arrives as they have a case because now they have an eyewitness. A door opens and moments later, Richie walks through the door. He reveals that he’s Richie Fife. Everyone stands to turn to face the men as they walk to the front. Richie tells Hilde he read the articles she gave him and knew he had to come back. He felt he was running his whole life even when he was standing still. He doesn’t want his son to see him running away. Sam wants Strata to pay for what it did to everyone.

Hilde admits she couldn’t find the tape, but Richie had it the whole time. He panicked because he was trying to get rid of them. He apologizes for misleading them. She’s glad he’s there now and plays the tape. It’s part of the deposition that they already have as it didn’t change anything. Richie fast forwards and tells her to wait. Arthur visited Mr. Williams who demands a name for the person talking about the chemical. Arthur reveals that it was Grant. Mr. Williams states that Grant never thinks before he speaks. The date of the recording was September 20th, 1987. Grant stands as this doesn’t change anything, threatening to bury them in paperwork for twenty years as the tape won't see the light of day.

Donny pulls back the curtain to reveal it’s too late. Outside, everyone is streaming and recording the tape. Ethan has projected the live stream on the side of the town hall. Trip places Grant Williams under arrest as the town cheers. Matt hugs Hilde for doing a great job. Richie apologizes to Sam as he can’t make up for the lost time. He didn’t know what happened but Sam knows he was just a kid, but Richie knows Sam was too. The two men share a hug, and it’s as if a hug spawns generations from the 80s to now. Richie smiles over at Hilde and Matt.

Hilde sits at her desk as she writes a final letter to her Magic Hour Chronicles to reveal she’s back. Donny and Spoon monitor the police chatter, while Strata leaves the Johnson farm. As Hilde writes, Richie looks over The Chronicle’s printed newspapers before he sees the Nina Pirates sign. This time, the “no” in “no girls allowed” is scratched out with an X to read “girls allowed”. Richie remembers laughing and playing. He sits down next to Tommy, across from Hilde, Spoon, and Donny, who are all in shock. Spoon asks if he’s okay and he remarks that he’s had a good life. Hilde always knew he was out there. Spoon offers him a cookie that he gladly accepts.

Down by the shorefront, everyone gathers around a fire pit reunited once again. Hilde and her friends play near a large log, as Matt remembers hanging out in the same place years ago. Kim can’t believe they are all together. Frank remarks it’s because of a girl who never gave up for a kid she never even knew. Hilde jumps off the log to look at her father, this time, smiling and giving the signal that Sylvester showed her. He returns the symbol and she runs back to join her sister and friends on the log.

Hilde tapes The Magic Hour Chronicle business car to the town bulletin board. She spots an internship flier for The Washington Gazette’s Regional Bureau and pulls it down, smiling at it. She rushes back to the shed to tell her friends about it. The police radio announces a possible homicide, so they rush out of the shed. The police speed toward the crime scene, with The Magic Hour Chronicle biking after them. They arrive at the scene and drop their bikes. Trip tells them they can’t be there as it’s a crime scene. Frank users them back as he tells them to go on their bikes, but Hilde sees her notebook at the crime scene.

Personality
Hilde is shown to be stubborn and brave as she was willing to put herself in precarious situations to uncover the truth or a lead. She is often noted as being smart, possibly too smart for her own good, like her father. It has been shown that Hilde has inherited father's traits of seeing clues, following leads, and doing whatever she can to help others. She is a brilliant child journalist whose sense of self comes from solving crimes with her father in New York, and later, in Erie Harbor. She is an extraordinarily gifted sleuth and investigator with astounding observational and deductive abilities.

However, Hilde is also impulsive and doesn't think her actions completely through before doing them. She stands her ground against those of higher authority, though in doing so, she creates dangerous situations for herself and her family. Despite the darkness she's witnessed, Hilde still sees the world through rose-colored glasses. She believes everyone should be honest, transparent, and good. She believes that the adults are supposed to help kids and is deeply affected by Sheriff Brigg's behaviors. She can be flippant, argumentative, and immature at times due to her young age.

Physical Appearance
Hilde has medium-length brown hair and almond shaped brown eyes. She has a small build and usually wears colorful clothing paired with sneakers. She always carries around a notebook that she uses in her investigations.

Notes and Trivia

 * Upon moving to Erie Harbor, Hilde created an online newspaper called The Magic Hour Chronicle.
 * She read the entire Girl Scouts handbook as a research for an expose on who got to keep the cookie profits.