In Sheriff Valenti’s
office, Isabel and Max are being questioned by Deputy Hansen at the same time that Dan the
State Police Board Investigator and Judge Lewis are interrogating Valenti about the events
of Laurie Dupree’s kidnapping. There is one minor problem: their stories don’t
match. For example, when asked how they found Laurie, Isabel says that they heard her
screaming, but Valenti claims they spotted the oxygen tanks; when asked what they were
doing in the woods, Max says they were hiking, while Valenti says Isabel and Max were
returning from the library. After a furious exchange of words, the judge asks Valenti for
his gun and his badge, suspending him until that week’s hearing.In the meantime,
Laurie Dupree escapes from the hospital, and hard-as-nails FBI agent Suzanne Duff comes to
Valenti’s house to tell him he’s back on the case and working for her. Alex has
returned from Sweden (so that’s where he was!), and Maria and Liz are so overjoyed to
see him that they practically hyperventilate when Alex tells them he’s got slides.
Kyle blames the aliens for his father’s troubles, and refuses to speak to Max. He
is also upset that his father didn’t tell him about his suspension, but Valenti has
other things on his mind – he receives a message from Michael to meet him at the site
where Laurie Dupree was found. They find a blue glowing rock-like substance, which Valenti
then hides in a bag in his desk. Upon returning home, Valenti finds a paranoid Laurie
hiding in the closet.
On Liz’s balcony, Isabel, Maria, Alex, and Liz celebrate Alex’s return by
stoking up the barbeque grill even though it’s freezing outside. Alex prepares to
show them his precious slides with Isabel commenting, "That’s a lot of slide
carousels there, Alex." They are interrupted by Valenti’s phone call, asking
Isabel to come stay with Laurie, who has been babbling that it wasn’t a
"him" who kidnapped her, it was a "them" – aliens. Valenti has
orders to meet Agent Duff at Frazier’s Woods and has no choice but to meet her, so
Isabel apologizes to Alex, who appears not to be bothered by Isabel’s departure. She
then tells him he looks great, but again, he seems strangely indifferent.
