Missing Boy Returns Three Years After Abduction—But He's Hiding a Dangerous Secret

Someone Was Lying

While in custody, Barclay proposed his theory, alleging that Beverly and Jason had been complicit in Nicholas' murder. The authorities couldn't trust a pathological liar like Bourdin, but he raised their suspicions nonetheless. Jack Stick, a federal prosecutor, began working with Fisher. The two edged toward the possibility of a homicide investigation.

Stick and Fisher compiled evidence suggesting that the Barclay household was violent and unsafe. Beverly had been a high-functioning heroin addict, and officials at Nicholas' school had expressed their concern for Nicholas, who was often covered in bruises. They believed that he was being abused. In fact, directly before Nicholas disappeared, the school had alerted child-protective services.