The previous episode of Harlan Coben's "Run Away" revealed that Dee Dee was connected to a sinister religious cult called the "Beacon of the Shining Truth," and this revelation made unraveling the plot significantly easier. Cults are often wrongdoers, and their leaders are invariably nefarious. Episode 5 didn't reveal much, but it showed enough for anyone with a decent sense of things to figure out what's what.
In fact, I'd go so far as to claim that after "Forever Be the Shining Truth," you can basically figure out everything. There are some late twists that might surprise you—patience, Padawan, we’ll get there—but the broad strokes are all ready to be put together.
A flashback at the beginning clarifies that Dee Dee obtained the kill list she and Ash are working through from the Shining Truth, the religious cult that "saved" her after all the trauma she endured in the foster system, which she ultimately put to bed—and into the ground—by killing and burying Mrs. O'Hara.
In the present day, the cult wants to "thank" Ash for doing their dirty work, which means an in-person visit and some crucial exposition about what the place is up to. In the simplest possible terms, the place is presided over by a man named Caspar Vartage, otherwise known as "The One." He has two sons, "The Visitor" and "The Volunteer," which probably aren't going to top the list of popular baby names anytime soon. Ash and Dee Dee are ostensibly there to provide a woman named Mother Adiona with an update on the mission, but Dee Dee wants to participate in some sort of ceremony while they’re there. Ash, already skeptical, doesn’t like the fact that he can hear women screaming during said ceremony and lunges at Adiona, but a giant security guard knocks him out.
When he wakes up, he and Dee Dee are taken before The One, who gives them more people to kill, keys to a new car, and the location of a buried cache of weapons. But we later see that Adiona slipped Ash a note telling him not to kill the targets and not to trust Dee Dee. So, things are getting a little complicated with these two.
Despite her arrest, Elena instructs Alex to investigate Kevin Gano, while also revealing to Lou, who arrives to pick her up from the station, that she's aware of Maria and Daisy's involvement. Lou claims not to have known about it while Joel was alive, but Elena is skeptical. However, she's relieved that the case provides a distraction from her personal life.
So, here's what we know: The Discovered Ancestry DNA site is the most relevant connection since Henry was also researching it. Damien and Henry were both adopted through the same agency, and now that it's been revealed that Ingrid - who's undergoing surgery but still alive - may have been having a long-term affair with Jay, Simon suspects that Paige might not be his biological daughter. Given that Professor van de Beek ran the Family Tree Club, Simon believes he might have been assisting her in tracing her own heritage. There's something in this since when Simon examines Paige's banking history, he discovers a payment to a website called Absolute Ancestry. Having apparently uncovered enough evidence, he requests a private paternity test from Jessica.
With Cornelius still appearing as a suspect, Isaac finally reveals to Ruby their connection. They used to be neighbors, and his son, Grayson, was Isaac's best friend. However, after Cornelius's wife died of a brain aneurysm, he and their children moved away. Grayson later died by drinking himself to death following his mother's passing. In essence, Cornelius confesses to shooting Luther and defends Simon. He has a history of small-scale vigilantism - in 2019, he was arrested for using a baseball bat on a man who was abusing his son - but Isaac knows his character and trusts his word.
This isn't enough for Ruby, who insists on charging him with shooting Luther. Isaac clears him without her knowledge, which is a big step since he's not only going behind Ruby's back but might also be making a mistake. A scene at the end of Run Away Episode 5 shows Cornelius discarding the knife that seems to have been used to kill Aaron.
After gathering the necessary items for the DNA test and entrusting them to Jessica, Simon turns to Sam and Anya for assistance in determining the whereabouts of Professor van de Beek. He receives a sudden message from Katie, urging him to meet her so that she can "explain everything." However, when they meet, Katie's explanations fall flat. She claims that her falling out with Paige was due to her attempts to warn her off van de Beek, but she claims to know nothing about the Family Tree Club, Paige's apparent problems at home, and has never heard of Jay. It's clear to the audience that she's trying to protect van de Beek, since her email never got through.
Without a lead, Simon confronts Jay at the hospital, who smugly informs him that there's a lot he doesn't know about his wife.
Meanwhile, Elena is having more success in "Forever Be the Shining Truth." She visits the adoption agency and speaks with an unhelpful man named Maish. However, she's clever enough to leave an AirPod in his candy dish. From the phone call Maish makes as soon as she leaves the office, she's able to uncover Alison's name and somehow – through the key tones – figure out her phone number.
Elena goes to see Alison at her business, who confirms that Aaron was also adopted. All of the victims thus far were her cases. She claims to have saved them all from a bad situation, and it must be pretty bad indeed, since when Elena mentions Paige's name, Alison runs away. Elena gives chase, kneeing her assistant in the crotch on her way out.
While all this is going on, Elena is also screening Lou's calls. Since Lou is with Maria, there might be some personal news in her life that she needs to hear.
