Since the story has not yet been written, all the answers to all questions have not yet been given, I will allow myself to reflect a little on the behavior of the MC.
But before I will ask a question to any reader of this novel, what will you do if a bank from which you did NOT take a loan comes and starts demanding a loan repayment?
So why did MC go into hiding if he's innocent?
MC, after leaving the house, could go and turn himself in to the police, declaring an attempt at blackmail by Linda - and then Linda herself would have pleased "where necessary",
And yet, what then motivated the MC to run away from home? and this looked like a real escape from the crime scene with the aim of "laying low."
Linda made a terrible mistake that cost her the understanding and support of her daughters. namely, she did not ask them if, on the day of the disappearance, their loved one tried to meet them outside the house.
For myself, the determining factor in the fact that the MC is guilty of the death of a "friend" is that he was afraid of Linda's blackmail, since most likely he had grounds for himself, and that he did not explain himself to the girls on the day of the escape.