As much as the idea of searched cards going through the "hand" may seem logical to some, I do not think it is inherent. The "hand" is only referring to the cards that we hold unrevealed. I think that it is more likely that most of us put our "hand" down when we search for cards in our draw/discard pile. Therefore, I see no reason that a searched card can not be played directly from where it was searched from. I think that forcing it to "pass through" the hand is laborious and unnecessary.
Ergo, I vote "b."
