Chapter Two: Reverse Cut

The shadow on the wall lengthened, and at last revealed the black edge of a coat hidden behind a pillar. The killer was not outside the frame. He had been cropped out. “There!” Shen forced through the crack. The girl turned. The man behind the pillar realized he had been seen and jerked the wire. The chandelier fell, but it smashed the chair she had occupied seconds earlier. Glass flew. Shen threw himself over her and felt a sharp line open on his arm. The world began to rewind. The girl clutched him. “Who are you?” “Call the police. Get out. Ask for Lin Wu, Major Crimes forensic examiner.” “But my phone—” The sound of reverse motion swallowed her. Outside, police lights moved closer while the boundary between film and street overlapped.