Chapter Two: Reverse Cut

“You told me the victim’s clothes, location, and method twenty minutes in advance,” she said quietly. “You even knew which pillar hid the killer. Shen Yan, that is not coincidence.” He held out the film. She did not take it. She stared at the name in the credits. “Your handwriting?” “I didn’t write it.” “But it says you.” At the entrance, the rescued girl, Xu Zhi, was being guided into an ambulance. She looked back at Shen, trembling. “I’ve seen you before,” she said. “In the fire, three years ago.” The ringing in Shen’s ears drowned out the rain. Xu took a burned label from her pocket. Only two characters on it remained legible: Echo.