Chapter Two: The Woman Missing from the Recording

Lin copied the security footage and watched it forty-three times. On the fourteenth viewing, he confirmed that the woman was not hidden in any reflection. On the twenty-sixth, he noticed a ripple appear from nowhere in a roadside puddle seven-tenths of a second before he stopped, as if an umbrella tip had touched the water. On the forty-third, Lacuna marked the timeline with a red stroke. [She has been watching you for seven days.] Lin shoved his chair away. Seven days ago, he had not installed the extension. He gathered office-entry logs, convenience-store receipts, and subway records. Text was Lacuna’s territory. Whenever he enlarged a record, notes appeared beside selected times. Monday, 8:42: [She was outside Gate Three.