Chapter Two: Playback of Death

A youth hockey team stood outside a low arena twelve years earlier. Fifteen-year-old Shen occupied one corner, pale and rigid, though he remembered none of it. At the center, a brilliant young forward wore the silver-ring token. “My brother, Lin Che,” she said. “Officially, he moved overseas. In truth, he disappeared three days after this picture.” On the back, faded handwriting read: ECHO TEST, SUBJECT SEVEN. “My father died in that rink,” Shen said. “A refrigeration accident, supposedly. Seven people died, but there were only six death certificates. I studied sports medicine because the seventh never had a name.” The license belonged to club auditor Xu Lan. She had missed work; her phone's final signal came from East Harbor.