Chapter Two: Playback of Death

Nine hours remained before one in the morning. They found her apartment locked but searched. Her hard drive was missing. On the desk lay a VIP ticket for Aurora's next game; in the trash, half a parking receipt from Pier Seven. Police would only record a missing-person report. Lin and Shen drove into the rain. At 12:57, Shen found the white sedan beneath an overpass. It was empty, but a roll of transparent ties lay on the driver's seat. “Was the vision wrong?” Lin asked. Shen looked toward the water. A blue path erupted beneath his feet—not for a puck, but for a black SUV reversing toward them. Its future ended with the sedan in the harbor. Someone struggled in the SUV's back seat.