"--He's dead?"

"--Oh god," he says, suddenly much quieter and a bit high-pitched. "I don't remember what I said to his brother. I think it might have been something awful. That is. Yes. He was, uh, stabbed to death in St James Park last night."

"Dear god. --if it makes you feel better, you probably did not say the most insensitive thing he is going to hear, and also he probably won't be in much of a position to remember."

"Almost certainly not. You know, he started off by calling me a whore? And then he asked if the reason I wanted to know where they're holding his brother's body was so I could have sex with it. I just got so mad."

"--well that's one way to inform someone that their friend is dead. I'm not sure what reaction he was expecting other than anger."

"I wanted to strangle him. Way left his whole fortune to the girl he's supporting through medical school and honestly good riddance to everyone else who could've gotten it if they're all like that."

"She seems like a far nicer, and if I dare say worthier, option than some of the other potential people."

"I should tell you about the thing of interest to our case, though, so long as I'm talking about all this."

"Yes?"

"Let's see, I wrote it down... Here we go. This was before the Roby murders, they were reading out loud from his book Der Wanderer together. And during one of the German parts, Way had a vision. Which I think I mentioned already, but to put it in its proper context now. He was walking in St. James' Park and then went to buy a paper, and then he heard a step behind him, and when he turned he saw a tall man with a sharp face. The man asked him to keep still, and then Way felt a sharp pain and fell. The last thing he saw was the paperboy staring down at him."

"Don't tell me that's how it actually happened."

"That's what the paperboy found at the scene of the crime says happened."

"That makes no sense."

"And Roby knew! When Way came to he was looking at him all horrified and said 'I'm sorry, I can't change what you saw.' It's absolutely insane."

"It's almost certainly a very, very weird coincidence. If a disturbing one." Jing Yi is very carefully ignoring any similarities to his own dreams of being disassembled.

"I don't know. Between this and the asylum and -- I'm not even sure I can tell you about the other stuff -- at some point I might start wondering if it's more likely we're wrong about how reality works than it is that everything happened exactly by coincidence. ...On the subject of strange things that I'm not sure I can prove. Can you promise me something? Even if it sounds weird and unnecessary?"

...What does Sal want here. "I can do my best?"

"Don't read The King in Yellow."

"Trust me, I never intend to. --You do know I live with Terrence, right? If I was going to read it, I would have read it already."

"You living with Terrence is what makes me worried. That book -- does things to people. He wasn't like that before. And Roby talks just like him, and I'm concerned if we track down Best or DeVille they will too. And -- well, I don't know how to explain. Inaaya might be able to tell you. But it doesn't matter much anyways, since you're not going to. I just wanted to be sure. ..Don't tell Terrence I said all that, will you? I don't want a huge rift between us if there's actually something wrong there."

"My lips are sealed. --as are my eyes, when it comes to That Book."

"Thanks."

Meanwhile-- 

Oscar and Inaaya go to Mr. Sano's office. 

The secretary says, "Hello, Miss Sinope. Mr. Sano will be free shortly. Would you like something to read while you wait?"

This time, she hasn't been requested, and doesn't have an appointment. It's hard not to feel like she's managed to get somewhere that she is categorically not supposed to be, and any moment someone is going to notice. People Like Inaaya do not belong in Offices Like This One. "Yes, please."

Oscar can't remember the last time he visited Sano but it's been long enough that he redecorated.