CHAPTER III : The Cafe

We sat in the museum café, at a table by the window. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9YUXTVouy

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Sunlight filled the courtyard outside. A coffee machine hissed behind the counter. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKoVIbcaAB

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The waiter asked whether we wanted anything to eat. Daniel ordered without opening the menu. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglpusBX3F7

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For a few minutes, we tried to decide where to have dinner. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2ESemlPu8

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When Daniel’s sandwich arrived, he moved the plate aside to make room for his glass. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXXJdj4MqX

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Mia unfolded the museum leaflet and smoothed it flat between us. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlaZONN1Cb

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"That passage isn’t marked," she said. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuYLT3OBTg

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Daniel glanced at the plan. "Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be open." His sandwich remained untouched. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxtgwqHGgM

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Mia followed the edge of the last gallery with her finger, then looked up at me. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfzZyDLiOQ

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"Kim, you were very quiet in there." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cMDyWAotL

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I looked down at my drink. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj9lQzkT6L

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"You looked at all three, didn't you?" she asked. "What did you see?" 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgWJ5JkQqS

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I had been waiting for this question since we left the hallway. Now that she had asked it, I wished I had spoken sooner. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkgFzZ63Zn

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"Nothing," I said. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTqzR6YxGU

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Daniel frowned. "What do you mean, nothing?" 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwC7AXs6M3q

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"I saw the three lamps. I saw the circles of light. I saw all of you pointing and talking." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpqZzfEYLJ

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I looked at each of them. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFIhuoVWeI

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"But there were no paintings. No frames. No pictures. Nothing." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPxt3ccOGY

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Mia slowly put down her cup. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ3j5kuQFZ

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"The whole time," I said, "you were all looking at a clean, empty wall." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBodQIJLLV4

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*  *  * 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO44S8Wjva1

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For a long moment, nobody moved. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbSTYu9ITf

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Then Oliver picked up his camera. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMf9rCMpGY

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"I took a photo," Oliver said. "When we were looking at the middle one. Let's check." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvsbU8l6Xp

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He pressed the button and turned the screen towards us. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksW0V2zBIr

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The photograph showed the wooden floor, the three lamps and the wall beneath them. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmCMZfPUJp

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No paintings. No frames. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVRKll1vxD

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Exactly what I had seen. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRwmlZdBCn

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Mia covered her mouth with her hand.

Then Daniel leaned closer to the screen. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNal5LPPPn

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"Where are we?" he asked. "Mia was right behind me." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mu9EOkNVJ

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Oliver did not answer. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1vVKc5duO

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Daniel had been standing under the middle lamp, pointing at the wall. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOPZ5FnonD

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Mia had been just behind him. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULmqPbAwmy

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The woman in the red scarf had been close enough to touch his arm, and her friend had been beside her. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXit8ynFmG

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There was room for all four of them in the photograph. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufd7EA3JHI

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But the hallway was empty. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfYC8EuUaq

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Oliver enlarged the image. The floorboards grew wider. A small crack in the plaster came into view. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzDo82Z8BP

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He moved across the photograph, from one edge to the other. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIPYZqtG8h

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Nobody. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwM4A6NxfEp

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"You didn't wait for us to move?" Mia asked. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf05MekmTcS

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"No," Oliver said. "Daniel was still pointing." 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdraVaVFlx

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Daniel looked down at his own hand and pressed it flat against the table. "I didn’t move," he said. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65T7h4IJ9k

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I watched Oliver return to the full photograph. I could remember the voices, the gestures, the way we had stepped aside to let the women pass. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY8WgVWRPv

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The camera had recorded none of it. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6EZBP4sEX

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"Send it to me," I said. I wanted to look at it somewhere else, away from that building. Oliver sent me a copy before putting the camera away. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPE4vBzcSq

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By the time it reached my phone, I no longer wanted to open it. 94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9mBZszJRf

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