Chapter 27 · Her Death File

The file's thin. Too thin for a murder.

I pull it out. My hands don't shake. They should. Inside the folder there's a photo of me—not me now, me then. Last life. The house is behind me, fully engulfed. My hair's singed on one side. I'm wearing the blue dress I died in. I'm screaming.

I don't remember anyone taking this photo.

"You kept it," I say.

Lin's standing in the doorway. He hasn't moved. "I keep everything."

There's more. A death certificate, pre-signed by a medical examiner I've never heard of. Date of death filled in but the year's left blank, like he wasn't sure when he'd need it. Cause of death: smoke inhalation, accidental. Below that, a property deed transfer form. My house to a shell company. His shell company. The sale date is two days after my death date.

He was going to buy my corpse's house.

"You planned it down to the paperwork," I say.

Lin leans against the doorframe. "I plan everything."

I flip to the next page. It's a floor plan of my old house. The one I died in. Red X's mark the exits. Every single one.