“The first,” Layla says. “Someone who knew about King Umberto’s meeting with the restaurant owner might also encourage the telling of that story at dinner parties or social gatherings. Once the story became commonly known, it would be fairly easy to shoot the restaurant owner, tell the king, and then orchestrate an assassination. It builds on the oddity and lends credence to the coincidences, suggesting fate as a possible reason for the king’s death.”

I look at Layla and I’m a little in awe. Ash was right when he said they analyze history, understand how one domino topples another, and use that information to predict future events. It’s not unlike the way he reads my mannerisms.

“And furthermore,” Felix says, “Layla’s analysis has created the very doubt that Aarya was talking about. So even if the restaurant owner’s and king’s deaths were pure coincidence, we’ve just been introduced to new variables that mean we can’t deny the possible intentionality of the events.”

“Quite so,” Kartal says. “The framing of history impacts its credibility as much as the facts. Just like a portrait painter who hides his subjects’ flaws changes our impression of them. Peeling away those layers to find the truth is often difficult. And if the person who framed the story is skilled enough, there may always be doubt, so much so that the truth is lost forever.” She says this last part slowly.

I swallow. A week ago I would have thought this conversation was a coincidence, but as I just learned, coincidences can be carefully orchestrated events.

“Let’s talk about a specific plot that centered around the discovery of a body rather than the body itself,” Kartal says.

I fight the urge to scan the room, to see if anyone is reacting to Kartal’s doublespeak. Layla stays unnaturally still, with a blank expression, and I immediately realize that they all hear it. I’m just the idiot who is about to be obvious about it. Damn it. Every time I think I’m catching on, I discover I’m a step behind. Ash was right when he said I was in the bleachers eating popcorn while everyone else was on the playing field.