Summary

November, 2007. Stephen is invited to dinner at Finch's daughter Lydia's house, whom he nurses a crush on despite the fact she's married. Lydia points out that he and Finch have a lot in common. Stephen and Finch have decided to divide and conquer the work to try to find something about the Kessler sisters. Stephen runs Thomas's work through some high-tech machinery, which can trace an artist's signature and any changes in their mental or physical state. After finding something on the machine, Stephen goes to visit Thomas, who has deteriorated greatly since his stroke. Stephen feels guilty for not being there for Dylan in his last moments.

Stephen tells Thomas that he can see the painting has been painted over in certain parts. In the original painting, Alice's hand wasn't resting on the birdcage, but was holding someone else's hand. From the...