Chapter Sixty-Eight
Contains spoilersOverview
Ash secretly visits Joe Kritner, the man who pushed her father to his death, to test her theory that Nick Radcliffe manipulated Joe into the killing. Joe initially doubts his past account of a "Silver Man," but when Ash shows him Nick’s photo, Joe recognizes him as the manipulator who paid and coached him. Ash resolves to seek CCTV proof, and Nina, informed after the meeting, decides to call the police.
Summary
Ash meets Joe Kritner in a secured facility without telling Nina or Jane, fearing her theory will sound irrational. She is struck by how ordinary and smaller Joe appears compared to the monstrous figure she has imagined from the CCTV of her father’s death. The memory of the footage—Joe accelerating as the train arrived and pushing Paddy, then turning away—replays in her mind.
During questioning after the incident, Joe had spoken about a commanding "Silver Man" who gave him £50 and told him Paddy was planning a bombing. Officials had dismissed this as delusion amid Joe’s other incoherent statements. In the present, Ash asks Joe about the Silver Man. Joe, medicated and calmer, wavers between believing he invented the figure and sensing the man was real.
Ash produces a printout of Nick Radcliffe’s LinkedIn photo. Joe visibly recoils and identifies the man as the Silver Man, though he struggles to reconcile this recognition with his belief that the Silver Man was imaginary. He recalls the encounter happening at Leicester Square, by the Charing Cross Road steps where he begged, and describes the Silver Man as friendly and kind while feeding him lies that Paddy was evil and planning to kill people.
Joe confirms the Silver Man gave him money and talked incessantly before leaving; he does not remember the man accompanying him to the platform. Ash asks if Joe would speak to police if she can find CCTV proving the interaction. Though fearful that no one will believe him, Joe agrees to testify if Ash can provide corroborating footage.
Shaken, Ash exits the facility and breaks down, overwhelmed by grief and rage now that her suspicion points directly to Nick. She then calls Nina, who responds decisively that she will contact the police immediately.
Who Appears
- Ash (Aisling)
daughter of Paddy; secretly visits Joe to investigate the "Silver Man" and confirms Nick’s likely role; plans to seek CCTV proof.
- Joe Kritner
the man who killed Paddy; medicated and calmer; recognizes Nick Radcliffe as the "Silver Man" who paid and manipulated him; agrees to speak to police if proof is found.
- Nina
Ash’s mother; informed after the visit; decides to call the police immediately.
- Nick Radcliffe
aka the "Silver Man"; identified by Joe as the manipulator who incited him to push Paddy; appears via photo and recollection.
- Paddy
Ash’s father and victim; appears in recalled CCTV description of his death.
- Unnamed officer/guard
present in the interview room; observes but does not intervene.