Summary

In Chapter 9, Nilanjana visits the pit where Larry’s house used to be the next morning. As she is making observations and collecting more data, the helicopter shows up once again to observe her, but she pays it little mind. She thinks to herself about the previous day’s events, and suspects Gordon is the Wordsmith. While she is working, Darryl surprises her with a visit after seeing the lone observation helicopter hovering over the desert, and figuring it must have been there to observe her. He then awkwardly asks her if she would like to go out on a date. After much stalling, Nilanjana eventually agrees to go out, but not necessarily as a date, just to eat and talk. They exchange phone numbers, and Darryl gets in his car and drives off. As Nilanjana returns to her work, she begins...