Content Warning: The Chapter 7 Summary includes references to death by suicide.

The narrative cuts to the past, with a woman named Laura Juneau checking in at a conference in Oslo and thinking about famous businessman Martin Queller’s children. She is nervous, and identifies herself as Dr. Alex Maplecroft, who will be on a panel during the conference. The woman checking Laura in scrutinizes her, but a man named Nick Harp helps her get into the conference. He and Andrew Queller, Martin Queller’s son, know Laura (who is impersonating Dr. Maplecroft), but they are supposed to keep this a secret. Nick and Andrew remind Laura of her son, who was murdered when he was 16.

Laura escapes to the bar, which is deserted except for Jane Queller (later revealed to be Laura Oliver), another of Martin Queller’s children, who is playing the piano. She thinks about her own daughter, who is also dead. The women have never met, but Jane asks to sit with Laura, and the latter agrees. They discuss the upcoming panel, on which Laura (as Dr. Maplecroft) will sit with Jane’s father, Martin Queller. They also discuss Jane’s career as a concert pianist, and the fact that Laura saw her perform once.