Year. Though it’s clear to Case that it’s been a year since his employers disabled him, the reader may or may not have gleaned that from the previous chapter.
She. Even though Case knows Molly’s name, he’s apparently not willing to use her name yet. In fact, since a new chapter has begun, one would expect the author to use Molly’s name again before reverting to pronouns, but, if we take the author’s voice largely to be Case’s, then the omission makes sense. (See “the man.”)
Bulletproof, Case decided. Reminds the reader that he or she depends on Case to offer an accurate interpretation of events. Since the narration is third-person limited, Gibson isn’t going to offer an opinion on whether or not the vest is indeed bulletproof. The reader’s instinct is to trust Case, but elsewhere Case is shown as somewhat naïve and fallible. Even the act of reading the narration is largely an act of trusting the fictional character.
His arms and legs felt like they were made of wood. Like most references to Case’s health or feelings, this one reminds the reader that is either hung over from or currently under the influence of some sort of drug. It’s another reminder of Case’s fallibility as a character.
The dark robe was open to the waist, the broad chest hairless and muscular, the stomach flat and hard. Three descriptions, three uses of the definite article instead of the personal pronoun “his.” It establishes a distance from the goings-on that Case/Case the narrator seems to like to keep. Another example: the reference to a “brown stain” after Case throws his coffee, as though the stain is somehow not connected to his throwing the coffee.
the man. Once again, though Case and the reader have learned Armitage’s name, rather than naming the character, the text uses “the man.” Perhaps it reflects the character’s unwillingness to trust Armitage or accept him right away.
Twin mirrors tracking. Molly’s glasses are frequently used as synecdoche for her eyes, another instance perhaps of the distance between her and Case.
