Prologue
At three in the morning, Terwilliger Drive by the Eye Center is deserted. A car, dark, lights out, quiet but for a squeaky spring, pulls to the downhill side of the road, overlooking the Ross Island Bridge. The front door opens and the motor shuts off simultaneously. A figure moves quickly around to the rear of the car. The trunk comes open, the figure leans, and then hauls a limp body out onto its shoulder. Showing a grotesque silhouette, the figure strides easily across the walking path, then heaves the body down into the thick underbrush. The body sinks into the leaves and branches. The figure stares after it for a moment, then fishes a white object out of its jacket pocket. It bends down, makes several quick marks on the macadam walkway, then straightens up and returns to the car. The door snicks shut. The engine catches quietly. The car moves away with a crunch of gravel.
