"When Diane finally left the precinct house after a long day of routine work, it was dark outside. Her neck was throbbing with a dull ache that she had been able to subdue with aspirin. The pain became more intense, and Diane winced when she slipped her arms into her coat. She bounded down the stairs and walked quickly to exit the building, checking to her left and right as she descended to the street. As she looked right, from the corner of her eye, she saw a man with black hair and a raincoat pacing to and fro, sticking a mint in his mouth. She gasped and jerked her head to the right again. A large black crow was sitting on the banister of a nearby building, and as Diane spun around to face it, it cawed and leapt skyward.

Diane put her hand to her throat and breathed, trying to slow her racing pulse."