Part 1: Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 Summary

Alex Cross is vacationing, his first break in over a year, on the West coast. He stops in Seattle to visit his nearly three-year-old son, whom he hasn't seen in four months. Alex Jr. lives with his mother, Christine, in Seattle, while Alex lives in Washington DC. The parents are involved in what Alex calls a "friendly" custody struggle.

Father and son hold hands as they stroll around the Wallingford area, where Christine and Alex Jr. now live. Little Alex shows his Dad his mother's vegetable garden; then they go to the park, the zoo and Green Lake. The boy can't understand why Alex always has to go away, although Alex tries to explain as best he can. It breaks his heart that he can't be with his son every day. He takes Alex Jr. back to Christine and...