Chapters 25-27 Summary

In Chapter 25, "Claudia," Zinkoff whispers the little girl's name as he walks down the street in snow that is getting deeper, rising above his ankles. He crisscrosses the street, trying not to miss any place she might be. Occasionally, he looks behind himself and sees the spinning lights of the emergency vehicles in the distance, which reassures him that the others are still searching, too. Imagining Claudia, he can almost hear her voice, but the snow makes everything very quiet. A snowplow goes by, and he calls out for it to stop, because it might run over Claudia, but the driver does not hear him. Suddenly, it occurs to him that she would not be on the street. More likely, she would be in an alley, where children play. In Chapter 26, "What a Kid Is," Zinkoff is still whispering Claudia's name...