Chapters 1-5 Summary

Stone Barrington is at Elaine's in New York. Stone and Elaine chat, discussing Stone's upcoming physical for the police department. Stone had been shot in the knee and is hoping to be back on full duty after therapy. Stone notices a man at the bar dressed as a doctor. Elaine tells him that is Doc, who tries to diagnose women to pick them up. The technique rarely works.

Stone leaves and walks home to exercise his knee. Glancing up, Stone sees a woman fall to the ground, landing in a pile of dirt at a work site. Stone rushes over and realizes he knows the woman, as would most of New York. Stone rushes to the building and rouses a sleeping doorman, then rushes upstairs to the penthouse of Sasha Nijinsky. Stone hears someone running down the stairs and gives chase...