"I hadn't seen a soul all night, but suddenly I was aware I was not alone. Someone was stirring in the darkness on the other side of the street. Instinctively, I concealed myself, sliding behind a live oak on the edge of the park. Its branches overhung the sidewalk; perhaps their shadow had hidden me from the presence across the street." p. 5

"I worked the bag up a little at the side and found a hand; I put my fingers on the wrist, where a pulse should be. In the chilling Shakespeare night, I squatted in the middle of the trees, holding hands with a dead man. And now I'd left my fingerprints all over the plastic bags." p. 9

"It was hard to remember why I'd chosen housecleaning as my means of support. I was a National Merit Scholar, I reminded myself, dragging the plastic wash basket behind...