Chapter 2-3 Summary

Chapter Two opens Part One of the novel, the California murders. The reader sees Martha Wiatt and Davis O'Hara as they spend an enjoyable evening running in the Golden gate park area of San Francisco. Out of nowhere, they hear a roar. Feeling nervous, they discuss what it might be. Eventually, they decide they are relatively safe in the middle of the large city. They return to their exercise and even place bets on one another's performance. The growling comes closer. Fear sets in, and they sprint out of the park. Footsteps and growling close in.

Martha Wiatt, the stronger runner, begins to pull ahead. She hears agonizing screams from O'Hara as the animal attacks him. At a blind run, she stumbles and falls into the road just out of the park. She stops a van with Red Cross painted on...