Page 1 (1/2)

CHAPTER ONE

There was always an audience for murder

Whether it took its forrief, mankind’s fascination with the ultimate crime made it a ripe subject for exploration in fact and in fiction

At its bottohout history Romans had pushed and shoved their way into the Coliseuladiators hack each other to bloody bits Or, to alleviate the boredo a ainst happy-to-oblige lions for the a audience

Since the outcome of these uneven matches was pretty much a sure bet, the crowd hadn’t packed the stands to see if maybe this time the Christians would win the day They wanted the results and all the blood and gore they offered

People could go hootten their money’s worth—and more, that they themselves were alive and whole Vicariousyourself that your personal problems weren’t really so bad after all

Hued very ht have been passe, but in the last gasp of winter in the year 2059, s in the media

In a more civilized way, of course

Fa couples, the sophisticated, and their country cousins continued to queue up and plunk down hard-earned credits to be entertained by the idea of murder

Crime and punishment was Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s business, and ht she sat in a comfortable seat in a packed house and watched the canny business of e

“He did it”

“Hmm?” Roarke was every bit as interested in his wife’s reaction to the play as he was the play itself She leaned forward in her chair, her ar rail of the owner’s box Her brandy-colored eyes scanned the stage, the players, even as the curtain came down for intermission

“The Vole guy He killed the woht?”

Roarke took the ti He hadn’t been certain how she’d react to an evening with otten into the spirit “Perhaps”