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PROLOGUE

THE GAMES BEGIN

I

SAM HARRISON swung his agile body out of the silver blue Ford Aerostar, which he had parked on Q Street in the Georgetown section of Washington Horror stories and ga as he locked the vehicle and set its alarm Not the coames we used to cherish as kids, but the real-life horror stories that are around us everywhere these days

Now I’ one myself I’m about to become part of the horror How easy it is How terribly, terribly easy to e and into the darkness

He had stalked and shadowed Daniel Fitzpatrick for two long weeks He’d done his job in New York City, London, Boston, and finally, here in Washington, DC Tonight he was going to murder the United States senator In cold blood, execution-style No one would be able to figure out why No one would have a clue that ht matter later on

That was the first and ame called Jack and Jill

In many ways this was a textbook celebrity-stalker pattern He knew it to be true as he took up his post across from 211 Q Street

And yet, if anyone bothered to lookpattern before What he was going to do noasSenator Fitzpatrick down obscene numbers of Glenlivet cocktails at The Monocle, his favorite bar in Washington This was the truest form of madness, Sam Harrison knew It was pure madness He didn’t believe he was ame of chance

And then, less than thirty yards across the shiny-wet street—there was Daniel Fitzpatrick hih

He watched the senator stiffly cliuar coupe, a 1996 ray topcoat with a paisley silk scarf A sleek, slender woman in a black dress ith him A Burberry raincoat was casually thrown over her ar Fitzpatrick had said She threw her head back like a beautiful, spirited horse A wisp of her warht

The woman was at least twenty years the senator’s junior She wasn’t his wife, Sam knew Dannyboy Fitzpatrick rarely if ever slept with his wife The blond woht li Memorable, actually

Sam Harrison concentrated fiercely Measure twice, measure five times, if necessary He took stock of all the details one final tietown at eleven-fifteen He looked as if he belonged in the chic, attractive, fashionable neighborhood around Q Street He looked exactly right for the part he was going to play

A very big part in a very big story, one of the biggest in America’s history Or some would say American theater

A leading-man role, to be sure

He wore professorial, tortoiseshell glasses for the part He never wore glasses Didn’t need them

His hair was light blond His hair wasn’t really blond

He called himself Sam Harrison His name wasn’t really Sam Or Harrison