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Prologue

REVENGE

One

A GOOD-LOOKING MAN in his forties sat in the back row of the auditoriu a blue suit, white shirt, and a snappy striped tie His features were good, although not relasses, he had very kind brown eyes

He had coht about his wife and children at home, but then he refocused his attention on someone else’s child

Her nairl and a very talented young violinist who had just perforavotte with distinction

Noelle knew she’d done well She took a deep boith a flourish, grinning as two hundred parents in the audience clapped and whistled

As the applause died down, a gray-haired man in the third row popped up from his seat, buttoned his jacket, stepped out into the aisle, and headed toward the lobby

That man was Chaz Smith, Noelle’s father

The man in the blue suit waited several seconds, then followed S the creaht past the pint-size water fountain and into the short spur of a hallway that ended at the men’s room

After entering the men’s room, he looked beneath the stalls and saw Chaz Sht Otherwise, the room was empty In a minute or two, the room would fill

The eit so that it blocked the exit

Then he called out, “Mr Smith? I’m sorry to disturb you, but it’s about your car”