Ali Hakim, absorbed in the task of laying out and organizing the battery of psychological tests he planned to administer to Bone that morning, started and looked up when he heard the door to his empty outer office open and close. He glanced at his watch; it was nine-forty, twenty minutes before Bone was scheduled to arrive, and he knew Bone to be punctual. Ali could not imagine who else would be coming to his office on a Sunday morning. The mystery was solved a few moments later when the door to his inner office opened and Barry Prindle, carrying a large blue nylon duffel bag, stepped through. Ali, who had not seen the other man in weeks, was shocked by the social worker's appearance, and he could see that Barry was deeply troubled. The burly young man appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight, and the tendons in his neck stood out like wire cables. His face, normally full and ruddy, was now gaunt, and his bright green eyes seemed oddly blank. Barry, walking stiffly, came across the office and stopped in front of the desk, dropping the duffel bag to the floor, out of Ali's sight.
