THE KILLER WAS DRESSED IN BLAZE ORANGE AND WAS moving quietly and quickly along the track. Dawn was not far away and the window of opportunity could be measured in minutes:

Here: now twenty-four steps down the track. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… twenty-three, twentyfour. A tree here to the left… Wish I could use a light.

The oak tree was there, its bark rough against the fingertips. And just to the right, a little hollow in the ground behind a fallen aspen.

Just get down here… quietly, quietly! Did he hear me? These leaves… didnt think about the leaves yesterday, now it sounds like Im walking on cornflakes… Wheres that log, must be right here, must be… ah!

From the nest in the ground, the fallen aspen was at exactly the right height for a rifle rest. A quick glance through the scope: nothing but a dark disc.

What time? My God, my watch has stopped. No. Sixseventeen. Okay. Theres time. Settle down. And listen! If anybody comes, may have to shoot… Now what time? Six-eighteen. Only two minutes gone? Cant remember… two minutes, I think.

Thered be only one run at this. There were other people nearby, and they were armed. If someone else came stumbling along the track, and saw the orange coat crouched in the hole…

If they came while it was dark, maybe I could run, hide. But maybe, if they thought I was a deer, theyd shoot at me. What then? No. If someone comes, I take the shot then, whoever it is. Two shots are okay. I can take two. It wouldnt look like an accident anymore, but at least there wouldnt be a witness.

Whats that? Whos there? Somebody?

The killer sat in the hole and strained to hear: but the only sounds were the dry leaves that still hung from the trees, shaking in the wind; the scraping of branches; and the cool wind itself. Check the watch.

Getting close, now. Nobody moving, Im okay. Cold down here, though. Colder than I thought. Have to be ready… The old man.. . have to think about the old man. If hes there, at the cabin, Ill have to take him. And if his wifes there, have to take her… Thats okay: theyre old… Still nothing in the scope. Wheres the sun?