'In here, man.' He ran for the entrance.

'Damn!' the woman said softly. The alley was next to Cohan's house.

There was nothing to be done. They had disappeared into the shadows, but she could hear them clearly, their laughter loud. She waited impatiently for them to move on, and then a young woman turned the same corner the men had come from and moved along the sidewalk. She was small, and, except for her umbrella, unsuitably dressed for such weather, in high heels and a black suit with a short skirt. She heard the raucous laughter, hesitated, then started past the alley.

A voice called, 'Hey, where are you going, baby?' And the bearded man stepped out, his friend following.

The girl started to hurry and the bearded man dashed after her and grabbed her arm. She dropped her umbrella and struggled and he slapped her across the face.

'Fight as much as you want, sweetheart. I like it.'

His friend grabbed her other arm. 'Come on, let's get her inside.'

The girl cried out in terror and the bearded one slapped her again. 'Now you be good.'

They dragged her into the alley. The older woman hesitated and then she heard a scream. 'Damn!' she said for the second time, stepped out into the rain and crossed over. It was dark in the alley, with only a little diffused light from the street lamp outside. The girl tried to struggle against the man holding her from behind, but the bearded man had a knife in his right hand and touched it to her cheek, drawing blood.

She cried out in pain and he said, 'I told you to be good.' He reached for the hem of her skirt and sliced upwards with the sharp blade, parting it. 'There you go, Freddy. Be my guest.'

A calm voice said, 'I don't think so.'

Freddy's face, as he looked beyond his friend, registered astonishment. 'Jesus!' he said.

The bearded man turned and found the woman standing in the alley entrance. She was carrying the rain hat in her right hand. Her hair was silvery white, highlighted by the back light from the street lamp. She looked to be in her sixties, but it was hard to tell anything about her face in the dark.