PROLOGUE<br >Sin;: hurried across the terminal as the voice from the loudspeaker<br >announced that her flight was in its final boarding stages. She glanced<br >quickly at her diamond-shldded watch， then tightened her grip on<br >the handle of her leather briefcase and hurried on.<br > She was ai~ older woman， perhaps in her mid-fifties， with brilliant<br >silvcr-bhmdc hair carcflfllx lacquered into an immaculate but old-<br >fashioned hairstyle， t tcr face was heavily powdered and rouged， xct<br >beneath the layers of makeup lay the lines of classic bcautv--a dell-<br >catc aquiline lu)sc，<br >javlinc， slim， gentle<br >bccn a beautiful ()no.<br >large pale bluc eves， high cheekbones， a fine<br > lips. She was an attractive woman--and had<br > She -~orc a knee-length white mink c~mt tl，tt seemed oddlx out of<br >place in the Southern California milieu of T-shirts and hip-hugging<br >icans. l hc hcavv filr coat was unbuttoned， flapping open as she<br >aalkcd t~ reveal a powder bluc wool knit dress. Diamonds fcll from<br >her cars， and a double strand of large white pearls hung loosely<br >arouiM her p()wdcrcd throat. A giant Clncrald ()n her finger added 1o<br >the impression that she had just emerged from a Pasadena society<br >tca.<br > Valking next to the

oman was a younger maP.， dressed neatly in<br >gray slacks and a golf shirt. [to appeared to bc in his thirties， and had<br >the tanned， fleshy good looks of xvcckends in Pahn Springs. tic vas<br >carrying a woman s pink overnight case and staring ahead down the<br >corridor with an expression of resigned boredom.<br > At the passcnger entrance the woman stopped and hlrncd toward<br >the man at her side. She smiled slightly， a strained smile， then closed<br >her cvcs as hc leaned fl，rward and kissed her indiffcrcntly on the<br >