Chapter Thirty-ThreeBrussels, Belgium, November 2001
Alexander Renaud walked briskly along the street towards his house. The leafy tree-lined avenue where the Renauds resided was a far cry from the cold and clinical world of hospitals, research laboratories, and medical decisions that made up the vast bulk of Renaud's professional life. He paused as he walked, taking a moment to look up at the trees that stood ramrod straight on both sides of the street, like soldiers standing to attention. In this case, the parade seemed to be incorrectly dressed, as the ravages of autumn had left most of the branches bare of leaves, so that the trees themselves appeared to be pointing imploringly at the heavens with their many twisted fingers, beseeching the sun to return and warm them, and to give them
