Madsen was falling again, tumbling through the darkness into an airless hole that was pulling her towards the center of the earth. She had discovered what death was. It was being alone in the black abyss while still possessing the senses of the living.
Madsen tried to blink her eyes. She suddenly could see an open mouth. A laugh came out of the mouth, and the assault of the noise made her dizzy. She was looking at the man sitting across the table from her. He smiled and stroked her hand. She asked the waiter for more whiskey sauce for her bread pudding before turning back toward the laugh.
Then a second man joined them. Madsen was afraid of the intruder. She knew him, and she tried to say his name. He ignored her as he poured whiskey, than he demanded she sample the wine. “Drink it,” he
