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let himself out
     of the building, rubbing the powdered finger onto the door handle as he did so, and
     headed into the city.
    * * * * *
    A few blocks away from the bank, Diane Heidler came across a small park with one corner
     devoted to a children’s play area. She entered and sat on a bench just inside the
     entrance. The park was edged with trees that would in summer provide leafy shade from
     the dry heat of the day. Now the trees stood forlorn and skeletal beneath a gloomy
     December sky. It hadn’t rained for a few days. That might soon change, Diane thought.
     It probably explained why nobody else was in the park.
    She knew what the canister contained and didn’t want to be opening it in rain. She
     pulled the knapsack onto her lap and opened the zip. The canister lay within, nestling
     on crisp dollar bills. She stood it upright, keeping it within the knapsack to shield
     it from the light breeze, and held it tight with her left hand while she unscrewed
     the lid with her right.
    With a slight hiss, the lid came away and she allowed it to drop to one side, though
     it remained attached by a black plastic strip. She quickly unscrewed the disc that
     covered the neck of the canister. With another small exhalation of air, the disc came
     free. Tapping it on the rim to shake off any clinging dust, she removed it and placed
     it on the bench by her side. Like Bishop had done a couple of hours earlier on the
     opposite side of the globe, she dipped her index finger into the canister, then withdrew
     it and held it up for inspection.
    The powder covered the top half of her finger like cement, except that this powder
     wasn’t grey. In the daylight, it seemed almost colourless, translucent as water. In
     strong sunlight, it would be all but invisible. She turned her finger this way and
     that, seeing the occasional flake lift away and be immediately lost on the breeze.
     Most of the powder, however, remained on her finger, clinging to it as pollen to a
     bee’s leg. It had been designed this way.
    Diane moved her hand back to the top of the canister and rubbed at her index finger
     with her thumb. Although the powder could not be easily dislodged by moving air, it
     readily dropped away under the friction of her thumb. She nodded, satisfied.
    She changed grips, using her right hand to grip the canister, and lowered her left
     hand towards the opening.
    Anyone describing Diane’s physical appearance would use words like “dainty” and “petite.”
     Her hands were no exception. Fine-boned and narrow, they, like the rest of her, showed
     no signs of her age.
    By pulling her left thumb in towards her little finger, bringing all five digits together
     in a tight cluster, she was able to comfortably lower her entire hand into the body
     of the canister. She thrust it down, deep into the powder, wiggling her fingers a
     little, covering her hand to the wrist. As she withdrew it, she continued to wiggle
     her fingers to dislodge any excess.
    Avoiding touching anything with her left hand, she placed the canister between her
     left arm and chest. Clutching it tightly under her arm, she used her right hand to
     replace the disc and lid. Happy that the canister’s contents were secure, she dropped
     the silvery flask back into the knapsack and rezipped it. Still only using her right
     hand, she shrugged the knapsack over her right shoulder.
    One corner of the park was taken up with the children’s play area. A slide, two sets
     of swings, a merry-go-round made of wood with a running board and steel arms for clinging
     onto while it whirled around.
    Diane walked over to the play area, stopping first by the merry-go-round. She stretched
     out her left hand and touched one of the cold steel arms. The mechanism was well-maintained
     and the merry-go-round began to turn easily. She moved her hand to the next steel
     arm and touched that, too, making the ride turn a little faster. She repeated the
     process, touching each arm with