On a rainy day in Manhattan, Blake exits the elevator to find a woman waiting for him. He ignores her and proceeds into the street. As he walks, he thinks she may be following him, and his suspicions are confirmed when he checks his reflection in a store window. He thinks she might want to kill him. Then again, he doesn't think she will kill him in such a public place. Plus, he doesn't see a reason why he should be killed. He ducks into a coffee shop hoping he'll lose her. When he emerges, he sees her waiting for him. He then ducks into a men's bar and has a drink, again hoping he'll lose her. Blake doesn't remember her name, even though they only met six months ago. The woman was his secretary. She struck him as lonely, but, then again, he always picked women for their lack of self-esteem. He invited her to a drink one night after work, and after they slept together, she cried. The next day, he fired her. Now, six months later, Blake decides to skip the express train and instead wait for the five-forty-eight train. When he gets on, he sits down alone. Suddenly, the woman appears next to him. He remembers her name — Miss Dent — and she sits beside him. She cries and tells him that she is sick. He tries to get up, but she stops him. She says she has a pistol, and she will kill him if he tries to leave. She says she just wants to talk. Miss Dent instructs him to read a letter she wrote for him, where she refers to Blake as her husband. At his stop, Shady Hill, Miss Dent instructs Blake to walk in front of her. She guides him to a freight house, where she tells him to get on his knees. Then, she tells him to put his face in the dirt. Blake begins to cry. Finally, Miss Dent walks away, disappearing into the night.