A sharp hiss from behind announced the tall man’s arrival. Alex didn’t look back. He jumped.

This time he put less force into the leap. He told his body it was just like jumping over a large puddle in the road. As he sailed through dark air, a gust of wind caught the canvas at his shoulders, slowing his flight, dragging him back. He landed lightly, the heels sighed, and for a millisecond he was pleased with himself. But he had undershot. Now he was sliding backward down a slick slope of tiles, the edge coming up fast.

In frantic reflex, he stamped down hard with one foot, forgetting what would happen. The single spring engaged. The lopsided eruption sent him somersaulting high and helpless, heels over head.

His feet slammed down on another part of the roof, then flung him up again. He shot toward a sheer wall, curled instinctively, forcing his legs to lead, kicked and cannoned away. As he bounced like a rubber ball, the next few seconds were a jumble of rushing impressions. Walls and roofs, Stuttgart spinning, night sky and streetlights.

Some calm section of his mind was determined to solve the problem. In his desperation, he was trying to cushion the expected shock instead of just letting the heels do their work. That was his mistake. With a huge effort of will, he forced himself to surrender control. Suddenly, he was falling, straight down, but he hit the ground almost gently, the spring-heels exhaled, and he flopped forward onto his hands and knees, gasping.

Lifting his head, dizzy, Alex shrank from a group of tall people gathered around him. Then he realized they were statues.

He had dropped down into a circular courtyard in the middle of the museum complex, its high walls open to the cloudy sky. The pale statues stood on plinths, robed stone women with staring blank eyes. Arched windows loomed behind them. A curving ramp ran up around the walls.

And at the top stood the tall man.

The dark figure launched at him. Alex got to his feet and jumped—or tried. Something grabbed his leg, just for a second, but it was enough to pull him slamming back down onto the paving slabs.

Alex dragged himself behind a statue and risked a look from behind its legs. The tall man stood in the shadows on the other side of the circular arena.

“Please, now. Come out where I can see you. Let us stop this foolishness. We can talk, you and I, and avoid further unpleasantness. Please.”

Alex flinched back in confusion. This wasn’t the voice he had been expecting. But the soft, treacly tones were all too familiar.

He snuck another glance. The figure took one stiff, heavy step into the courtyard, peering in Alex’s direction. The man removed his large sunglasses to reveal round, wire-framed spectacles beneath. He wore a yellow-and-black spotted scarf around his throat. His long black coat hung open. Faint shapes moved strangely inside.