Prologue to "The Frankfurt Sting"

Trapped Somewhere in Germany

Jason hovers in the black fog of semi-consciousness and can’t tell where he is or whether it is night or day. He is aware of a swaying motion; is it in his mind or is it real? He thinks, did I fall asleep in a car? As he gains a little more consciousness he hears a clackety clackety sound. I must be on a train. He still isn’t awake enough to move. He tries to recall where he was before he fell asleep but he can't picture any place. Then he remembers; the hotel in Frankfurt. How did I get on a train? Something is seriously wrong. 

Finally, he is able to open his eyes and move. It is completely dark. He tries to sit up but his head bumps into something satiny and padded. He feels around and then realizes he’s in a casket or at least something like a casket. As more consciousness returns he becomes aware of a strange taste in his mouth.  I must have been drugged. Probably by the wine she gave me in her hotel room. He lies still for a minute or so until his head clears. Then he realizes that if he is in a casket on a train he is in deep trouble. He is gripped by a rush of fear and has to force himself to push it away so he can think. I have to escape and get back to the hotel in Frankfurt, he mumbles to himself.