Chapter 9, "Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery" Summary

The reader is relieved to learn in the first few lines of the second "Luisa Rey" chapter that Luisa survives her car plunging into the water. She pulls herself from the wreckage of the underwater car, but returns to the car to look for the Sixsmith report. Gasping air from an air bubble inside the car, she tries in vain to retrieve the report. She fears that she's waited too long and will drown while looking for the document.

Meanwhile, Isaac Sachs is flying back from his meeting in Philadelphia and is pleased (and relieved) about his decision to give Luisa the report. Flying with him are the company president, Alberto Grimaldi, and nine others. Suddenly, a suitcase bomb stowed in the baggage compartment explodes, and the plane is...