Chapter One: Days One, Two, & Three It is easy to pinpoint the minute when my friend Branwell began his silence. It was Wednesday, November 25, 2:43 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. It was there -- or, I guess you could say not there -- on the tape of the 911 call. Operator: Epiphany 911. Hobson speaking. SILENCE. Operator: Epiphany 911. Hobson. May I help you? SILENCE. [Voices are heard in the background.] Operator: Anyone there? A woman''s voice [screaming in the background]: Tell them. Tell them. Operator: Ma''am, I can''t hear you. [then louder] Please come to the phone. A woman''s voice [still in the background, but louder now]: Tell them. [then, screaming as the voice approaches] For God''s sake, Branwell. [the voice gets louder] TELL THEM. SILENCE. Operator: Please speak into the phone. A woman''s voice [heard more clearly]: TELL THEM. NOW, BRAN. TELL THEM NOW. SILENCE. A woman''s voice with a British accent [heard clearly]: Here! Take her! For God''s sake, at least take her! [then, speaking directly into the phone] It''s the baby. She won''t wake up. Operator: Stay on the phone. British Accent [frightened]: The baby won''t wake up. Operator: Stay on the line. We''re transferring you to Fire and Rescue. Male Voice: Epiphany Fire and Rescue. Davidson. What is the nature of your emergency? British Accent: The baby won''t wake up. Male Voice: What is your exact location? British Accent: 198 Tower Hill Road. Help, please. It''s the baby. Male Voice: Help is on the way,

Elaine Lobl Konigsburg, noted children's writer and illustrator, was born February 10, 1930 in New York City. The second of three daughters, she was reared in small Pennsylvania towns . She attended Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) and received a BS in 1952. She was the first member of her family to go to college and, unaware of her talent for writing, she majored in chemistry, doing graduate study at the University of Pittsburgh. Her best-known titles include A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, which was an American Library Association Notable Children's Book and National Book Award nominee, 1974; The Second Mrs. Giaconda and Father's Arcane Daughter (both ALA Best Book for young adults); and Throwing Shadows (ALA Notable Children's Book and American Book Award nomination, 1980). She won the Newbery Honor in 1968 for Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth and the Newbery Medal in 1968 and the William Allen White Award in 1970 for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She won the Newbery Medal again in 1997 for The View from Saturday From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was adapted as a motion picture starring Ingrid Bergman in 1973 and later released as The Hideaways in 1974. It became a television film starring Lauren Bacall in 1995. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was adapted for television as Jennifer and Me for NBC-TV in 1973. Konigsburg married Davi