- In Gavin Elster's office, Scottie's rich former classmate explains his predicament.
- Elster's wife Madeleine has been acting strange. She disappears for afternoons at a time, spaces out regularly, and seems to be possessed by a ghost.
- At first, Gavin had blamed the change on San Francisco—"You know what San Francisco does to people who have never seen it before." Now he's not so sure.
- Scottie scoffs at first and suggests that Elster take his wife to a psychiatrist, but curiosity gets the better of him and he agrees to look into Madeleine's strange case.