To Maria: Thursday night's run did not start well. I was late coming from work and when I got to the club it was closed for some reason. I grabbed a cab to go to the Y and finally got into the park 20 minutes late. The lower loop was smelly with traffic and when I finally got to the Engineer's gate I was already in a funk. Most of the people there were in disarray trying to stow their things at Super Runners so I went on alone. I took the 102nd Street cutoff and unwound a bit so when I got back to 90th Street I felt like going on for another loop. It was getting dark about 7:30 and I decided to go up to the north end. As I came down the long winding hill I remembered you. I saw a blue police van and suddenly I felt very sad. There were flowers on one side of the road, and candles lighting the twilight on the other. I was very alone in my thoughts. I continued on, lost in turmoil. What can one speak? What can one do? But the Flowers and candles spoke and they do still speak. What can we do - we care. When I first heard last Monday of the tragedy I reacted, "did I know her? was she one of ours?" Yes - you are one of ours - because we are all family. When we lose one of our own, we are all diminished. Your mom said to us: "go to a church, to a park ... find someone who needs help ... give that person help, and when you do, think of my daughter's name." This is the answer - the only answer - to care, to help, to love one another. For you, Belinha, my sister, fly home and rest. Remember the words of Fernando Pessoa left open on your bed: "go high as the clouds that pass, go high as my thoughts, for I am a slave of your grace, as the cloud is of the wind".

a runner

ran down to the place mentioned in the above narative on Thursday September, 21st 1995, several days after the murder which was discovered early on Sunday morning September 17, 1995. I found out some of the details from The New York Times Saturday, September 23, 1995 issue; the following link has the text: . It also appeared anonymously on page 5 of the October 1995 New York Flyers newsletter (). The Flyers, like all the running clubs, were very concerned about running in the park.