To the south, boats in Newport Harbor twinkled; north, Narragansett Bay stretched in darkness toward Providence. The air was about 66 degrees but there was no wind. Summer had arrived, a tad cool but nonetheless welcome in a year that had dawned with an historic blizzard.

 

Gonsalves stepped from his car and went to the north-side railing.

 

It is about 3 feet high, easy to scale.

 

Were he to jump, his body would rapidly accelerate, reaching about 81 miles per hour when he hit the surface in a journey lasting just over three seconds. He would cause a splash, but the sight and sound of it would be lost in the night.

 

Gonsalves jumped.