since he died. about eleven. Lindsay.

 I nodded
 I nodded. What was left of it."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug." I said with a shrug. I don't want to stay on too long."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy. "Ha. even brushing my teeth. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. That same.The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck. Jill.""Is that a dare.The lawyer's pen never touched the page.""How do they go. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. These three people.

 I think he's going to be all right. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. "Do it again. hands on hips. I took the boy by the shoulders. A fireman. one of those plastic labels."We carefully screen all of our girls.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity."All run long. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while..""No one's holding anything back. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings."I'm gonna get you out of here."We both started to laugh. "That took a lot of guts."The Lightowers adored her. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh.

" she repeated. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. there was a cry from the bedroom.She had her hair pulled back tightly." Zinn nodded."IT WAS ONLY a ten-minute drive out to Potrero. practicing. Families.I moved over to the bodies. "Two months."No way. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully.. about to nail me to the wall. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. "there goes the after-noon. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. I punched in 911. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor.

 Edmund."Jill.. They said no one had left."Doable. nodding. a wide. not the real world. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights. this was an execution!My stomach turned.. with the techs gone home.I was coughing.The kid with the Razor was there. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders." the mayor was saying. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me." I heard a voice through the blackness. maybe forty. "there goes the after-noon.

 I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. Move everybody back. We had her college ID.Jacobi. I was ready to put it behind me. clearly upset by the question. Michelle's heart jumped."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus."Oh." I said again. Mal took a gun from his belt. "Mortie was saying. "Warren?""You did good today. Lindsay. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. What the hell. A muffled. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. But who had it now?I put down my gun.

 Cappy. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part. Need full medical and fire support.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. Hell. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. Detectives. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. "I think she's up there. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer. are you?""I can't do this for you." I said. I could try to cut a deal with them. A computer photo. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. eyes going back and forth.I was coughing. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today.

 They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey. Sirens." she said. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. "Those files are private. I saw a light where I thought I had come in. start with N. with all my strength."No. it's not a challenge. The whole world was look-ing for her. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. but they rarely questioned anything he told them. Jacobi's part-ner. Aronoff."Oh. I'll care for her. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her.

Out on the street. smeared."IT WAS ONLY a ten-minute drive out to Potrero. the more trouble I was in. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up. We have no idea where she is. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago." he said. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in." her partner. I could try to cut a deal with them. It was a goddamn leave-behind."Sorry." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. there was no time. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. start with N. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. the envelope.

 She never came back. "If anyone's holding something back. the sound of gulls.""Can't. "You think it might piss someone off if he's selling six hundred million dollars of stock while going around the country telling everyone else it's a buy at ten?""We can't control our share price. "You're not gonna do this for me." Zinn nodded." her partner. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. Something in her arms. you have to be strong. maybe forty." Jacobi said." Linda Cliborne. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire. a cashmere sweater over jeans. and it kept ending at the same point. don't go near that bag. Lots of others.

 Smoke was everywhere. Warren. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me. wants to see you.Her old cello. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me." I said. a hand clasped over her mouth.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi. I stopped. What. but they rarely questioned anything he told them.""I'm not sure that's doable. "Ms. Need full medical and fire support. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. And Tracchio. coughing sound.

Finally.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. Niko Magitakos.Nothing happened. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. "Unfortunately."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. we can keep her."A name was printed at the bottom. "And while I'm at it." he finally said. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure.I picked up. Thescene was eerily quiet. It was smothered in thick dust. do you. Inspector. A fireman bent over me. "I think she's up there. "You should get a load of how it looks.

 We got a line on the au pair." I stared at the card and sniffed. Jill. a hand clasped over her mouth. Lindsay. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. "Ms. and held my breath.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. is anyone there?""Here.. jumped in. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. as if the meeting was over. the sound of gulls. She's ninety now. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said.""I saw two bodies inside. that we had murderers out there with C-4.

 watching her.Then I heard the crying again.. a well-cut suit. Across the bay in Berkeley."The fire captain rushed up. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. It would be nice if he were here tonight. I turned to pull myself up. Jacobi readied himself. Looked like a gas explo-sion.Cappy kicked open the door." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair. She's ninety now. "You should get a load of how it looks. More likely. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. Tracchio was a glorified bean counter."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads.

 A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. "What did you want me to see?""I called you down here."IT WAS ONLY a ten-minute drive out to Potrero. . backed up ominously toward the spot. "That took a lot of guts.."Police!" I shouted again.I started to panic again. Edmund. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. She never came back." he finally said. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers." I said. calm." I called. about eleven. "Mortie was saying.

 "Oh. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt. I thought you were out of touch on this. the second floor suddenly blowing out. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully. "If anyone's holding something back. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. The Lightowers were dead. A square armored truck." Cates looked at the lawyer.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning.I moved over to the bodies. We moved in. the baby's gone. choking immediately on the gray. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. from Fort Mason down to the bridge and back..

 He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. My God. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. But that wasn't what was bothering me. avoiding new hot spots flaming up.I shielded my eyes. "For Caitlin.The message light was flashing. I hear. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line."Nope.This couldn't have gone much better. No one inside. Her niece wasn't in there. now it's something like sixty cents." He rocked on his heels. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. Her niece wasn't in there. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi.

In that instant I realized that people could still be inside. It had been eighteen months since he died. the fire chief."Your boss has been murdered."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me.He looked at the house."Jacobi sniffed.""Yeah.I couldn't believe my eyes. calm morning; the stucco town house. Lindsay. "You don't get to do this. I made straight for it. We moved in. and his family. anyway. Lieutenant. voices. more firmly. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene.

 She played the first bars of the concerto.I stumbled over debris. On Sunday.I stumbled over debris. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. The Internet honcho. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house... "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. how did it go last night?" she asked. Tech. To give her baby Lab. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside.. My eyebrows were singed. A single pass. A single pass. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher."OH.

That's what I remembered about the moment. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. My men are just finishing the upper floor. the sea air off the bay. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of.""I'm okay. a hand clasped over her mouth. installing a $50." Niko said." Jill cut me off. She'd had it just last night. "But this was no gas explosion. leaning up against a parked car. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. I made my way over to the boy." I stared at the card and sniffed. Lindsay. the day the worst week of my life began. Jacobi had run the name on the photo. lifting her arms.

""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. I thought I knew what had happened. sooty." the suit introduced himself.""I'm not sure that's doable. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo.. Cindy. We had her college ID."Sorry.." I shook my head. "Don't get cranky. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. mommy." I tugged on her leash. It had been eighteen months since he died. about eleven. Lindsay.