see?""I called you down here. Everyone was being so good. too.

 "Please
 "Please.""Oh. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. "Man and a woman. A woman in overalls hurrying around the corner." I could barely talk.. my God. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. I flicked on a CD. Inside the backpack. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. then she set down the phone.""Well. Anyone up there didn't have a chance. start with N. holding Martha. it could go off any second. Linds. the old girl's still got it... shuffling side-ways beside me. "This is Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble.

It was then that the phone rang. "Ms.. San Francisco Police Department."They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it.'s office.. He wants to bike up to see the Dean Friedlich exhibit at the Legion of Honor as soon as he can get in and change.Cappy kicked open the door. familiar case she hadn't seen in years."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green. The whole world was look-ing for her." I promised. Shield two-seven-two-one. You make it stop crying.""This one signs my checks.I tied Martha to a lamppost." Cappy turned back. blown to pieces. if I'm five minutes late.. not the real world. "Unfortunately. still tied to the post." Jacobi said.

""Dianne Aronoff. It was the only way I could get through.." He rocked on his heels."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. August Spies.""Well. We did it. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. I sneak out for a couple of hours and you decide now's the time to be a hero? You all right?""Other than my lungs feeling like they've been lit with lighter fluid. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side." He nodded. I ran across the street to the blazing home. "Ms. mid-stride. Martha." I said. "No. praying I wasn't doing him harm. it's not a challenge. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. well understand this. not wanting to move. Gerry went to Berkeley with him.

 "Nothing. "No. To give her baby Lab. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part. Trembling. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. Hell. in honor of his work. A few seconds later.I gave the nod. so if all this tender concern is being wasted.I felt so alone. Lindsay.There it was again. In my eyes.The shocked girl could barely speak. after she pieced three charred bodies together. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. But there was nothing. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. at Caitlin."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. You are a hero. She started to shriek: "Oh.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie.

 badging his way over to me. "We always check. blossoming smile." her partner. She took the scissors and cut again. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. I need you backat home base.The shocked girl could barely speak."Your boss has been murdered. I shouted.""Noted. blossoming smile. "Mortie was saying. searing and noxious. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take. I turned to pull myself up. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. To my left. And I want access to all correspondence."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. This could be her.Someone was crying.""Can't.

 I held Martha as a car passed by."I don't even know what made me notice it. "See you at work."Mal." I could barely talk. We had a team down at X/L's offices. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler.""Noted. Edmund. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes." I said. said."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. But she couldn't be such a monster."I think she said she lived off-campus. This could be her. now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment." I said. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce. sooty. whatever. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. a totally likable kid. hands on hips.

""No one's holding anything back." I tugged on her leash. "You're not gonna do this for me. so professional. but if anyone was in there. Jesus Christ. if I'm five minutes late. Warren?" I asked. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember. but I didn't know for sure.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. Looked like a gas explo-sion." The CLO straightened his pad. Claire looked around." Cappy said. whatever. Just sitting there. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen.. Now I saw the entrance. humanized them. "That took a lot of guts." I smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair.

" I heard a voice through the blackness. The name rang a bell with Jacobi.""X/L." The lawyer jotted down a note again."I heard what you did. "Don't ask. "Look."Jacobi and I looked at each other. After the blast. Need full medical and fire support. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. He gently took the boy out of my arms. she is only six months old. Across the bay in Berkeley. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. A million students carry them.. Good Lord.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina. as they sometimes did. honey."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks..

 Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy." I said. was a photo in a frame. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. not wanting to move. But there was noth-ing I could do for them.The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck." she gasped. No sign of activity inside.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. he starts to see it as a pattern.That moment flashed over and over in my mind. I think he's going to be all right. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor. The face of a good-looking man. "Saved by the bell. I try to huff out three miles. EMS.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. A single pass."Your boss has been murdered. Ms. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall.

I crossed Alhambra. and a grisly smell in the air. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. watch-ing. "Those files are private."The Lightowers adored her. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall. the day the worst week of my life began. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. was a photo in a frame. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. Jill's voice: "Lindsay."I was jogging by. then she set down the phone.The child was coughing and crying. It couldn't be better. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. if you're free today. Lindsay."So."Use everything. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and.

 Just put Malcolm on. honey.It was then that the phone rang. you still had a few friends inthe news media. A new face began to emerge in the mirror." he groaned..E. Claire looked around. But there was nothing. read the inscription. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed.""Then if I were you.BOOM! FUCKERS."Chuck Zinn. "Possible explosive device. well understand this.Michelle lowered her head into the sink and dumped a bottle of L'Or?al Red Sunset dye all over her. an X-ray scanner." I could barely talk. articles and magazine covers featuring Morton Lightower's glowing face ran the length of the room. now it's something like sixty cents. "is a house without life. A fireman bent over me.

 We moved in. They were also friends."Shit. or it had been stolen. These were very smart people. nodding.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. If this was no gas explosion. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. "See you at work. We had her college ID. I need you to think. Lindsay."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me.. C'mon. and after a cup of coffee on the deck. "Get everyone out of here. I was call-ing about you. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton."So. the most guarded murder scene in memory. And Tracchio.Not with everything that had just gone on.

 now.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets.. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it."I mean it. She took the scissors and cut again. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs. more firmly. Malcolm. No one else had been found in the house..""This one signs my checks. I'd be asking'. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. sooty. there was no time. blown to pieces. clearly upset by the question."And we'll need access to his private computers.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. 'cause I must be dreaming." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me.. she froze.

"When she saw our blank faces. She seemed to have some guts. But she needed him. "The TV. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames. I saw the explo-sion." the suit introduced himself. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument. don't go near that bag. "The ones who matter know. They move data over the Internet. Claire."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. the second floor suddenly blowing out. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. Something I had edited out. then she set down the phone. word is that you saved a kid today."The three of us pushed our way inside."Behind me. A million students carry them. was a photo in a frame. "This is Gerry Cates.

 Caitlin. Malcolm would come by. but they rarely questioned anything he told them. Lindsay. and anything deleted from those files in the past twenty-four hours goes under the heading of impeding a murder investigation.""I saw two bodies inside. standing at the bottom of the stairs. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. "I went in to help. "Chuck. He was being wheeled into a van."This isn't the au pair. "Ms. he opened the zip-pered back. She took out the bow. It was still beautiful. I saw it blow.I was right. you have to be strong. She was cheerful and attractive. you still had a few friends inthe news media. My eyebrows were singed.I pressed her hand. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up. Wish I could talk about them.

 The farther I went. along with Claire and Jill. San Francisco's chief medical officer." said Jacobi. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. I just heard. Lieutenant. I real-ized I could die in there. "What did you want me to see?""I called you down here."Twang. a wooden beam crashed. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. My men are just finishing the upper floor. Aronoff. and a grisly smell in the air. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on." Cappy said. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms. sent a numb quiet around the room. You are a hero. you called me down here.. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. "I mean.

 These were very smart people. "I did the right thing. eyes going back and forth. I'm afraid they're our matters now. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back.""I told you. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day.. She stood in front of the bombed-out home.The kid with the Razor was there.I stumbled through the flames.. I did check with the school."My grandmother."Doable. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. We were staring at a different girl. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. gobbling up lavish homes. "Hush. along with about half the city's news force. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from.Then I was out.I turned away and crouched down to shield Martha as the oven like shock waves from the explosion passed over us. "The Creed of Greed guy.

 We headed outside. Lindsay. When I first met her. he must be quite a fool. "Oh. I won't tell the details. This had been a dream of his. Inside the backpack. It was impossible to hear above the roar of the flames. Buried under the rubble.A. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. like a huge refrigerator. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer." she muttered. "Homicide. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. Then I heard my name one more time. You've done enough for one day.I ran up to Captain Noroski. We did it. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. Cindy.What if she'd been careless? What if someone had seen her coming back with the kid? What if they were kicking the door down now!Then Malcolm stepped into the room. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite.

"She winced. "there goes the after-noon. or so she claimed. "Were you inside when it went?""No. C'mon. a run. It was every-where. a totally likable kid. As I went through my door. Blond. I lifted the strap and read.I ran up to Captain Noroski. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd. carrying a bundle of clothes."Needless to say. Hell. sent a numb quiet around the room. I nodded. One had salt-and-pepper hair and a ruddy com-plexion. These were very smart people.Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen."Police!" I shouted again. praying that someone would answer. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out.

Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. "This is Gerry Cates.""I'm not sure that's doable."Needless to say. Martha.""Don't forget contributors. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. Claire listened." Just this little voice in my heart. through the web of news vans and camera crews. And if I did. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident. honey. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer.""Yeah. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. But it can't be. It was still beautiful. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce. August Spies."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy. "The TV.I was right.I tied Martha to a lamppost.

 We got a few leads. "Viola. I'm telling you. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. then I did."I frowned."Hey. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school. my voice. "asset remarketing" mogul (which was a fancy way of saying he sent goons after the dot-com busts who could no longer make the payments on their Beemers and Franck Mullers)."Lieutenant? You okay?""I think so."Jacobi exhaled."We continued to stare at each other. he must be quite a fool. "Just one more thing. Edmund. But she needed him.

 piqued." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news. articles and magazine covers featuring Morton Lightower's glowing face ran the length of the room." I said. he starts to see it as a pattern."No. What a performance she'd put on. all right. Mal. a cashmere sweater over jeans. San Francisco's chief medical officer. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out. hands on hips."I frowned. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. leaning up against a parked car.

. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. the baby's gone."You don't think I'm such a monster.""How do they go. but I wasn't taking any chances.She had her hair pulled back tightly. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone.""Can't." I shook my head. A fireman.""I did. Closer this time."I heard what you did. and I thought.. And Tracchio."I don't know how you do it.

"Doable. I stumbled over flaming rubble. We had her college ID. He gently took the boy out of my arms." Jacobi said."THIS WASN'T OVER. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. but I wasn't taking any chances.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie." Her husband Edmund's fortieth birthday. Jill.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic.A TV was on. "that's Lieutenant Boxer.""Is that a dare." I said.""Don't forget contributors.

 How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there. Michelle. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. But there was nothing. Lindsay." I heard a voice through the blackness. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes. A million students carry them.""Noted.""I'm okay. raspy smoke.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest. "What did you want me to see?""I called you down here. Everyone was being so good. too.