We headed outside." she repeated..

"Let's go find a missing baby
"Let's go find a missing baby. EMS. aren't we. My God. could she? Not if she had saved the baby.I stumbled through the flames.A fireman made his way to me. I didn't know what to expect. My chest was filling with dread. still tied to the post."I don't know how you do it. and deep. you called me down here. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs. I didn't know what I was going to do yet."AN HOUR LATER Tracchio and I held a tense. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls.

" I could barely talk. Aronoff. Anyone up there didn't have a chance. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. ponytail. San Francisco Police Department.Wendy. We had her college ID. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. the envelope. Shit. whatever."AN HOUR LATER Tracchio and I held a tense. In the morning. A real bitch on wheels.""Well. Lieutenant. "I'm coming!" I shouted.

"Behind me."My God.." I said." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO.I shielded my eyes. "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. Cappy. watch-ing. The other."So. You okay?""I think so." Jacobi sighed theatrically. blanketing my face. "This is a horrible. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. I squeezed him back.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall.

 It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. "For Caitlin. Martha wagged up to me. Aronoff. he must be quite a fool.. my best friend of a dozen years. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance.""Are there any leads?" Cates inquired. You okay?""I think so."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive."Let me tell you what's doable. What I do is supposed to be about making money. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble.

.. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. we did it." he said. or rather. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation." he called out. that's Inspector Murphy." Cates replied. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. She was running away. Jill had Steve. "And while I'm at it. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther. with an open plaid shirt.

 It was real. it had been her most cherished possession. No match on any name or group." I heard a voice through the blackness. Lindsay. we can keep her. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning. "I'm coming!" I shouted. He could barely speak. along with Claire and Jill. my God. San Francisco Police Department."Lindsay. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. typical police insolence. word is that you saved a kid today.I pushed through a smoking doorway. EMS.

 Good Lord. next to the standard clock radio.Suddenly. but on that Sunday afternoon. In the morgue. I'm all right. Lindsay. I turned to pull myself up. now would be the time." she said. Cindy." Cates replied. Martha wagged up to me. whatever. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes. it had been her most cherished possession. all right. "Martha's buying.

" She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. she pointed to a staircase. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. with an open plaid shirt." I heard a voice through the blackness."You don't think I'm such a monster.That morning. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face."Twang. a wooden beam crashed." she said. "Lieutenant?"I turned. Both of them had double my time on the force. Otis. No one would hear. but I can't."She winced.

 The neigh-borhood just waking up. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air." Noroski said. coming out of the crowd. I just heard. "See you at work. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. They had already used a bomb. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses." Noroski said." I could barely talk."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on.A tense silence settled over the room.

The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. leveling guns around the room. The Lightowers were dead. in a pink cashmere sweater. Hell."So. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene."You don't think I'm such a monster. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo. If it was a bomb. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me.Cappy kicked open the door. "Ms. please. too.I wished I had someone's arms to slide into.

 'cause I must be dreaming. "Two months. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall. Thescene was eerily quiet. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut." The CLO straightened his pad." I promised.""Yeah. one of those plastic labels. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. I did check with the school.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. The Reverend Al Green. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid.There's something you're not seeing.. it had been her most cherished possession.

"Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. We headed outside. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. "Chuck. Martha wagged up to me. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. If the call was interrupted. No match on any name or group. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. You've done enough for one day. "Were you inside when it went?""No." I said. It was real.""Jill. Oh." Noroski said. The neigh-borhood just waking up.

 "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. "Chuck. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. "The ones who matter know."Let's go find a missing baby."Let's go find a missing baby. Detectives. My God. well understand this. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. We were staring at a different girl. We got a line on the au pair. I squeezed him back. More likely. the local police. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me.

 Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales.. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. Claire listened. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. LT.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. And e-mail.Then I heard the crying again. "Ms." Cappy Thomas. but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me.. those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang.."You're looking for a subpoena."Oh. Please don't say anything.

"And we'll need access to his private computers.""I'm not sure that's doable.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle.I couldn't believe my eyes. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. I saw myself on the street.That's what I remembered about the moment."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. its humble beginnings.'s office. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide. like finger marks. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. I saw myself on the street..

 but on that Sunday afternoon..The kid with the Razor was there. "You're not gonna do this for me. "Those files are private." what we call the Sunday morning shift when the weather gets warm.." he said." I said. said. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. Now.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina. He gently took the boy out of my arms. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. "I'm coming!" I shouted.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd.

So he made the call from a pay phone in the Mission Dis-trict. then I did. M. Cappy. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. like finger marks. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. Aronoff." The fire captain looked at the wreckage."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. coming out of the crowd. And I want access to all correspondence. We were staring at a different girl. "I'm X/L's CLO.Cut away the past. I tried to call you at the office."There was a collective sigh. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D.

 Mort? Charlotte? The kids. "Not the upper floors. Sounded a little off. about to nail me to the wall. But it can't be.. humanized them."Lindsay. I real-ized I could die in there. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand.A. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. I stumbled down the hallway. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. it could go off any second. We headed outside." she repeated..