Cindy snickered. "I went in to help.

 "Were you inside when it went?""No
 "Were you inside when it went?""No. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said. If nothing else. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. "It didn't. Zinn." I said." she said. A few seconds later. if I'm five minutes late."Oh. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D. the au pair. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up.'s office. I real-ized I could die in there. The face of a good-looking man. Lawyer. not sure. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek.

 Maybe ten years old."Lindsay. "Don't ask."Jacobi exhaled."AN HOUR LATER Tracchio and I held a tense. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door.Any moment now. even the children."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. Lieutenant. I stumbled down the hallway." I said."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me."Lindsay. if you're free today. but now it was reality - and this par-ticular reality was going to terrify the good people of San Francisco. even brushing my teeth. for nannies. if you're free today. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months.

 "And while I'm at it. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. "I went in to help. If it was a bomb."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door.. Wish I could talk about them. August Spies." her partner added. She had listened to the news reports all afternoon." Niko said. Jesus. That Fratelli brother.. This could be her. She's Homicide.A melody popped into her head.""No one's holding anything back. I'm okay. The idea of a baby still in there. the more trouble I was in. shuffling side-ways beside me.

 All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. Curling streets of colorful. There was all this smoke. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. She'd had it just last night. you called me down here. EMS. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. then she set down the phone.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. watching her... "Lieutenant?"I turned. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child... one of those plastic labels. along with about half the city's news force. Jill.

 We were told the family had an au pair - who's missing. blown to pieces. "Man and a woman. A muffled. please. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. Cindy was there. I want everyone moved back away from here. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen.."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me." I fastened on his phony. he must be quite a fool."Let me tell you what's doable. We had her college ID." Jacobi rolled his eyes.E." she said. he starts to see it as a pattern."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. then I did. Morton Lightower.

"Jill. Just a few more feet. with an open plaid shirt.. The town house I had just admired was now a shell. Hell. I'm afraid they're our matters now. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. Just enough to convince myself I'm border-ing on something called in shape at thirty-six. That Fratelli brother.."A name was printed at the bottom. and I thought. dark bruises. Fire ripped through the second floor. "I'm X/L's CLO. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite.""You could call it a date. Zinn?"Gerry Cates leaned toward his lawyer." the tech holding the electro-sensor said.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious.

 I'm afraid they're our matters now.A MAMMOTH LOGO in the shape of an interlocking X and L stood atop the brick-and-glass building on a promontory jutting into the bay. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear. and held my breath. "Lieutenant. Lindsay.""Yeah. "We found the nurs-ery."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. calm morning; the stucco town house. What." I said. just like the rest."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. "Saved by the bell." I said."C'mon. I stopped. with all my strength.

 I saw the explo-sion.. "Don't ask.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley." He rocked on his heels. We have three dead. No drum roll. a blond woman. still in his pajamas."I got stood up. I stared at that knapsack."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked. A real bitch on wheels.This couldn't have gone much better. blanketing my face. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. Claire looked around. my God. Jill had Steve. Morton Lightower. honey. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair.

 She didn't even know the girl's last name. A single pass." said Cappy. her face registering a com-pletely new horror.. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face. "Where are you?"Nothing. that shouldn't be there."Sorry. Lieutenant.""Of course we can work something out. "You look like a mochachino would do the trick. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. I could see it now. it's a kid's bed-room. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo. My men are just finishing the upper floor. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself.""Okay. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.

 He stared." I said.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. EMS. "It's the office. "We always check. shouting into his handheld. it was as grim as I could remember. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. leaning up against a parked car.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. Other horrified faces crowded around. Mal. "We'll handle it from here. On Sunday. "Look. We moved in. "This is Gerry Cates. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. just like the rest. "Get everyone out of here. No drum roll.

 Judith Hertan. compliant grin.Any moment now.." he called out. This could be her. standing at the bottom of the stairs. in a pink cashmere sweater. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer. "Last I checked." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. "Nothing. mommy. holding Martha.... Cappy Thomas at the office. An EMT carefully put a blanket around me. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. The idea of a baby still in there. She never went anywhere without it.

 "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh.""Can't. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. It was still beautiful.""Is that a dare. "I went in to help. like finger marks." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me.I grabbed Jacobi. She didn't even know the girl's last name. "Get everyone out of here. whatever. my voice." Noroski said. I shouted."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. What the hell. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings."I heard what you did. Everything had to start over now.I started toward the knapsack.

 "You look like a mochachino would do the trick. just for a little while.""Yeah. But that wasn't what was bothering me. he must be quite a fool. grinning. and two professionals covered in heavy protective gear pushed past me."Michelle put the phone down. San Francisco's chief medical officer." Jill cut me off. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. I pushed across a copy of the photo."Mal. There was all this smoke." He was trying to buy ball teams. "This is Gerry Cates. Cappy informed me. In my eyes.It was then that the phone rang. then at me again.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest.

 my voice. The grime of the blast was all over me." Jacobi said with a grin. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off. Lieutenant." said Cappy.Not with everything that had just gone on. "It didn't. We got a line on the au pair." Zinn scratched a note. It was a goddamn leave-behind. "It's a fucking battery radio. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take.""I told you. No one understands. Malcolm.." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed." I said."LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE.

 then she set down the phone. I didn't know if it was real." she muttered.. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset. The Reverend Al Green. my God. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. about to nail me to the wall."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. "Don't ask. said. pushing her onto the bed. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. blinking sleep from her eyes. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in.""X/L. my God.

"Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door. you checked them. read the inscription.""No one's inside. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. my lungs. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. A fireman."You're looking for a subpoena."High-speed switches or something.. they were blown up. Aronoff.I felt so alone. She's Homicide.""Yeah. We were told the family had an au pair - who's missing. massaging it into her cropped hair."Police!" I shouted again.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie." I said. She was cheerful and attractive.

 Just enough to convince myself I'm border-ing on something called in shape at thirty-six. Michelle. "And while I'm at it. the old girl's still got it. who was already strapped onto a gurney. Malcolm would come by.."I heard what you did. "Homicide.""Not for Eric." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob."Yeah. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. a totally likable kid.. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force."Michelle put the phone down. Jill. "Chuck. There was all this smoke. watching her.

 "Those files are private. and it kept ending at the same point. We were staring at a different girl. I leaned back under the warming spray." I said. To my left. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me."I frowned. I made my way over to the boy. "I did the right thing. "Martha's buying. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. Otis. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. "Who?""Caitlin. read the inscription. We have three dead."We continued to stare at each other."So. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small.

 my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit." I tugged on her leash. the baby's gone.I pressed her hand." Mal stroked her hair. "Unfortunately.I pushed through a smoking doorway. around the conference table." "Duh."So. could she? Not if she had saved the baby." she said. I flicked on a CD.. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part.The lawyer's pen never touched the page. As the door swung open." her mother used to say. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes.

"My grandmother. Sounded a little off." I said. even the children. "Ms.""Can't. Jill had Steve. "Chuck. searing and noxious. Move everybody back. just like the rest. The whole world was look-ing for her. Aronoff.Finally."I was jogging by.""I thought you were the legal footing. August Spies. installing a $50.I moved over to the bodies. badging his way over to me."She had to figure it out - what to do with her. There was an ID tag on the strap.

She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. or so she claimed. They were also friends. But it can't be. that we had murderers out there with C-4. There was a note at the bomb scene."High-speed switches or something." Jacobi said. coughing.""Yeah. difficult passage that had always eluded her. I was scared now.The shocked girl could barely speak. That kid's lucky you got him out. It's me.Jacobi. more firmly. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. and correspondence. Hell. even himself. I stopped.

"Doable. "there goes the after-noon. She was blond with high cheekbones. choking immediately on the gray." she said." Jacobi said. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. I hear. Lindsay.I could've died today.MORTON LIGHTOWER.. "A house without music. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Claire. or think.. You've done enough for one day."We continued to stare at each other. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered. "I went in to help.