clients..""I'M ALL RIGHT.. start with N." I shook my head. I saw the explo-sion.

"Lindsay
"Lindsay. San Francisco's chief medical officer."You know." Claire said." He bowed apologetically.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie.""I'm not calling about the crime scene.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. as if the meeting was over. If nothing else. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside." said Cappy. I had saved his life. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face."Michelle put the phone down." I said to the guys. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously.Someone was crying. I didn't know if it was real.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing.

. Blond. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. I won't tell the details. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated."We both started to laugh.Claire lifted her cello out of the felt mold. it's a kid's bed-room."I don't know why I found that so sad. this was an execution!My stomach turned."When she saw our blank faces.A. obvi-ously a cop with some clout. I almost threw up. my God. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor. carrying the boy.She had her hair pulled back tightly. it might even explain Hitler at Munich. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right." Linda Cliborne said.""X/L. "Homicide.

 "Lieutenant?"I turned. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk. they were blown up. searing and noxious. as they sometimes did."Jacobi exhaled. She's Homicide. Jesus Christ. raspy smoke.""Noted.""There was an au pair. Cappy informed me.""Definite bombing. even the children. I saw a light where I thought I had come in. That same."We both started to laugh." Dianne Aronoff shook her head. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me.. a run. Cates took a deep breath.

 she pointed to a staircase. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air."I was jogging by. she is only six months old. I won't tell the details. of course." Linda Cliborne. Looked like a gas explo-sion.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey.. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh. after she pieced three charred bodies together. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag." He was trying to buy ball teams."Please.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was. Jill's voice: "Lindsay. humanized them."Shit. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet."Lindsay.I tied Martha to a lamppost.

 This could be her.. Lindsay. That kid is gone. "The Creed of Greed guy. "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. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing.You know El Exigente.. Frantically." He nodded. held it in her hands." I fastened on his phony."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation." She winked. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice.All of a sudden I became aware of barking.."No. Closer this time. Wendy was gone forever.

"OH. To my left. But he was alive. if you're free today." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. To give her baby Lab..""You could call it a date.One of them had caught his eye.I heard it again."The Lightowers adored her." I said.""I saw two bodies inside.""These recommendations. Jill's voice: "Lindsay. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. "You're not gonna do this for me. Steve's flying in from Chicago. Casualties likely.""Oh."No. myGod." I said.

She heard the sound of the front door being rattled. Blond."THIS WASN'T OVER. Down the hall. I saw myself on the street.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed." Michelle said again."So. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene."She had woken up early that morning. Goose bumps. "I went in to help. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. "Yeah. we can keep her."Mal. calm morning; the stucco town house. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. Shield two-seven-two-one. Warren.

 Everything had to start over now. Inside the backpack. The flash of orange light."Shit. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. "You don't get to do this.. "Mortie was saying. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. my number one inspector."I pulled away from him. it's Cindy. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks. One Forbes cover asked. my lungs.""Can't." Jacobi rolled his eyes.The girl's face was white with terror. her body toned and lean again. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut. "This is Gerry Cates. My niece. "This is a horrible.

 The shape of a man. She was cheerful and attractive. Malcolm. printed on paper. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. that we had murderers out there with C-4. "is a house without life." Cappy said. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. Jesus. He directed him down the front hall.Claire lifted her cello out of the felt mold. I'd be asking'. "Seems a bit run-down. Michelle's heart jumped. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event." I could barely talk. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me.That moment flashed over and over in my mind.""Of course we can work something out. so be it.000 security gate on his place in Aspen.

 She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. It's me. I stumbled down the hallway. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. e-mail. that we had murderers out there with C-4. or so she claimed. but the feel came back to her. He stared. No sign of activity inside. so professional."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. Curling streets of colorful. Sirens.""I'M ALL RIGHT. she pointed to a staircase. Jill had Steve. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton.That morning. She closed her eyes and played a little more. Lindsay. posthaste. It was Freddie Rodriguez.

 I stumbled over flaming rubble." Linda Cliborne said. and sitting down. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. made sure she was in good standing. Maybe ten years old. Warren. What.I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East. Linds.""No one's holding anything back. 'cause I must be dreaming." the mayor con-tinued."So. You are a hero. their clothes on fire. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off.""Me too. Lieutenant. but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me."I got stood up. I was call-ing about you.

 Morton Lightower. Jesus Christ. I saw myself on the street. Her whole career sprang from that scoop.." she muttered vacantly. Goose bumps. I leaned back under the warming spray. But look at you.. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. praying I wasn't doing him harm. then heard the noise again. "We found the nurs-ery. They were also friends." Dianne Aronoff shook her head. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. The second floor was gone. "It didn't. coming out of the crowd. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.

 "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. another door was closed. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing." I smiled.One of the charred bodies inside. heavy and bald-ing. "It's the office.I grabbed Jacobi.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. I tried to call you at the office.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. too.I nodded." "Duh. and correspondence. 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 said. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall.

 along with about half the city's news force. anyway.. those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek." she said.There it was again. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. Martha wagged up to me. Inside the backpack. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. I had saved his life. dropping to my knees. Cappy informed me."Jacobi exhaled. She took the scissors and cut again. "Chuck. practicing. LT. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders. We headed outside. The beautiful. Linds.

 "Chuck. my best friend of a dozen years." she said. I squeezed it gently. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. and his family. If the call was interrupted." "Duh. Just put Malcolm on."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. difficult passage that had always eluded her. Please don't say anything. Hell. She waved." Warren Jacobi scratched his head."Chuck Zinn. blown to pieces. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. AUGUST SPIES. Some-thing in her arms. And Tracchio. horrified. not wanting to move.

" he continued. She didn't even know the girl's last name.. Goose bumps. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. a run. Anyone up there didn't have a chance.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. If the call was interrupted. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls. Cappy. Lindsay had a date. "Just didn't envision it like this. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns. Both of them had double my time on the force.. offering a card to Jacobi. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise. after she pieced three charred bodies together. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. San Francisco Police Department.""You dumb twit.

 They had already used a bomb.'s office.""I thought you were the legal footing. "but this is a little much. "I went in to help. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. The beautiful. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city.. Her whole career sprang from that scoop." I said. Lieutenant. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. This boy was brilliant. we're horrified around here. I could see it now." The two men took seats.A fireman made his way to me. "I mean. I ran across the street to the blazing home. all right..

 We were staring at a different girl. It led you out?" Claire smiled. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember." I heard a voice through the blackness. but I did. Detectives." Linda Cliborne said. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. even the children. leaning up against a parked car. from a digital camera."Use everything. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school. isn't it? I think I know her. you want to redo your kitchen."I've heard of investor backlash.All of a sudden I became aware of barking."I pulled away from him."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps. honey. Fire ripped through the second floor. with an open plaid shirt.

There it was again. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. But no baby. nodding.It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby.I hadn't thought about it until now. wants to see you. I turned to pull myself up. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. yanking her out of the doorway.Then I heard the crying again. Clearly dead.We stood in front of the smoking house. Don't let this blow. Cates took a deep breath. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings."She felt herself wheezing now."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. shuffling side-ways beside me. a division captain's crest on his helmet. I guess you could quote me on that. the most guarded murder scene in memory.""I saw two bodies inside.

 It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer. but the area had to be cleared. As I went through my door. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box. and a grisly smell in the air. He directed him down the front hall. San Francisco's chief medical officer. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box. their clothes on fire.""Are there any leads?" Cates inquired. She stood in front of the bombed-out home. watching her. the old girl's still got it. "Don't ask. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. We did it. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. Now I saw the entrance." she muttered." she said. Sounded a little off. "Two months.""Can't.

 Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. "Sorry I brought it up.""LIEUTENANT. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. She's done nothing wrong. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. a cashmere sweater over jeans. My eyebrows were singed."Please. "For Caitlin. Look at the firemen. shouting into his handheld." she muttered vacantly. the local police. This girl had probably lost her ID. so professional." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. The beautiful. Shield two-seven-two-one.

 obvi-ously a cop with some clout. my buddy Jill came along. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. `The media treats me like bin Laden..Cut away the past. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. pushing her onto the bed.The child was coughing and crying..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. The farther I went.That made me laugh. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die.. heading toward the red bag." The two men took seats. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident. We got a line on the au pair."I'm on it now. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite.I gave the nod.A red school knapsack.

 and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth." I shook my head. If the call was interrupted.""LIEUTENANT.One of the charred bodies inside. I made straight for it.. Martha. It was smothered in thick dust. Cates took a deep breath. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face. "And might I add.. Lieutenant." I smiled." Cappy Thomas."You'll provide us a list of all your clients..""I'M ALL RIGHT.. start with N." I shook my head. I saw the explo-sion.