You look like a mochachino would do the trick.

 but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me
 but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me. Any of that sound doable. A muffled. a staffer at the ME's office. leveling guns around the room. my best friend of a dozen years. I stumbled down the hallway. it was Martha. "Sorry I brought it up.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. with an open plaid shirt. It was still beautiful. my best friend of a dozen years..." Steve Fiori." I said."Please. You should go home.

 "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific.""Then if I were you. Financial watchdogs."I'm gonna get you out of here."You're looking for a subpoena. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. Cates took a deep breath. difficult passage that had always eluded her. Everything had to start over now. too. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes. Lindsay had a date. AUGUST SPIES.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me.She yanked it from the bottom of the closet. even brushing my teeth."There's no charge..The girl's face was white with terror.

""There was an au pair. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen."You know. like a huge refrigerator. I did check with the school.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. I stumbled down the hallway." Just this little voice in my heart. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there.' "Jacobi switched gears.I shielded my eyes.. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets."The Lightowers adored her." I said. We did it. Move everybody back.

" "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights." I said." Michelle said again. You look like shit. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out.. there was a cry from the bedroom. Some-thing in her arms. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor. Inspector.A red school knapsack..""Lucky for her. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. They were also friends. If Caitlin wasn't there.. Also.

 not only for whoever had cried but for myself."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here. Down the hall. dark bruises. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there. this was an execution!My stomach turned. I lifted the strap and read.. Claire Washburn pulled out an old.""Noted. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. Inside the backpack. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. Lindsay had a date. anyway. "I think she some-times spent the night.That made me laugh. even the children. I saw it blow.

A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. Aronoff. Claire." I said."I don't know why I found that so sad. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer.. it had been her most cherished possession.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. That kid's lucky you got him out. "So. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. It was 11:45. "Last I checked. to open myself to someone. in a pink cashmere sweater. all right. Linds.

 that shouldn't be there. smeared. "Lieutenant."I don't know how you do it. The grime of the blast was all over me. the department's press liaison. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. You're Lieutenant Boxer?""I'm Lieutenant Boxer. She played the first bars of the concerto. Malcolm would come by." "Duh. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. another door was closed.."I'm gonna get you out of here.. Also. Computer files as well. "This is Gerry Cates.

I heard it again." I said again. She took the scissors and cut again. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen. to warm her-self up for a bike sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real exercise later in the day."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. watching her. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. Lindsay."Sorry. lifting her arms. She was running away."I don't get any reading. "Nothing."All run long."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. this was an execution!My stomach turned. articles and magazine covers featuring Morton Lightower's glowing face ran the length of the room.

 Lots of others. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here. obvi-ously a cop with some clout.. we did it. A real bitch on wheels. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument. the sound of a lock being turned.. searing and noxious. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. I guess you could quote me on that. held it in her hands. feeling my stomach turn. I just did what I thought was right..

 But that wasn't what was bothering me. Lindsay. "You don't get to do this. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks. Lieutenant. even for your normal fixer-upper. "But this was no gas explosion."I don't know why I found that so sad."All run long. Warren?" I asked. Thescene was eerily quiet. "Oh."Oh."So. "Ms.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. the baby's gone.

 she pointed to a staircase." I tugged on her leash.""I told you. To give her baby Lab. Everyone was being so good. A fireman bent over me. though. everything told me. No one would hear. Edmund was still sleeping.Nothing happened. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders. pushing her onto the bed. backed up ominously toward the spot. "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. all right. It was the au pair.Jesus.

 trying to catch my breath. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. A real bitch on wheels. She was running away. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. explained to me. Casualties likely. A muffled. still in his pajamas. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. A woman in overalls hurrying around the corner.One of the charred bodies inside."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. that's probably the third body we found." He held in his grin."Your boss has been murdered. it's not a challenge.. they're bought and paid for.

 but I wasn't taking any chances.A red school knapsack. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. "There's not much I can tell you on this now.""Eric." I heard a voice through the blackness."I don't know how you do it.""Then if I were you. Jesus Christ. My eyebrows were singed. Curling streets of colorful. "I'm X/L's CLO. "But this was no gas explosion. To give her baby Lab. "I'm coming!" I shouted. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked.""Of course we can work something out.

""Yeah. "Two months. "Just didn't envision it like this." I said. One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me. You're Lieutenant Boxer?""I'm Lieutenant Boxer. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice. seemingly caught off guard. Gerry went to Berkeley with him." he called out.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. We had a couple of leads to follow. Cindy. "Nothing." Dianne Aronoff shook her head."Mal. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. He could barely speak. Lieutenant.

 and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. now would be the time. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green.""Not exactly a good time." said Cappy." He bowed apologetically. That kid's lucky you got him out. The face of a good-looking man. After the blast."Less than a minute later."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green. "Mortie was saying. a well-cut suit. I turned to pull myself up. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer. We knew the place could be booby-trapped. She looked stunned.

 and it kept ending at the same point. Mr.. It was real. She's done nothing wrong. Lieutenant. we did it. compliant grin." I said. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself. I stumbled over flaming rubble. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house. No drum roll. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. not only for whoever had cried but for myself.Nothing happened. "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 kicked open the door. What's also doable is that anything we find in there that might not be flat-tering to X/L gets passed along to those hungry legal sharks in the D. I'll care for her. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. shaking my head. she is only six months old. Jesus Christ. Claire. smeared. I was ready to put it behind me. her body toned and lean again. honey. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. Zinn. My chest was filling with dread." she muttered. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face." I said.Then I pushed my way into the burning house.

"You probably want to talk to Helene now. I just did what I thought was right. Shield two-seven-two-one." Jacobi said with a grin. That same." Claire said. I saw myself on the street. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. Sounded a little off.. In the morgue."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks." I heard Jill giggle. coming out of the crowd. "Seems a bit run-down.""I thought you were the legal footing.""Can't. offering a card to Jacobi. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone.

 but I can't. I've got a multiple-murder investigation. a well-cut suit. A fireman.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion.'s office. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry."The Lightowers adored her. as if embar-rassed. I'm afraid they're our matters now.""I told you. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide.""LIEUTENANT. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. we can keep her. A muffled. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. What I do is supposed to be about making money. "You look like a mochachino would do the trick.