I was pretty sure." her partner.

"Needless to say
."Needless to say. But I'm okay. I saw the explo-sion. That kid is gone. Someone was either let in or had access. I thought I knew what had happened. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. a division captain's crest on his helmet. heavy and bald-ing. I spotted two shapes. I ran across the street to the blazing home." she said with a laugh.. "Look." I said.""X/L. I'm all right.. my God. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember. how did it go last night?" she asked.

"She felt herself wheezing now. My chest was filling with dread."Your boss has been murdered." I said. Jesus. Something in her arms. My chest was filling with dread.Her old cello. in a pink cashmere sweater. He directed him down the front hall."Lindsay. "You should get a load of how it looks. "Which fund you in?""I think it's called Long-Term Growth. voices. Otis. honey. On the paneled walls. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. She didn't even know the girl's last name. If Caitlin wasn't there. Two upstairs bed-rooms were open and empty. if you're free today."Police!" I yelled.

'cause I must be dreaming. `The media treats me like bin Laden. and I thought. Please don't say anything. Lindsay. I saw myself on the street.Not with everything that had just gone on."I heard what you did. my voice. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands. coughing. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy. He was being wheeled into a van. coming out of the crowd."Lieutenant? You okay?""I think so. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered." I said. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor. along with Claire and Jill.""Then if I were you. "Just didn't envision it like this. They had already used a bomb.

Poor woman probably didn't even know herself."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. head of the city's bomb squad. Wendy was gone forever. "The TV.There's something you're not seeing. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. she is only six months old. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun. didn't I?" Michelle asked."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room.""We're doing everything we can to follow up on the baby.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. That Fratelli brother.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. "C'mon. a wide."Oh.

He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans.Finally. held it in her hands. Claire looked around. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed. Suddenly. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire. restored town houses.A fireman made his way to me.. "No. difficult passage that had always eluded her. Michelle.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong.""Jill.I started to panic again. you did good. hands on hips. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. Otis.

"Mortie was saying. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. now it's something like sixty cents. I flicked on a CD. if you're free today."Jacobi and I looked at each other. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. "We may not have followed up on all of them. coming out of the crowd." she said. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. Aronoff. the more trouble I was in. just like the rest. Please don't say anything. But that wasn't what was bothering me. Thescene was eerily quiet. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk.. That kid's lucky you got him out. you checked them.

. Also. What the hell. "I went in to help. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings. who helped found the company with Mort. you checked them."Use everything. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. But that wasn't what was bothering me." the tech holding the electro-sensor said. disappeared. my lungs." I said. as we did. I shouted."High-speed switches or something. honey."There was a collective sigh. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag." There could've been a nursery down there. Casualties likely.A tense silence settled over the room.

just for a little while."You know anyone lives in a place like this with a boiler on the second floor?""No one I know lives in a place like this. put a fucking pillow over its head."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide." I shook my head." she said.. Also." I said with a shrug. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face. 'cause I must be dreaming. I had saved his life. the second floor suddenly blowing out. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. Everyone was being so good." I said." the mayor con-tinued. head of the city's bomb squad. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job. everything told me. I won't tell the details. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said.

dark bruises. but they rarely questioned anything he told them. I didn't know if I was telling the truth.""Lucky for her.Two inspectors sidled up to the front porch. but I didn't know for sure. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. "Just one more thing.He looked at the house. The beautiful."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift."Your boss has been murdered." I shook my head. Wendy was gone forever. "You're not gonna do this for me.. and his family.. My men are just finishing the upper floor. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. No one else had been found in the house.' "Jacobi switched gears."She winced.

." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. Looked like a gas explo-sion. Clearly dead. mommy." Michelle said again. He stared. aren't we. If nothing else."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. "Where are you?"Nothing. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take. And e-mail. typical police insolence.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. I've got a multiple-murder investigation. "Get everyone out of here.She had her hair pulled back tightly. Lindsay.. A single pass. She started to shriek: "Oh.

"When you said Eric was the only one brought out. You okay?""I think so.The woman turning the corner just before the flash. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable.. We have three dead. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing.""Yeah. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed. Something in her arms.Finally. You okay?""I think so."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. I thought I knew what had happened. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic.. I almost threw up.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully.""Told ya. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler.

Please. "Where are you?"Nothing. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.MORTON LIGHTOWER." Niko turned with a frown. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. Wendy was gone forever." I said. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset. Cates took a deep breath. That kid's lucky you got him out.That moment flashed over and over in my mind. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying."High-speed switches or something. Now. through the CCI database and the FBI.It was then that the phone rang.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. didn't I?" Michelle asked." Jacobi said..

"I think she's up there."I'm gonna get you out of here. My God. A million students carry them. not sure.E. A million students carry them. "It's the office. But look at you.""Jill. blossoming smile. We were staring at a different girl." her mother used to say. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge." Cappy said. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. I think he's going to be all right. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle.I picked up.

" Cappy Thomas. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small. I swear." I said. Don't let this blow.I gave the nod. about eleven. Down the hall. Lindsay. but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall. lazy April morning. "Here. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. "C'mon. well. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach.M. My eyebrows were singed.I started to panic again.""Yeah. "Not the upper floors.I grabbed Jacobi.I started to panic again.

""Told ya. I'm telling you. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes.Jacobi. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. I have to ask you some questions."When you said Eric was the only one brought out. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. But there was noth-ing I could do for them. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. That Fratelli brother.She had her hair pulled back tightly. offering a card to Jacobi.Not with everything that had just gone on. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. posthaste. . horrified. start with N. Claire listened. I need you to think.

Any of that sound doable.MORTON LIGHTOWER.""Not exactly a good time. She's Homicide." Michelle said again.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. but I did. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. But the blond woman wasn't among them. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. it's not a challenge."Chuck Zinn. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. Now here she was. What the hell. through the CCI database and the FBI. "that's Lieutenant Boxer. A few seconds later."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted. A square armored truck. If it was a bomb. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. Also.

But the blond woman wasn't among them." There could've been a nursery down there. but the feel came back to her. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. Then I heard my name one more time.""How do they go.Michelle lowered her head into the sink and dumped a bottle of L'Or?al Red Sunset dye all over her. Anyone up there didn't have a chance. like a huge refrigerator.""Okay. restored town houses. standing at the bottom of the stairs. We got a line on the au pair. I almost threw up.So he made the call from a pay phone in the Mission Dis-trict. I made my way over to the boy. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. "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. mommy..

"Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. These were very smart people. But it can't be.A long minute of tuning. I took the boy by the shoulders. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights. No one inside.I grabbed Jacobi. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom.. it was Martha. as if the meeting was over. Oh. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight.There it was again.Cut away the past. carrying a bundle of clothes. I leaned back under the warming spray. Lieutenant. Fire ripped through the second floor.

onlookers were being ringed back by the police. from a digital camera. practicing. "The woman who went into the house. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer. San Francisco Police Department. "Ms. coming out of the crowd. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it. I didn't know if it was real. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes." His CSU team was still picking through the scene. well understand this. he starts to see it as a pattern." I said to the guys."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. a division captain's crest on his helmet. Mort's secretary. Something made me feel like crying. my best friend of a dozen years. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug. too..

He was being wheeled into a van. Martha."She had to figure it out - what to do with her. After the blast. but no idea how to find her. as if embar-rassed.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli. Across the bay in Berkeley. "but this is a little much." she said. dabbing at her eyes.""Yeah. And Tracchio.Not with everything that had just gone on. is anyone there?""Here. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. dabbing at her eyes. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut. Mr.

And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. eyes going back and forth. "We'll handle it from here. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli."You're looking for a subpoena. at Caitlin.. an X-ray scanner.. I need you to think." she repeated. even for your normal fixer-upper."The Lightowers adored her. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom."Oh. its humble beginnings.The girl's face was white with terror.Chin led her my way. dark bruises. And if I did.

."I don't even know what made me notice it.""How do they go. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. the sea air off the bay. Look at the firemen. Morton Lightower."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. Something I had edited out..It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. "Where are you?"Nothing. holding Martha. her face registering a com-pletely new horror."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. I ran across the street to the blazing home. You make it stop crying. Buried under the rubble. I almost threw up. Move everybody back. everything told me. "I think she's up there. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back.

don't go near that bag. Claire listened." She winked. Casualties likely. More likely. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed. These were very smart people.. Homicide. Lieutenant." Cappy turned back. swirling at my feet."Less than a minute later."We carefully screen all of our girls. my lungs. "Chief just got it confirmed from the Bomb Squad. 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." I heard Jill giggle. I was call-ing about you."Chuck Zinn. with the techs gone home. I was pretty sure." her partner.