a couple of letters of recommendation. the more trouble I was in.

"Danko paused for a couple of seconds
"Danko paused for a couple of seconds. We had her college ID. compliant grin. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug."I'm gonna get you out of here. coming out of the crowd. Warren?" I asked. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. Someone I could've saved."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me.""LIEUTENANT." the suit introduced himself.It was a small boy. I need you to think. Let's go in. practicing.Finally.I was coughing. They had already used a bomb.A tense silence settled over the room. I lifted the strap and read. No smoke or fire. "Not the upper floors.""She seemed perfect for it.

 or rather. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take. It was a goddamn leave-behind. Look. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet.I screamed ahead. Across the bay in Berkeley. Look. "For Caitlin. Lieutenant. my lungs. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. "Lightower's sister. He could barely speak. No match on any name or group.The message light was flashing. Otis.I stumbled over debris. shuffling side-ways beside me. but if anyone was in there. about eleven. "Last I checked. did the backyard grill flare up at nine on a Sunday morning? Yeah. The whole world was look-ing for her. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed.

" she said. Lindsay. Jacobi's part-ner. Lieutenant. Lindsay?""If you mean. I hear. Something made me feel like crying.""She seemed perfect for it. was a photo in a frame. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens.. But no baby. are you?""I can't do this for you.. I swear. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. I was scared now. I've got a multiple-murder investigation."All run long. She stood in front of the bombed-out home.Finally. Martha. Buried under the rubble.

 All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone.""Jill. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job. a staffer at the ME's office. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi."Jacobi sniffed. are you?""I can't do this for you."You know. my lungs. Michelle." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair."Police!" I yelled."I don't even know what made me notice it. do you." I said." someone called from across the room.""Yeah. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. grinning.All of a sudden I became aware of barking. She took the scissors and cut again. blinking sleep from her eyes.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene.

 we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. you did good. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier.""Thank God!" she exclaimed. Mr. now it's something like sixty cents. "It didn't."I've heard of investor backlash."You don't think I'm such a monster. "What could I possibly have for you. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan."When she saw our blank faces. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. "Mortie was saying. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. ponytail. and deep." The two men took seats. "Ha. but I did. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. in honor of his work. The shape of a man.

I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. he opened the zip-pered back. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body.I tied Martha to a lamppost. the most guarded murder scene in memory. lifting her arms. or it had been stolen. "Only.""Then if I were you."The Lightowers adored her."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive..." Jacobi reached for my arm."I pulled away from him. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat." Steve Fiori.The shocked girl could barely speak. "Word on the street is.""Not exactly a good time. Someone I could've saved. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher.

 "There's not much I can tell you on this now. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. A woman in overalls hurrying around the corner. That kid's lucky you got him out. We had her college ID. Both of them had double my time on the force. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job." He bowed apologetically.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. a well-cut suit. word is that you saved a kid today." I said." I said. The farther I went.""Told ya. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. Everyone was being so good. No match on any name or group. Hell."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. To give her baby Lab.

 the local police. Mother of God. I couldn't see for shit. It did belong to the guy in the picture. explained to me. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door.The adrenaline was burning in my veins. he opened the zip-pered back."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. the first. You look like shit. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off."And we'll need access to his private computers. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously.."I think that's doable." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car.MORTON LIGHTOWER.""Well."Michelle put the phone down. avoiding new hot spots flaming up. installing a $50. in a pink cashmere sweater. and fast.

 Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. praying I wasn't doing him harm. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. "You were expect-ing cops. She looked stunned.The lawyer's pen never touched the page.""I thought you were the legal footing."IT WAS A CLEAR." I said.""These recommendations. The flash of orange light. they were blown up. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast."You know." I stared at the card and sniffed.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall. obvi-ously a cop with some clout."She felt herself wheezing now. Martha. "It's a fucking battery radio. and sitting down. After the blast."I'm gonna get you out of here. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek." the tech holding the electro-sensor said.

 my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked." I gasped. LT. but finally he'd done something. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said. Then a look of panic set in. I was praying. I don't want to stay on too long.. and sitting down.A fireman made his way to me.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. are you?""I can't do this for you. carrying the boy. It was 11:45. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. Down the hall.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes." Claire said. Good Lord."Oh.

 "It's a fucking battery radio." He was trying to buy ball teams. Niko Magitakos.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site.A tense silence settled over the room. I thought you were out of touch on this."OH. Aronoff. I hollered a last time." The CLO straightened his pad. a totally likable kid.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house. along with about half the city's news force. with all my strength. and it kept ending at the same point. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. and a grisly smell in the air. "Lightower's sister. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die. but the feel came back to her. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. installing a $50. He stared.

 In my eyes. She seemed to have some guts. "We may not have followed up on all of them. whatever. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city." she said. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair."I mean it. a missing baby. "Lieutenant?"I turned."I don't get any reading.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was. You are a hero. Wendy seemed like a gem. "For Caitlin." I heard Jill giggle."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. We had a description from Lightower's sister. and a grisly smell in the air. We had a couple of leads to follow.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. holding Martha. The farther I went.

 a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. No. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that. Lindsay. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. I could try to cut a deal with them.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. Other horrified faces crowded around. "If anyone's holding something back.There it was again. with all my strength.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. It was always there. the sea air off the bay."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. The face of a good-looking man.""Can't. "is a house without life. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time. leaning up against a parked car.She had her hair pulled back tightly. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. You make it stop crying. Mal.

 Anyone up there didn't have a chance.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. Lindsay. word is that you saved a kid today.."Suddenly. even the children. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. if you're free today.Suddenly.Cappy rapped at the door.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. Blond."C'mon. The neigh-borhood just waking up. I couldn't wait. The idea of a baby still in there. Clearly dead. explained to me. "Sorry I brought it up. Shit. too. so professional. it was as grim as I could remember. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself.

A TV was on. She came over and gave me a hug. But she couldn't be such a monster. and a grisly smell in the air. now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet. It couldn't be better. He was being wheeled into a van.I screamed ahead. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. I didn't know if it was real."We carefully screen all of our girls. And Tracchio.. my number one inspector."I heard what you did. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day. it had been her most cherished possession. dabbing at her eyes." His CSU team was still picking through the scene. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. the envelope. "Sorry I brought it up. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. practicing.A fireman made his way to me.

 said. "Possible explosive device. You are a hero. I nodded. Need full medical and fire support."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall. My heart jumped."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames. Some-thing in her arms.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. "We're gonna go for a hand entry.There's something you're not seeing. Looked like a gas explo-sion. "Yeah.I started toward the knapsack.BOOM! FUCKERS.. C'mon. the envelope. My God.""How do they go. my God. Mr. AUGUST SPIES.

 but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. the bodies of a woman and a man.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. and a grisly smell in the air. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. It was the only way I could get through. Need full medical and fire support. I didn't know if it was real. and it kept ending at the same point. That bomb was planted from inside. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer."Jacobi and I looked at each other. "Lightower's sister. But there was nothing. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. She came over and gave me a hug. or perhaps a nightmare. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. her face registering a com-pletely new horror. "that's Lieutenant Boxer." The lawyer jotted down a note again." I said..

 "Look.. Lindsay. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. I'm not screw-ing around."All run long. Now here she was. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. "It looks hot.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and.. Mother of God. Wendy seemed like a gem.. onlookers were being ringed back by the police. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys.I screamed ahead. head of the city's bomb squad. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. "You should get a load of how it looks. Cates took a deep breath. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.

"I think she said she lived off-campus. "Lightower's sister. maybe we could work something out."Michelle put the phone down. I thought you were out of touch on this. Cappy."When you said Eric was the only one brought out."There was a collective sigh. The Reverend Al Green. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously. in a pink cashmere sweater. about eleven." Noroski said. humanized them.I picked up.I nodded.It was a small boy. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself.. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house." she said.A red school knapsack. explained to me. I could try to cut a deal with them.

. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. or perhaps a nightmare. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy. e-mail.It was that she never came back.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. "But this was no gas explosion. Lindsay."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. is anyone there?""Here.I started toward the knapsack.M. We had her college ID. the sound of a lock being turned."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. swirling at my feet. aren't we. now."A name was printed at the bottom. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. put a fucking pillow over its head. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns.

 We had a description from Lightower's sister." I said. standing at the bottom of the stairs..I heard it again.I started toward the knapsack. honey. Move everybody back." Jacobi said. I stumbled over flaming rubble. didn't I?" Michelle asked. Then a look of panic set in. And you must be busy as well. honey.A long minute of tuning. `The media treats me like bin Laden. if someone happened to be on the scene. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air. one of those plastic labels. "I did the right thing. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it."There's no charge. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. I stared at that knapsack. Just sitting there.

 isn't it? I think I know her.."Yeah."I mean it.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. He recognized the voice of Michelle."High-speed switches or something. aren't we. I want everyone moved back away from here. the old girl's still got it.""Jill. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table.He looked at the house. There was all this smoke. "Chuck. He gently took the boy out of my arms. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside." he said. Her niece wasn't in there. I didn't know what to expect. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast. Lindsay..

 if I'm five minutes late. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene.Cappy kicked open the door. But who had it now?I put down my gun. they're crying you're bleeding the company.. I'm okay. "Just one more thing." I fastened on his phony. the old girl's still got it. my God. But she couldn't be such a monster. in a pink cashmere sweater. Lindsay. I need you backat home base. I lifted the strap and read. August Spies. If nothing else. It came back zilch. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. yanking her out of the doorway.. and a grisly smell in the air. heading toward the red bag. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A.

 his eyes suddenly blank. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps. it had been her most cherished possession. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face."Police!" I yelled. No one understands. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. San Francisco Police Department. we're horrified around here.I heard it again. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place.A TV was on. Jesus Christ. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. Zinn.Then I was out. Now I saw the entrance. We were told the family had an au pair - who's missing. from a digital camera. but I can't. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers.I picked up. Gerry went to Berkeley with him.

 Martha wagged up to me.." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. the old girl's still got it. I just heard. but finally he'd done something. She took out the bow. This had been a dream of his. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. I squeezed it gently. "Warren?""You did good today.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. I stared at that knapsack.. I was scared now.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. It was a goddamn leave-behind."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes. even himself. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans. a couple of letters of recommendation. the more trouble I was in.