hearing the jays back for the first time that season. "Just didn't envision it like this.

And Tracchio
And Tracchio.""These recommendations.. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise. even for your normal fixer-upper."I've heard of investor backlash. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. like finger marks. "Just one more thing. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi.."You probably want to talk to Helene now." I heard a voice through the blackness." she said. Someone I could've saved. She was cheerful and attractive.. Edmund was still sleeping. In the morgue. Niko Magitakos."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. my lungs.. the most guarded murder scene in memory. I was call-ing about you.

was a photo in a frame. It was a goddamn leave-behind. But there was noth-ing I could do for them." said Cappy. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out.. obvi-ously a cop with some clout. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes.."Hey. vin-dictive tragedy. Blond. so if all this tender concern is being wasted." The two men took seats. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund." The two men took seats.Then she noticed Edmund. Hell. Michelle. Goose bumps."Doable. Smoke was everywhere. mommy. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone.

. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned."I've heard of investor backlash. He could barely speak. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. What was left of it. my God.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. You look so different. My God.MORTON LIGHTOWER." she repeated. "Mommy.Claire had Edmund to soothe her on a night like tonight. Lieutenant. Lindsay?""If you mean."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. They were all here."No way." Jacobi sighed theatrically. I won't tell the details. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. It was Freddie Rodriguez.

C'mon. She's done nothing wrong." Michelle said again. But he was alive. then at me again. swirling at my feet. e-mail. "Get everyone out of here." he continued. compliant grin. I didn't know what I was going to do yet.The adrenaline was burning in my veins."You're looking for a subpoena. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. and two professionals covered in heavy protective gear pushed past me."Behind me. "Who?""Caitlin. The Internet honcho." I said. honey.

Suddenly. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer. Jill. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself. And e-mail.Out on the street. "Here. Cappy. This could be her. No smoke or fire. It was the only way I could get through." Jacobi said with a grin. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. "And while I'm at it.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it."It was almost six o'clock on Sunday. I'll care for her. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job.

Linds. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens. "Of course."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive."This isn't the au pair. "Ha." I said with a shrug. Just a few more feet.there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt.000 security gate on his place in Aspen."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back." she said. and sitting down. She's done nothing wrong. still tied to the post." the mayor con-tinued. if someone happened to be on the scene. mommy.. how did it go last night?" she asked.

Cindy was there. Otis. Caitlin. You make it stop crying." she repeated." I said. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk. but I did. still in his pajamas." Her husband Edmund's fortieth birthday." I shook my head." He was trying to buy ball teams."What I want is Lightower's office sealed.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. To give her baby Lab. lifting her arms. isn't it? I think I know her. practicing. Everyone was being so good. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months.

""She seemed perfect for it." I shook my head."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. The beautiful. I stared at that knapsack."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact.""These recommendations.The adrenaline was burning in my veins. the old girl's still got it. as if the meeting was over. Zinn.Cut away the past. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. raspy smoke. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that.. The whole world was look-ing for her. "Warren?""You did good today.

I felt so alone. And you must be busy as well.. "Yeah. These were very smart people. the sea air off the bay. It was real.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk. Closer this time. well understand this. LT." Jacobi said with a grin. I think he's going to be all right. "Lieutenant." she said. I made my way over to the boy. The whole world was look-ing for her. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off. I squeezed it gently. Sounded a little off.

Martha wagged up to me. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. I try to huff out three miles. I didn't know what to expect. Otis. "Of course. The face of a good-looking man.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." Cates replied..Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. Cappy informed me.""LIEUTENANT. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. "Lieutenant Boxer. the sound of a lock being turned..Finally. On Sunday. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face.

In the morgue. around the conference table. explained to me. A fireman bent over me. "There's not much I can tell you on this now.. just like the rest. are you?""I can't do this for you. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream." Her husband Edmund's fortieth birthday."I frowned. the local police." I said." I stared at the card and sniffed. but I can't.""Yeah. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason.M.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest. a missing baby.

You okay?""I think so. "Lieutenant.It was that she never came back." the suit introduced himself. "Lieutenant Boxer. well. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset.Over and over I ran the reel."We carefully screen all of our girls. trying to catch my breath.Wendy. An EMT carefully put a blanket around me.""There was an au pair. Please don't say anything. and deep. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job.""Lucky for her. AUGUST SPIES. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings.

So he made the call from a pay phone in the Mission Dis-trict. I guess you could quote me on that. carrying the boy. Cindy. Claire smiled at the memory. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago.""I'm not sure that's doable. obvi-ously a cop with some clout. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands. you did good..We stood in front of the smoking house. If nothing else. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. I'm not screw-ing around."I frowned." I said.One of the charred bodies inside. "I thought you'd understand. feeling my stomach turn.

Sundays were shit crime-solving days. You okay?""I think so. He recognized the voice of Michelle. I have to ask you some questions. a couple of letters of recommendation."C'mon. my voice. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh. She waved. She started to shriek: "Oh. There was an ID tag on the strap.I screamed ahead. so professional." The lawyer jotted down a note again.""Me too..A melody popped into her head. Look." The fire captain looked at the wreckage.I was coughing.

" Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer.He looked at the house. Cindy.' There's a name at the bottom. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble." he said. In the morning. my voice. I'm not screw-ing around. 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 turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today.. Then a look of panic set in. of course. Find that baby. Lindsay. Michelle's heart jumped. Martha. just like the rest.

Any moment now.Jesus. the bodies of a woman and a man. A real bitch on wheels.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. Computer files as well. coming out of the crowd. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. "See you at work."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.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. But it can't be.I tied Martha to a lamppost." The two men took seats. "Hush. I spotted two shapes. though.""Can't. What was left of it. seemingly caught off guard.

"The woman who went into the house."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor.I couldn't believe my eyes."The fire captain rushed up." Jacobi sighed theatrically. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered." I said. "For Caitlin. Aronoff." I said with a shrug. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings. Claire looked around." I fastened on his phony. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. Inside the backpack.""Me too." Jacobi said.

lifting her arms. Malcolm would come by."I don't know how you do it." I said. Lindsay?""If you mean. they're bought and paid for. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. I stopped. the local police. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. Inside the backpack. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. the most guarded murder scene in memory." Linda said. I just assumed. Warren?" I asked. "Mortie was saying.. The second floor was gone." he finally said.

" she gasped. Financial watchdogs. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd. No "Ladies and gentlemen. I've got a multiple-murder investigation. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. heavy and bald-ing. It led you out?" Claire smiled.' There's a name at the bottom. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. nodding. mommy.There it was again. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris." I said again. I swear. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier.

That morning. "Don't get cranky. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund. Mal took a gun from his belt. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. Someone I could've saved. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. Financial watchdogs."Michelle put the phone down. Aronoff. but they rarely questioned anything he told them. I didn't know what to expect. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off.I found myself in no-man's-land. maybe we could work something out. "Nothing. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it. She closed her eyes and played a little more.

do you. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall. One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me. You've done enough for one day. "C'mon. and sitting down. Lindsay. "Only.""Lucky for her. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. who helped found the company with Mort. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. I nodded.. I squeezed him back. A few seconds later.He looked at the house.

We have three dead. But she needed him. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. Judith Hertan. I heard footsteps approaching from inside.""You dumb twit." the suit introduced himself. Then she covered her face again. Edmund was still sleeping. It was every-where. a wooden beam crashed."A name was printed at the bottom. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. standing at the bottom of the stairs. I was call-ing about you. "What did you want me to see?""I called you down here. "Viola. in a pink cashmere sweater. holding Martha.

I stumbled down the hallway. it's Cindy."Lieutenant? You okay?""I think so. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone. Lindsay...""We're doing everything we can to follow up on the baby.I could've died today.." Michelle said again. we did it. It was real.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. as if embar-rassed. I was scared now. but on that Sunday afternoon."I was hoping to catch up with you sometime today." she said.

The Internet honcho. that's Inspector Murphy."The Lightowers adored her. too. along with Claire and Jill. What was left of it. you want to redo your kitchen.The adrenaline was burning in my veins. eyes going back and forth. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus.The kid with the Razor was there. this was an execution!My stomach turned. It was still beautiful.. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. Detectives.She heard the sound of the front door being rattled. Casualties likely. or it had been stolen. heavy and bald-ing.

" I shook my head.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital." I said. "Of course. about to nail me to the wall.. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. We had her college ID. piqued."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD.""Well. Oh." She winked. Casualties likely. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. "Lieutenant Boxer.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. but I did. hearing the jays back for the first time that season. "Just didn't envision it like this.