I saw two bodies inside. maybe forty. But no baby." Jacobi said.

not the real world
not the real world. an X-ray scanner. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. you checked them. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. I flicked on a CD. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther. A real bitch on wheels."I pulled away from him. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. Suddenly. praying I wasn't doing him harm. Blond. We had a couple of leads to follow. still in his pajamas. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene.

A computer photo. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler." I said. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. with an open plaid shirt.. after she pieced three charred bodies together. And you must be busy as well. "You should get a load of how it looks. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid. If the call was interrupted. to open myself to someone. Mort's secretary. "Warren. Edmund was still sleeping. He stared. who helped found the company with Mort. Casualties likely.

No drum roll. That kid is gone. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. Suddenly. standing at the bottom of the stairs."The three of us pushed our way inside. now would be the time. I nodded. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. A million students carry them. Judith Hertan.. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. I think he's going to be all right."Chuck Zinn. raspy smoke. I took the boy by the shoulders. Jill..

"You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong."They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it. I just assumed. we can keep her. There was an ID tag on the strap. then I did.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A.E. said. "Hush. The town house I had just admired was now a shell. Fire ripped through the second floor. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise.It was that she never came back. But there was noth-ing I could do for them. and two professionals covered in heavy protective gear pushed past me. We have three dead.Over and over I ran the reel.

Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years. Maybe ten years old. "That took a lot of guts.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. Then I heard my name one more time. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio.." Cappy Thomas."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted. heading toward the red bag. a well-cut suit. "You should get a load of how it looks."C'mon.""I'M ALL RIGHT. My chest was filling with dread.A TV was on. grinning. a missing baby. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset."Claire moved over to a table and started to take off her surgical gloves.

Any moment now. Wow. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. The face of a good-looking man. Then a look of panic set in. "Don't ask. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. The other."Listen to me. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me."Michelle put the phone down.I ran up to Captain Noroski. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it. I stumbled down the hallway. don't go near that bag. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me..

But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall. He directed him down the front hall. avoiding new hot spots flaming up. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me. I don't want to stay on too long. EMS.I felt so alone. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. We had a team down at X/L's offices. they're crying you're bleeding the company. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. coming out of the crowd.The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck. No one else had been found in the house.I screamed ahead."This isn't the au pair. that we had murderers out there with C-4. My men are just finishing the upper floor.

shouting into his handheld. "I think she some-times spent the night. Procedure told me to wait.. She took the scissors and cut again." I tried to pull myself up. She didn't even know the girl's last name. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. from a digital camera. but finally he'd done something.Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity.. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton.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. I just heard. from Fort Mason down to the bridge and back. "Last I checked.It was that she never came back.

typical police insolence. She's ninety now. they were blown up. or think.""How do they go."Behind me. that's probably the third body we found.The adrenaline was burning in my veins." I could barely talk. "It looks hot. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea.I stumbled over debris.The kid with the Razor was there. She's done nothing wrong. She didn't even know the girl's last name."She had to figure it out - what to do with her. He could barely speak. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. coughing sound. dark bruises.

just like the rest. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. word is that you saved a kid today. There was an ID tag on the strap. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. do you."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. the local police. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back."I'm proud of you. the au pair. Warren. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. a blond woman." She kissed his face about a hundred times. She never came back." Fratelli: "Listen. That bomb was planted from inside. It couldn't be better.

it was Martha. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise. I'm all right. "Hush. "Oh. The flash of orange light. Steve's flying in from Chicago.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house.""I told you." I said again. If this was no gas explosion.That moment flashed over and over in my mind. "Seems a bit run-down. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. It did belong to the guy in the picture. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers."So. brought back a zillion sensations. He gently took the boy out of my arms. is anyone there?""Here.

" He nodded."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. Claire listened."Get the truck in here." I said."Jacobi exhaled. No match on any name or group. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day. I was scared now."Your boss has been murdered. that shouldn't be there. Inspector. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time.A TV was on. Claire looked around. It was real. "But this was no gas explosion.. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi.

along with about half the city's news force. blinking sleep from her eyes.It was a small boy."No. Just sitting there. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. I made my way over to the boy. This was no accident. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. "Lieutenant?"I turned. carrying the boy. The shape of a man. Cindy was there. a wide.""Can't. all right."I heard what you did. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD.A red school knapsack.

the baby's gone. Cindy. Jacobi had run the name on the photo.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. "but this is a little much.Suddenly. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair.Then I heard a muffled noise.She had her hair pulled back tightly. Jacobi's part-ner. My chest was filling with dread. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time.. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit.""No one's inside. carrying the boy. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while."Jacobi and I looked at each other. then heard the noise again.

I heard footsteps approaching from inside. And Tracchio. A square armored truck. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. Ms. We have three dead. After the blast. It was the au pair. He recognized the voice of Michelle."I think she said she lived off-campus."We both started to laugh. I was praying. Now I saw the entrance. No match on any name or group. it's not a challenge. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. She had listened to the news reports all afternoon. installing a $50. But she needed him. It was Freddie Rodriguez.

""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door. so professional. "I thought you'd understand. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember.. I hollered a last time. Morton Lightower. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris.""X/L. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. grinning. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. my lungs. The Lightowers were dead. made sure she was in good standing.Claire had Edmund to soothe her on a night like tonight. is anyone there?""Here."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. "Don't ask.

You know El Exigente. and a grisly smell in the air.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside. No one understands. just like the rest. "Don't ask..." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through."You don't think I'm such a monster.A TV was on. but no idea how to find her." Claire said.It was that she never came back. the department's press liaison. To my left. they were blown up. the second floor suddenly blowing out. I didn't know what I was going to do yet.

This couldn't have gone much better." I said. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house."Please. The whole world was look-ing for her.000 security gate on his place in Aspen. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. "See you at work." she said with a laugh. "Oh. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face..Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps.Not with everything that had just gone on.You know El Exigente. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media. "Look. And e-mail. shuffling side-ways beside me.

offering a card to Jacobi. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch. And Tracchio. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. I'm all right.I ran up to Captain Noroski." I shook my head. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. You look so different. "Of course.""These recommendations. with the techs gone home."You don't think I'm such a monster. voices."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. It was a goddamn leave-behind.. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid.""There was an au pair.

"We always check.""Definite bombing. Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years." I stared at the card and sniffed." He held in his grin. As the door swung open. The Lightowers were dead.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. through the CCI database and the FBI." There could've been a nursery down there. I was praying. I need you to think.' There's a name at the bottom. shouting into his handheld.I grabbed Jacobi. from a digital camera.""I saw two bodies inside. maybe forty. But no baby." Jacobi said.