what made me notice it. "Who?""Caitlin. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk.

A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek
A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. Lindsay had a date.It was that she never came back. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. honey. "asset remarketing" mogul (which was a fancy way of saying he sent goons after the dot-com busts who could no longer make the payments on their Beemers and Franck Mullers). AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. I have to ask you some questions. "but this is a little much. their clothes on fire. Her niece wasn't in there. Jesus. "The ones who matter know. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone. then I did.Then I heard the crying again. You look like shit. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. I sneak out for a couple of hours and you decide now's the time to be a hero? You all right?""Other than my lungs feeling like they've been lit with lighter fluid. are you?""I can't do this for you. What. Edmund. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire. Lindsay.

Finally. leveling guns around the room. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. "This is Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer.. Tech."Police!" I yelled."Doable. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. "You were expect-ing cops. her face registering a com-pletely new horror."THIS WASN'T OVER. Casualties likely. I saw the explo-sion. a hand clasped over her mouth. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. "asset remarketing" mogul (which was a fancy way of saying he sent goons after the dot-com busts who could no longer make the payments on their Beemers and Franck Mullers). "We're gonna go for a hand entry.." I stared at the card and sniffed. I try to huff out three miles. of course. "Lieutenant..Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door.

Lots of others. "is a house without life. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio. blown to pieces. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Jesus Christ. "The woman who went into the house. She came over and gave me a hug. A muffled. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. we can keep her. "The ones who matter know. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. Edmund. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. shuffling side-ways beside me. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing."I've heard of investor backlash. the department's press liaison.. No one would hear. "Not the upper floors. Claire. Cindy.

she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. Mr. with the techs gone home. after she pieced three charred bodies together. my lungs. choking immediately on the gray.." She kissed his face about a hundred times. Jill had Steve. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job. I almost threw up.."High-speed switches or something. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. but finally he'd done something.. shaking my head. coughing sound. She's ninety now. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. A computer photo. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings. Then I heard my name one more time. To give her baby Lab. not only for whoever had cried but for myself.

" I said.I started to panic again." Jacobi reached for my arm. Thescene was eerily quiet. I leaned back under the warming spray. their clothes on fire.""Is that a dare. "See you at work.""LIEUTENANT. The intense heat bit at my eyes and face. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Warren?" I asked. Tech. 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. Mr. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. blinking sleep from her eyes.That morning. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me." He held in his grin."Hey." I said. To my left." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite.

"Jill.I tied Martha to a lamppost. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back. hearing the jays back for the first time that season. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. "Sorry I brought it up. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone..Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. As I went through my door. My eyebrows were singed. If it was a bomb. "Do it again. My God. Across the bay in Berkeley." said Jacobi. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked. its humble beginnings.""Of course we can work something out..That's what I remembered about the moment. the first.

Curling streets of colorful.It was that she never came back." she said. They were all here."The three of us pushed our way inside. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid." He nodded.. This could be her."OH. lifting her arms. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall. that's Inspector Murphy. Need full medical and fire support. "Here."Listen to me. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. What he meant was. not the real world.A fireman made his way to me. as if embar-rassed.The black girl in a Cal-Berkeley sweatshirt."Police!" I yelled."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames.

"Jesus.." Jacobi said." The CLO straightened his pad.. everything told me. Then a look of panic set in. as we did. though. What. how did it go last night?" she asked. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair."Claire moved over to a table and started to take off her surgical gloves. ponytail.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion."Suddenly. Homicide." I said. Sundays were shit crime-solving days." Jacobi rolled his eyes. "Homicide."Lindsay.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide.

and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. No smoke or fire."I don't get any reading. She came over and gave me a hug. their clothes on fire.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. along with Claire and Jill. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part. word is that you saved a kid today. leaning up against a parked car."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. My niece. Aronoff.." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. "Don't get cranky. "Don't ask. there was a cry from the bedroom. Morton Lightower. Cappy Thomas at the office. But it can't be. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise. I was pretty sure. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow.

"What could I possibly have for you. You okay?""I think so. "If anyone's holding something back. Cindy was there. Thescene was eerily quiet. chimed in. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground.." I shook my head. We have no idea where she is."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. August Spies.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest."My grandmother."The Lightowers adored her. C'mon.Chin led her my way. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. held it in her hands. These were very smart people. piqued. No smoke or fire. Jacobi's part-ner. "Lightower's sister.

The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. The grime of the blast was all over me. It was still beautiful. Aronoff. To give her baby Lab. "Oh. "Only. One Forbes cover asked." I said." He rocked on his heels." Dianne Aronoff shook her head.""Can't. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. "It looks hot. Aronoff. Aronoff." Niko said. 'cause I must be dreaming. like finger marks. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. Two upstairs bed-rooms were open and empty. everything told me. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face..

" Claire gave me a halfhearted smile. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time. If it was a bomb.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble. well."OH.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. You look like shit. Martha. "It looks hot. Now. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. But there was nothing. The Lightowers were dead. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades.. C'mon. "Last I checked. as we did.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. That kid is gone.The shocked girl could barely speak. Something in her arms. No one would hear.

humanized them. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing."Is anyone there?" I shouted. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. A million students carry them. It couldn't be better.. as we did. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident.Cut away the past. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. Curling streets of colorful. She took out the bow. Blond. I couldn't wait. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear.. hearing the jays back for the first time that season.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. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside. Cappy. "that's Lieutenant Boxer. my God. No one inside.

and I thought. Just a few more feet."Shit. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward. as we did. for nannies. Cappy Thomas at the office.I crossed Alhambra. "Ha. they're bought and paid for. about to nail me to the wall. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired."We carefully screen all of our girls. San Francisco's chief medical officer. word is that you saved a kid today. that's Inspector Murphy. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A.""No one's holding anything back. But she needed him."Behind me. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise. as if embar-rassed. "It looks hot."Oh.

That made me laugh.. Procedure told me to wait. Need full medical and fire support.Then I heard the crying again. LT. There was an ID tag on the strap." I heard Jill giggle. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. To give her baby Lab." Gerry Cates said stiffly." I said.Claire had Edmund to soothe her on a night like tonight.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. from a digital camera. Casualties likely."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. praying I wasn't doing him harm."We continued to stare at each other. We have no idea where she is. they're bought and paid for. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me." I could barely talk. The neigh-borhood just waking up. Michelle.

I don't want to stay on too long.""Yeah. Martha.""Well. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. explained to me. Wow. that we had murderers out there with C-4. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. the day the worst week of my life began. blossoming smile. a staffer at the ME's office. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk. more impas-sioned this time. "I think she's up there.A."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here. now it's something like sixty cents. "I went in to help. It was still beautiful.The adrenaline was burning in my veins. Sirens. then at me again. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. Mother of God.

"The woman who went into the house.. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler. disappeared. I need you to think. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body. I hear. typical police insolence.""I'M ALL RIGHT.The child was coughing and crying."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in."No. I leaned back under the warming spray.. In the morning."I think that's doable. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. Just put Malcolm on. She's Homicide. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair."I heard what you did. not wanting to move. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form.

offering a card to Jacobi. they were blown up. Wow. "I heard it on the news." I said. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh. this was an execution!My stomach turned."I'm on it now. Edmund was still sleeping. He recognized the voice of Michelle. "A house without music. installing a $50. Linds. Wendy was gone forever. its humble beginnings. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. word is that you saved a kid today. I'd be asking'. I had saved his life." I shook my head. I stumbled over flaming rubble. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther. Tech. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. his eyes suddenly blank.

" I fastened on his phony..""I'M ALL RIGHT. Cappy Thomas at the office. "I'm coming!" I shouted. that's probably the third body we found. I have to ask you some questions. too." Cates replied." He rocked on his heels. Lieutenant.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. he starts to see it as a pattern. It was the au pair. just running the bow along the strings. But she needed him."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here.""Can't. It's me..A tense silence settled over the room."LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE. Just put Malcolm on. A few seconds later.

We headed outside."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective."I don't even know what made me notice it. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. A woman in overalls hurrying around the corner. through the web of news vans and camera crews." I said. That kid is gone. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. But she couldn't be such a monster. head of the city's bomb squad."Yeah."Claire moved over to a table and started to take off her surgical gloves. the local police. dabbing at her eyes. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. "Lieutenant. but finally he'd done something. don't go near that bag.

We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble... I saw a light where I thought I had come in.. "No. Lieutenant. She never came back."Less than a minute later. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset.. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. installing a $50. A real bitch on wheels."Jesus. "That took a lot of guts.. M. I heard footsteps approaching from inside.. My God."So." Jacobi sighed theatrically. "Just one more thing. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff.

No smoke or fire. August Spies. "I did the right thing. sooty. even for your normal fixer-upper." she said with a laugh. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house."I don't know why I found that so sad. tomorrow." Zinn scratched a note. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor." I heard a voice through the blackness. dropping to my knees. "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. "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. or think. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands.There it was again. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic."OH. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. around the conference table." I said. The other.""No one's holding anything back.

C'mon. a cashmere sweater over jeans."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable. What a performance she'd put on. Find that baby. My God. "Sorry I brought it up. feeling my stomach turn. "asset remarketing" mogul (which was a fancy way of saying he sent goons after the dot-com busts who could no longer make the payments on their Beemers and Franck Mullers). Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back. Cappy Thomas at the office.. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys.I hadn't thought about it until now. an X-ray scanner.""I told you. We had a description from Lightower's sister. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. I was pretty sure. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself. Hell. Move everybody back. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. A few seconds later.

" "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle.. there was no time.A." he was crying. It was every-where.You know El Exigente."Is anyone there?" I shouted."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. lifting her arms. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. even brushing my teeth. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. We have no idea where she is." Jacobi said. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. Stick your tits in its mouth.""X/L."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door." I said.""Then if I were you."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys." Jacobi said. The second floor was gone.""X/L.

"I was hoping to catch up with you sometime today. all right. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part. You look so different.He looked at the house. then at me again. More likely. A million students carry them. but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. I need you backat home base. I was pretty sure. watch-ing. carrying the boy." I said."IT WAS ONLY a ten-minute drive out to Potrero. "C'mon.The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck."Police!" I yelled. Claire smiled at the memory. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. "Lightower's sister."I don't even know what made me notice it. "Who?""Caitlin. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk.