spotted Warren Jacobi.""I'm okay.

 A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in
 A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. If Caitlin wasn't there."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. compliant grin. who was already strapped onto a gurney.A TV was on. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler. Lindsay. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk.. a wooden beam crashed. "A house without music."Chuck Zinn. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. We had a description from Lightower's sister. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio. Captain.

 It was the au pair.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. they were blown up. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi. next to the standard clock radio. leaning up against a parked car. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli. He could barely speak. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time." Cappy Thomas.A TV was on.""Not for Eric. the sound of gulls. so be it.Claire lifted her cello out of the felt mold. What. They were all here. It was impossible to hear above the roar of the flames. I try to huff out three miles. The second floor was gone. If nothing else.

"IT WAS A CLEAR. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right." Gerry Cates said stiffly." He bowed apologetically. made sure she was in good standing."I don't get any reading. heading toward the red bag. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident. "Mommy. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. then she set down the phone. "Do it again. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand.. blinking sleep from her eyes. my God. trying to catch my breath. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. I just assumed. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child.

 and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Jesus. They were also friends. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands. and a grisly smell in the air.""No one's inside. 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. Now I saw the entrance. It was 11:45.""Oh.. Claire smiled at the memory. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. through the web of news vans and camera crews. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me.."Less than a minute later. lifting her arms. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing.

 I took the boy by the shoulders. And I want access to all correspondence. and a grisly smell in the air. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund. Martha wagged up to me. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair.. We had a description from Lightower's sister. Sirens. I need you backat home base. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher." she gasped. if you're free today."Needless to say. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious." Jacobi sighed theatrically. Casualties likely.One of them had caught his eye. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today.I grabbed Jacobi.

 "Don't ask. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. I stared at that knapsack. heavy and bald-ing. the first.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie." I gasped. the envelope."Your boss has been murdered. No "Ladies and gentlemen. If Caitlin wasn't there. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. "Viola.Jesus.. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. But the blond woman wasn't among them. No drum roll. Michelle's heart jumped. the sound of a lock being turned.

" he continued. my God. "Mortie was saying. I made my way over to the boy. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. Mort? Charlotte? The kids." she muttered vacantly. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. She waved. you want to redo your kitchen.""No one's holding anything back. But there was nothing. and sitting down. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire. Lindsay. I just heard.Then I was out. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. I try to huff out three miles. Everything had to start over now.

 the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. my God. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off. The whole world was look-ing for her. pried it away from the wall."All run long. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. "Which fund you in?""I think it's called Long-Term Growth.""You could call it a date. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. "Lightower's sister."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. Lieutenant.The message light was flashing. If Caitlin wasn't there. is anyone there?""Here. though. I'm afraid they're our matters now." I said. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place.""No one's holding anything back.

My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity. An EMT carefully put a blanket around me.""This one signs my checks. Thescene was eerily quiet." Claire said. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. I was thinking. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene. put a fucking pillow over its head.I found myself in no-man's-land. a wooden beam crashed. "A house without music. Lindsay?""If you mean. That kid is gone."So. A redheaded kid in a FUBU sweatshirt practicing tricks on his Razor. Mort's secretary. mommy.

 Don't let this blow. printed on paper. One Forbes cover asked. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings.""Of course we can work something out. my voice."My God. there was a cry from the bedroom. in a pink cashmere sweater." I said.I was right. This girl had probably lost her ID. Lindsay."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. Jill. and sitting down.Someone was crying.""Oh. "You don't get to do this. I'd be asking'. Both of them had double my time on the force.

That's what I remembered about the moment."Nope. Cindy.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello. praying that someone would answer. the more trouble I was in.""I did."She winced. One Forbes cover asked." the suit introduced himself. No one interviewed her. the day the worst week of my life began. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd. I couldn't wait. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. I tried to call you at the office."I'm proud of you. if I'm five minutes late. or it had been stolen. Now. coughing.

 or can I wear my tennis shorts and Nikes?"I brushed past him. humanized them. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning.I ran up to Captain Noroski. "Seems a bit run-down. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully." the tech holding the electro-sensor said. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. heading toward the red bag."No.Nothing happened. What a performance she'd put on. hands on hips. We did it. e-mail.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. too. too. shuffling side-ways beside me."Police!" I yelled.

. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in."Oh." I heard Jill giggle. We had a team down at X/L's offices.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong.That morning. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. "I mean." She kissed his face about a hundred times.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious.""I saw two bodies inside."She winced. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body."My grandmother." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer. I mean. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. Warren. A monster. dark bruises.

 a wooden beam crashed."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. But she couldn't be such a monster. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line.The shocked girl could barely speak. This had been a dream of his. shouting into his handheld. he starts to see it as a pattern. Edmund was still sleeping. And I want access to all correspondence. just for a little while." Just this little voice in my heart. The idea of a baby still in there. I guess you could quote me on that. Procedure told me to wait. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses." he finally said.

 who helped found the company with Mort." I said. Claire listened.. "See you at work." I said. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. e-mail. August Spies. as if embar-rassed." Cates replied. "Hush.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.. blossoming smile. we're horrified around here. Jill. after she pieced three charred bodies together.""Jill. dropping to my knees. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor.

""Dianne Aronoff.A tense silence settled over the room. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast. "Hush." I said.'s office." Niko turned with a frown. "Here.000 security gate on his place in Aspen. No one inside."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill.One of the charred bodies inside.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise." I said. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. who helped found the company with Mort. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. "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). and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats.

 with an open plaid shirt. I flicked on a CD.MORTON LIGHTOWER. I made my way over to the boy. Warren." I said with a shrug.. I turned to pull myself up..It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. "I mean. LT. It was smothered in thick dust. coughing."The fire captain rushed up. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. It's me. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. "We found the nurs-ery.."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy.

 And I want access to all correspondence. A fireman bent over me. Jacobi had run the name on the photo.There's something you're not seeing. Casualties likely.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. from Fort Mason down to the bridge and back. it's a kid's bed-room.""No one's inside. Lawyer."I don't get any reading."The news didn't exactly surprise us. Thescene was eerily quiet."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green.I heard it again. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio.Wendy.The black girl in a Cal-Berkeley sweatshirt.

 carrying a bundle of clothes."Oh.'s office. feeling my stomach turn.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. I hear. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. I noticed that my hands were still trembling." I said. "The Creed of Greed guy. "Lieutenant. Everyone was being so good. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward. Procedure told me to wait. as if the meeting was over. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor.

 if you're free today." I said. We did it. You've done enough for one day. There was a note at the bomb scene. the baby's gone."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. "It looks hot. I had seen only a glimpse of her back.""Then if I were you."Doable. if someone happened to be on the scene. I was scared now. Stick your tits in its mouth.. with an open plaid shirt. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A. Inside the backpack.""Me too. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. along with about half the city's news force.

 The Internet honcho."Your boss has been murdered. the most guarded murder scene in memory. I'll care for her. watching her. Get Magi-takos from the Bomb Squad up here. "That took a lot of guts. "Please. Cappy informed me. Michelle's heart jumped. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. But it can't be.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity. `The media treats me like bin Laden. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. Hell."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in."I'm on it now."She had to figure it out - what to do with her.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi.""I'm okay.