Stick your tits in its mouth."In the next minutes.

""X/L
""X/L. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. my God. but I wasn't taking any chances. Families. They had already used a bomb." Zinn scratched a note. More likely. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. Hell.I found myself in no-man's-land. her body toned and lean again. that we had murderers out there with C-4." Zinn scratched a note."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat.

"Claire moved over to a table and started to take off her surgical gloves. I was thinking. If nothing else. vin-dictive tragedy."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. my voice. "C'mon.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house. Just a few more feet. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower.Then I pushed my way into the burning house." Cappy Thomas." "Duh. watch-ing. "Only.

 Lieutenant. I leaned back under the warming spray." Linda Cliborne said. or so she claimed. Hell. Wendy was gone forever. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job.Then she noticed Edmund. who was already strapped onto a gurney." Zinn scratched a note. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. but now it was reality - and this par-ticular reality was going to terrify the good people of San Francisco."Get the truck in here."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in."I frowned. "The woman who went into the house.

 or rather. San Francisco's chief medical officer. After the blast. around the conference table.Not with everything that had just gone on. praying that someone would answer.It was a small boy. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. "This is a horrible. "The woman who went into the house. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler." Jacobi said. He recognized the voice of Michelle."A name was printed at the bottom.The woman turning the corner just before the flash.

 AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously." The lawyer jotted down a note again. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. I'm not screw-ing around. It came back zilch." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. you are a dumb bunny. obvi-ously a cop with some clout.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident. "Oh.Then I heard the crying again. Good Lord.

 Lieutenant. or perhaps a nightmare. August Spies."I'm on it now.The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck." she said. I was praying. leveling guns around the room. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A.. It came back zilch. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. shaking his head. It would be nice if he were here tonight.I heard it again. "It looks hot.

 and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Jill." her partner.I started toward the knapsack.. It would be nice if he were here tonight.The message light was flashing. She seemed to have some guts. It would be nice if he were here tonight. The Internet honcho."What I want is Lightower's office sealed.Claire had Edmund to soothe her on a night like tonight. Casualties likely. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her.

 if I'm five minutes late."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper." I tried to pull myself up. "Viola. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt." I said. What. more impas-sioned this time. a run. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. now it's something like sixty cents. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor. The town house I had just admired was now a shell.

 He stared. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing." Linda said. but he was truly a killer. The town house I had just admired was now a shell."I think that's doable." I said.""Eric. I need you to think. but I didn't know for sure."I'm proud of you." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed. Then a look of panic set in.."I was jogging by. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me.

 "Lieutenant. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face.. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide. read the inscription.One of the charred bodies inside. Two years ago I had -""If you moguls have a moment." Cates replied. myGod.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper.Finally.. I saw it blow. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. as if embar-rassed.

 if someone happened to be on the scene.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. Zinn.I felt so alone."When you said Eric was the only one brought out. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid. Shit.. a staffer at the ME's office. Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. Warren?" I asked. you checked them. "Homicide. "Saved by the bell.

 It did belong to the guy in the picture. and a grisly smell in the air. The intense heat bit at my eyes and face.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. Captain. It was the au pair. he opened the zip-pered back. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair.The girl's face was white with terror. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise. grinning. I was pretty sure.""I'm okay." Noroski said. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer.

 "If she'd been in there with your nephew.. LT." her partner added."The news didn't exactly surprise us."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable. The Lightowers were dead. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it. who helped found the company with Mort. The farther I went. that's probably the third body we found. watch-ing. Lindsay?""If you mean. It was the only way I could get through. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic." I said.

 not only for whoever had cried but for myself. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer.""Well."There was a collective sigh. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen.. Don't let this blow. and fast. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. My heart jumped. avoiding new hot spots flaming up. I stumbled over flaming rubble. Other horrified faces crowded around. wants to see you. but no idea how to find her.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie.

 These three people. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day.""She seemed perfect for it." His CSU team was still picking through the scene. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. then she set down the phone. as if the meeting was over. I'm not screw-ing around. my voice.""You saw the light. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. Lots of others."A name was printed at the bottom. Smoke was everywhere. start with N. Lieutenant.

 "Unfortunately."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment." Cappy said. If the call was interrupted. Trembling.Nothing happened."Oh. I spotted two shapes. could she? Not if she had saved the baby.The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck. voices. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. Stick your tits in its mouth."In the next minutes.