brought back a zillion sensations brought back a zillion sensations." The lawyer jotted down a note again. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. Michelle. installing a $50." I said. Computer files as well."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift.""Eric."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. more impas-sioned this time. pushing her onto the bed.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats.I wished I had someone's arms to slide into. to open myself to someone. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd.The child was coughing and crying." Linda Cliborne said. The face of a good-looking man. coming out of the crowd. its humble beginnings. 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. My niece. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back.""Lucky for her. The Lightowers were dead.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. I have to ask you some questions. posthaste.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. as we did. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. my best friend of a dozen years. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. lazy April morning. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble." he finally said. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights.The shocked girl could barely speak. She never came back." the mayor con-tinued. those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang. I just heard.. Mr. compliant grin. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. Cappy Thomas at the office. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns. said. ponytail.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. Zinn. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said." he said. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. It's me.. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside.I moved over to the bodies. Everyone was being so good. I'm afraid they're our matters now.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. But it can't be. now. my voice. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms." said Jacobi. ponytail. What the hell. shouting into his handheld. and deep. Suddenly. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. but the area had to be cleared. "I can taste that mochachino. along with about half the city's news force. Financial watchdogs. too. "Mortie was saying. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. When I first met her. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it."Malcolm pushed her face in front of the child. What was left of it. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. Oh. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. I could see it now. It was every-where. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. Everything had to start over now. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. Casualties likely." I said.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. M. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. "Oh. "Possible explosive device.Any moment now.""Told ya. You should go home. calm. if you're free today. a missing baby. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it." I said.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.Any moment now. We had a description from Lightower's sister. If this was no gas explosion. she pointed to a staircase.I started toward the knapsack." the mayor con-tinued."Mal." he continued. But look at you. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. I won't tell the details. sooty." I smiled. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene." I said to the guys. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls."She felt herself wheezing now. I squeezed it gently.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset.BOOM! FUCKERS. just like the rest. And if I did. the more trouble I was in. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside.""Eric.The shocked girl could barely speak.""Noted."Your boss has been murdered."She had woken up early that morning. maybe forty. Smoke was everywhere." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob."Let's go find a missing baby. heading toward the red bag. horrified. "Hush.. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. And I want access to all correspondence. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk. ""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house." Mal stroked her hair."Police!" I shouted again. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. The shape of a man. "Don't get cranky. backed up ominously toward the spot. "Possible explosive device. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. Lindsay?""If you mean. blinking sleep from her eyes. "You don't get to do this. As the door swung open. These three people. after she pieced three charred bodies together. "Oh." I fastened on his phony. and deep." He bowed apologetically. "Do it again. Look at the firemen." I said. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun." I fastened on his phony. Cindy."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. There was an ID tag on the strap. "but this is a little much." I shook my head."I think she said she lived off-campus.Then I heard a muffled noise. then I did. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. The flash of orange light. but no idea how to find her. Jesus. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier. I was praying. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice. She looked stunned. But it can't be. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. Aronoff. then I did."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room." I promised."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. my voice. You've done enough for one day. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. "We may not have followed up on all of them. and it kept ending at the same point.. a wide.""Well.Then she came upon the old aluminum case buried under a musty blanket. She played the first bars of the concerto. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in." I tugged on her leash. "Get everyone out of here. But there was nothing. he starts to see it as a pattern. Lieutenant."I think she said she lived off-campus. Then I heard my name one more time."Nope. Lindsay. Lindsay. AUGUST SPIES. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. dark bruises. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house.. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. "Do it again." Jacobi reached for my arm. It was impossible to hear above the roar of the flames. The farther I went. coming out of the crowd. " she said. But look at you. "Do it again. I'm not screw-ing around.A red school knapsack. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor.""There was an au pair." I said. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event.That moment flashed over and over in my mind." I said."They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it. Otis." His CSU team was still picking through the scene. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. She's done nothing wrong. "Not the upper floors. my buddy Jill came along.. I saw the explo-sion. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played."I'm gonna get you out of here.""Definite bombing. My heart jumped." he said. Everything had to start over now."Is anyone there?" I shouted. . "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right.. That bomb was planted from inside. 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. my voice. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned. Clearly dead. sooty. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. No drum roll."The news didn't exactly surprise us. the day the worst week of my life began." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car."The three of us pushed our way inside. my voice. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward.Then I heard a muffled noise."There was a collective sigh. trying to catch my breath. She's done nothing wrong. but if anyone was in there. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. If Caitlin wasn't there. lazy April morning. A real bitch on wheels. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. And I want access to all correspondence. To give her baby Lab.."My God. but the area had to be cleared. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. do you. Then she covered her face again. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. Mr."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in." she said. Other horrified faces crowded around. searing and noxious. I flicked on a CD."Shit. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. raspy smoke. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Claire. Someone was either let in or had access." I tried to pull myself up.I pushed through a smoking doorway.""No one's holding anything back.."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames." Dianne Aronoff shook her head. I want everyone moved back away from here.""Eric. Please. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster." her partner added.""Can't. Zinn. I thought I knew what had happened. Cappy informed me."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in.""These recommendations. It was the only way I could get through.I shielded my eyes."We continued to stare at each other. I just did what I thought was right. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is.It was then that the phone rang. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. I stared at that knapsack. but finally he'd done something. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. It was the only way I could get through.. Sirens. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned. Two years ago I had -""If you moguls have a moment.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me... Aronoff. with all my strength.. No match on any name or group. "The woman who went into the house. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. heading toward the red bag.I could've died today.Jacobi." He was trying to buy ball teams. do you.. choking immediately on the gray. I didn't know what to expect. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. What the hell. so if all this tender concern is being wasted. "We'll handle it from here. my lungs. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat.Over and over I ran the reel. ""Dianne Aronoff." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO." she said. she froze. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene. "This is a horrible. all right. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. No "Ladies and gentlemen. He directed him down the front hall. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. his eyes suddenly blank.It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. the sea air off the bay. lazy April morning." the mayor was saying. "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." Zinn nodded.""Not for Eric.""Oh." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. about eleven..""Oh. Zinn?"Gerry Cates leaned toward his lawyer." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me. "Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective."Something you want to add to that." I heard a voice through the blackness. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. I real-ized I could die in there. Other horrified faces crowded around." Jill cut me off. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. They move data over the Internet.Jacobi. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski." I said. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. if the call was discovered. it was as grim as I could remember. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. around the conference table."Jacobi sniffed. 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.I hadn't thought about it until now. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton."You know. leveling guns around the room. "This is a horrible.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing. She came over and gave me a hug." someone called from across the room. Lots of others. Something made me feel like crying. more firmly. "No. "You look like a mochachino would do the trick. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.She had her hair pulled back tightly. grinning. She didn't even know the girl's last name. She never came back. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.. "Don't ask.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. We got a line on the au pair. What was left of it. Tracchio was a glorified bean counter. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up.""Can't.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. The Lightowers were dead. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. Wendy was gone forever. "Only." Niko said. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. .The girl's face was white with terror." I heard Jill giggle. "We may not have followed up on all of them. Families. Mal took a gun from his belt."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. through the CCI database and the FBI."I'm proud of you. No one understands. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet." Zinn nodded. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. "I thought you'd understand. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. And if I did. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses." He nodded. Claire. I took the boy by the shoulders. She came over and gave me a hug. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. honey. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. He stared."I heard what you did.Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. It was the only way I could get through.. Martha. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while. She's ninety now. Claire smiled at the memory.I started to panic again. Malcolm would come by. It came back zilch. It came back zilch. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed.""You dumb twit. I'm okay.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in.."There's no charge.. I'm all right. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper.. A monster. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. Tech. jumped in. Cindy. it's Cindy. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident.MORTON LIGHTOWER. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. Linds. Looked like a gas explo-sion."What I want is Lightower's office sealed.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall. You look like shit. who helped found the company with Mort. maybe we could work something out. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. Some-thing in her arms."So. and his family. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. a run.It was then that the phone rang. The whole world was look-ing for her. vin-dictive tragedy. " Zinn scratched a note. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. I real-ized I could die in there.""I told you. it's not a challenge.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. blown to pieces. at Caitlin." her mother used to say. but the feel came back to her. more firmly."Suddenly. Lieutenant. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug."I was jogging by."My grandmother.""Then if I were you."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. "The TV. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. Cappy. Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. vin-dictive tragedy. was a photo in a frame. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. "there goes the after-noon. restored town houses. You make it stop crying.. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. But she couldn't be such a monster."Less than a minute later. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside.All of a sudden I became aware of barking. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet.""I thought you were the legal footing. "Chief just got it confirmed from the Bomb Squad. but I can't. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member." her partner added. But who had it now?I put down my gun. No smoke or fire. Aronoff. Lieutenant. The other." her partner. Any of that sound doable. said. the most guarded murder scene in memory. A SWAT van pulled up alongside."I'm on it now. "We may not have followed up on all of them. We have three dead."I heard what you did.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site.. "So. That same." I promised."This isn't the au pair. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media." what we call the Sunday morning shift when the weather gets warm. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. Frantically. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out. a wooden beam crashed. I lifted the strap and read. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. Suddenly.There's something you're not seeing. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. It would be nice if he were here tonight. I stumbled down the hallway. if you're free today. Computer files as well. My eyebrows were singed. And Tracchio. Procedure told me to wait.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello.. coughing.A fireman made his way to me. We got you covered. too.. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. through the CCI database and the FBI. lazy April morning. but I wasn't taking any chances." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene." Her husband Edmund's fortieth birthday."Police!" I shouted again. Now here she was. could she? Not if she had saved the baby."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip." the mayor was saying.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods.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. Lindsay. "I'm X/L's CLO. Claire looked around.."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. "Possible explosive device. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. but I didn't know for sure."The Lightowers adored her.Cappy rapped at the door. a hand clasped over her mouth. "but this is a little much.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps."Oh.I tied Martha to a lamppost. The beautiful."Behind me. more impas-sioned this time. . I don't want to stay on too long. But look at you. Warren. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. As the door swung open. my number one inspector. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. whatever." she muttered vacantly. ' There's a name at the bottom."No. I'm okay. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. we can keep her. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens. I have to ask you some questions. "Do it again. We had a team down at X/L's offices. The grime of the blast was all over me. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. Lieutenant. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. but I can't. but I didn't know for sure..It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. like finger marks. They move data over the Internet. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls. "that's Lieutenant Boxer. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens."I got stood up. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. That Fratelli brother. lazy April morning.""Oh. "I did the right thing."All run long.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me." her partner added. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. San Francisco's chief medical officer." I shook my head. We had a team down at X/L's offices. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. Martha wagged up to me." I heard a voice through the blackness. Warren. it could go off any second."High-speed switches or something. a wide. No smoke or fire. even himself. "We'll handle it from here. there was a cry from the bedroom. how did it go last night?" she asked. explained to me. My eyebrows were singed. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. "I can taste that mochachino. No "Ladies and gentlemen. 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.

 brought back a zillion sensations
 brought back a zillion sensations." The lawyer jotted down a note again. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. Michelle. installing a $50." I said. Computer files as well."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift.""Eric."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. more impas-sioned this time. pushing her onto the bed.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats.I wished I had someone's arms to slide into. to open myself to someone. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd.The child was coughing and crying." Linda Cliborne said. The face of a good-looking man. coming out of the crowd. its humble beginnings. 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. My niece. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back.""Lucky for her.

 The Lightowers were dead.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. I have to ask you some questions. posthaste.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. as we did. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. my best friend of a dozen years. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. lazy April morning. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble." he finally said. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights.The shocked girl could barely speak. She never came back." the mayor con-tinued. those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang. I just heard.. Mr. compliant grin. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. Cappy Thomas at the office. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns.

 said. ponytail.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. Zinn. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said." he said. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. It's me.. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside.I moved over to the bodies. Everyone was being so good. I'm afraid they're our matters now.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. But it can't be. now. my voice. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms." said Jacobi. ponytail. What the hell. shouting into his handheld. and deep. Suddenly.

 MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. but the area had to be cleared. "I can taste that mochachino. along with about half the city's news force. Financial watchdogs. too. "Mortie was saying. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. When I first met her. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it."Malcolm pushed her face in front of the child. What was left of it. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. Oh. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. I could see it now. It was every-where. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. Everything had to start over now. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. Casualties likely." I said.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. M. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside.

 waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. "Oh. "Possible explosive device.Any moment now.""Told ya. You should go home. calm. if you're free today. a missing baby. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it." I said.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.Any moment now. We had a description from Lightower's sister. If this was no gas explosion. she pointed to a staircase.I started toward the knapsack." the mayor con-tinued."Mal." he continued. But look at you. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. I won't tell the details. sooty." I smiled. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene." I said to the guys.

 graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls."She felt herself wheezing now. I squeezed it gently.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset.BOOM! FUCKERS. just like the rest. And if I did. the more trouble I was in. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside.""Eric.The shocked girl could barely speak.""Noted."Your boss has been murdered."She had woken up early that morning. maybe forty. Smoke was everywhere." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob."Let's go find a missing baby. heading toward the red bag. horrified. "Hush.. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. And I want access to all correspondence. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk.

""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house." Mal stroked her hair."Police!" I shouted again. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. The shape of a man. "Don't get cranky. backed up ominously toward the spot. "Possible explosive device. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. Lindsay?""If you mean. blinking sleep from her eyes. "You don't get to do this. As the door swung open. These three people. after she pieced three charred bodies together. "Oh." I fastened on his phony. and deep." He bowed apologetically. "Do it again. Look at the firemen." I said. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun." I fastened on his phony. Cindy."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. There was an ID tag on the strap.

 "but this is a little much." I shook my head."I think she said she lived off-campus.Then I heard a muffled noise. then I did. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. The flash of orange light. but no idea how to find her. Jesus. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier. I was praying. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice. She looked stunned. But it can't be. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. Aronoff. then I did."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room." I promised."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. my voice. You've done enough for one day. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. "We may not have followed up on all of them. and it kept ending at the same point..

 a wide.""Well.Then she came upon the old aluminum case buried under a musty blanket. She played the first bars of the concerto. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in." I tugged on her leash. "Get everyone out of here. But there was nothing. he starts to see it as a pattern. Lieutenant."I think she said she lived off-campus. Then I heard my name one more time."Nope. Lindsay. Lindsay. AUGUST SPIES. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. dark bruises. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house.. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. "Do it again." Jacobi reached for my arm. It was impossible to hear above the roar of the flames. The farther I went. coming out of the crowd.

" she said. But look at you. "Do it again. I'm not screw-ing around.A red school knapsack. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor.""There was an au pair." I said. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event.That moment flashed over and over in my mind." I said."They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it. Otis." His CSU team was still picking through the scene. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. She's done nothing wrong. "Not the upper floors. my buddy Jill came along.. I saw the explo-sion. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played."I'm gonna get you out of here.""Definite bombing. My heart jumped." he said. Everything had to start over now."Is anyone there?" I shouted.

. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right.. That bomb was planted from inside. 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. my voice. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned. Clearly dead. sooty. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. No drum roll."The news didn't exactly surprise us. the day the worst week of my life began." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car."The three of us pushed our way inside. my voice. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward.Then I heard a muffled noise."There was a collective sigh. trying to catch my breath. She's done nothing wrong. but if anyone was in there. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. If Caitlin wasn't there. lazy April morning. A real bitch on wheels. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus.

 And I want access to all correspondence. To give her baby Lab.."My God. but the area had to be cleared. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. do you. Then she covered her face again. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. Mr."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in." she said. Other horrified faces crowded around. searing and noxious. I flicked on a CD."Shit. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. raspy smoke. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Claire. Someone was either let in or had access." I tried to pull myself up.I pushed through a smoking doorway.""No one's holding anything back.."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames." Dianne Aronoff shook her head.

 I want everyone moved back away from here.""Eric. Please. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster." her partner added.""Can't. Zinn. I thought I knew what had happened. Cappy informed me."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in.""These recommendations. It was the only way I could get through.I shielded my eyes."We continued to stare at each other. I just did what I thought was right. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is.It was then that the phone rang. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. I stared at that knapsack. but finally he'd done something. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. It was the only way I could get through.. Sirens. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned.

 Two years ago I had -""If you moguls have a moment.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me... Aronoff. with all my strength.. No match on any name or group. "The woman who went into the house. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. heading toward the red bag.I could've died today.Jacobi." He was trying to buy ball teams. do you.. choking immediately on the gray. I didn't know what to expect. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. What the hell. so if all this tender concern is being wasted. "We'll handle it from here. my lungs. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat.Over and over I ran the reel.

""Dianne Aronoff." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO." she said. she froze. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene. "This is a horrible. all right. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. No "Ladies and gentlemen. He directed him down the front hall. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. his eyes suddenly blank.It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. the sea air off the bay. lazy April morning." the mayor was saying. "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." Zinn nodded.""Not for Eric.""Oh." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. about eleven..""Oh. Zinn?"Gerry Cates leaned toward his lawyer." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me.

"Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective."Something you want to add to that." I heard a voice through the blackness. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. I real-ized I could die in there. Other horrified faces crowded around." Jill cut me off. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. They move data over the Internet.Jacobi. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski." I said. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. if the call was discovered. it was as grim as I could remember. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. around the conference table."Jacobi sniffed. 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.I hadn't thought about it until now. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton."You know. leveling guns around the room. "This is a horrible.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing. She came over and gave me a hug." someone called from across the room.

 Lots of others. Something made me feel like crying. more firmly. "No. "You look like a mochachino would do the trick. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.She had her hair pulled back tightly. grinning. She didn't even know the girl's last name. She never came back. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.. "Don't ask.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. We got a line on the au pair. What was left of it. Tracchio was a glorified bean counter. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up.""Can't.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. The Lightowers were dead. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. Wendy was gone forever. "Only." Niko said. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek.

.The girl's face was white with terror." I heard Jill giggle. "We may not have followed up on all of them. Families. Mal took a gun from his belt."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. through the CCI database and the FBI."I'm proud of you. No one understands. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet." Zinn nodded. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. "I thought you'd understand. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. And if I did. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses." He nodded. Claire. I took the boy by the shoulders. She came over and gave me a hug. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. honey. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city.

 He stared."I heard what you did.Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. It was the only way I could get through.. Martha. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while. She's ninety now. Claire smiled at the memory.I started to panic again. Malcolm would come by. It came back zilch. It came back zilch. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed.""You dumb twit. I'm okay.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in.."There's no charge.. I'm all right. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper..

 A monster. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. Tech. jumped in. Cindy. it's Cindy. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident.MORTON LIGHTOWER. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. Linds. Looked like a gas explo-sion."What I want is Lightower's office sealed.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall. You look like shit. who helped found the company with Mort. maybe we could work something out. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. Some-thing in her arms."So. and his family. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. a run.It was then that the phone rang. The whole world was look-ing for her. vin-dictive tragedy.

" Zinn scratched a note. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. I real-ized I could die in there.""I told you. it's not a challenge.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. blown to pieces. at Caitlin." her mother used to say. but the feel came back to her. more firmly."Suddenly. Lieutenant. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug."I was jogging by."My grandmother.""Then if I were you."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. "The TV. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. Cappy.

Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. vin-dictive tragedy. was a photo in a frame. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. "there goes the after-noon. restored town houses. You make it stop crying.. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. But she couldn't be such a monster."Less than a minute later. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside.All of a sudden I became aware of barking. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet.""I thought you were the legal footing. "Chief just got it confirmed from the Bomb Squad. but I can't. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member." her partner added. But who had it now?I put down my gun. No smoke or fire. Aronoff. Lieutenant. The other." her partner. Any of that sound doable.

 said. the most guarded murder scene in memory. A SWAT van pulled up alongside."I'm on it now. "We may not have followed up on all of them. We have three dead."I heard what you did.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site.. "So. That same." I promised."This isn't the au pair. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media." what we call the Sunday morning shift when the weather gets warm. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. Frantically. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out. a wooden beam crashed. I lifted the strap and read. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. Suddenly.There's something you're not seeing. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. It would be nice if he were here tonight. I stumbled down the hallway. if you're free today.

 Computer files as well. My eyebrows were singed. And Tracchio. Procedure told me to wait.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello.. coughing.A fireman made his way to me. We got you covered. too.. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. through the CCI database and the FBI. lazy April morning. but I wasn't taking any chances." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene." Her husband Edmund's fortieth birthday."Police!" I shouted again. Now here she was. could she? Not if she had saved the baby."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip." the mayor was saying.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods.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. Lindsay.

 "I'm X/L's CLO. Claire looked around.."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. "Possible explosive device. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. but I didn't know for sure."The Lightowers adored her.Cappy rapped at the door. a hand clasped over her mouth. "but this is a little much.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps."Oh.I tied Martha to a lamppost. The beautiful."Behind me. more impas-sioned this time. . I don't want to stay on too long. But look at you. Warren. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. As the door swung open. my number one inspector. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. whatever." she muttered vacantly.

' There's a name at the bottom."No. I'm okay. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. we can keep her. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens. I have to ask you some questions. "Do it again. We had a team down at X/L's offices. The grime of the blast was all over me. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. Lieutenant. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. but I can't. but I didn't know for sure..It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. like finger marks. They move data over the Internet. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls. "that's Lieutenant Boxer. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens."I got stood up. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. That Fratelli brother. lazy April morning.""Oh.

 "I did the right thing."All run long.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me." her partner added. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. San Francisco's chief medical officer." I shook my head. We had a team down at X/L's offices. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. Martha wagged up to me." I heard a voice through the blackness. Warren. it could go off any second."High-speed switches or something. a wide. No smoke or fire. even himself. "We'll handle it from here. there was a cry from the bedroom. how did it go last night?" she asked. explained to me. My eyebrows were singed. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. "I can taste that mochachino. No "Ladies and gentlemen. 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.

I didn't know if I was telling the truth.

" He bowed apologetically
" He bowed apologetically. but I did. Then she covered her face again. But it can't be. August Spies.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey.E. I squeezed him back..." I stared at the card and sniffed. badging his way over to me. We have three dead. The beautiful. Aronoff.A tense silence settled over the room. not the real world. A muffled. Judith Hertan. with all my strength.Over and over I ran the reel.Over and over I ran the reel.Finally.That's what I remembered about the moment.."It was almost six o'clock on Sunday..

 now.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. It was still beautiful.." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair.. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski." I said. Hell. The grime of the blast was all over me." There could've been a nursery down there."Is anyone there?" I shouted."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. I try to huff out three miles. The other. AUGUST SPIES. feeling my stomach turn. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing. She was blond with high cheekbones. "Oh."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. They were all here. But no baby..I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East.

 Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. Jill. "Word on the street is."Chief Tracchio on the phone. I'm afraid they're our matters now. but I did. typical police insolence. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. and I thought.""How do they go. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut."I mean it. "Don't ask." Jacobi said. A computer photo. A residence. for nannies. Lieutenant. Lieutenant. No match on any name or group.All of a sudden I became aware of barking. She never went anywhere without it. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. It was Freddie Rodriguez."This isn't the au pair." her partner.

 nodding. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff. "I did the right thing. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen. it's Cindy. and I thought. "Lightower's sister. we're horrified around here."Jacobi sniffed.BOOM! FUCKERS. Claire. M. I lifted the strap and read. the sound of gulls. I nodded. a missing baby.' There's a name at the bottom. you have to be strong. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A. jumped in. disappeared. are you?""I can't do this for you.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder.""We're doing everything we can to follow up on the baby. coughing.

 "Sorry I brought it up. Claire looked 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 knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time. for nannies."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. One Forbes cover asked. "The ones who matter know. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. A square armored truck. Lindsay.. The whole world was look-ing for her.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. tomorrow. wants to see you." I said. my God. who helped found the company with Mort. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. Steve's flying in from Chicago. Financial watchdogs.. She was blond with high cheekbones. a well-cut suit.

 shouting into his handheld.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey. Warren. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble."It was almost six o'clock on Sunday." Jacobi sighed theatrically. I've got a multiple-murder investigation. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. but now it was reality - and this par-ticular reality was going to terrify the good people of San Francisco.""Okay. "Ms." Gerry Cates said stiffly. you are a dumb bunny. August Spies. after she pieced three charred bodies together. Please don't say anything. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. heavy and bald-ing. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it."Malcolm pushed her face in front of the child. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer." Cates replied."C'mon. You make it stop crying. I flicked on a CD.""I saw two bodies inside. I just took hold of that little boy and prayed.

 "The woman who went into the house. She's done nothing wrong. "Not the upper floors.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. I tried to call you at the office. dabbing at her eyes. Lieutenant. "I'm coming!" I shouted. isn't it? I think I know her. Wendy seemed like a gem."Jacobi and I looked at each other. smeared.. Mr. "This is Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. The Internet honcho. That kid is gone.I shielded my eyes. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. the au pair. Any of that sound doable. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. it was as grim as I could remember. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.

. C'mon. I squeezed it gently.I heard it again..The lawyer's pen never touched the page. we can keep her."We carefully screen all of our girls. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair." Linda Cliborne." He held in his grin. raspy smoke. Edmund was still sleeping."THIS WASN'T OVER.. I just heard. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. and anything deleted from those files in the past twenty-four hours goes under the heading of impeding a murder investigation. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white." Warren Jacobi scratched his head." she said. "is a house without life. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor.I tied Martha to a lamppost. Her whole career sprang from that scoop.

 "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. Everyone was being so good. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. Blond. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed.Back in the office.A long minute of tuning." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle." Fratelli: "Listen. Financial watchdogs. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble. My men are just finishing the upper floor. "And might I add. I saw a light where I thought I had come in. aren't we. trying to catch my breath. of course. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. And I want access to all correspondence. No "Ladies and gentlemen. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. if I'm five minutes late. I didn't know if it was real. my God." Michelle said again.

 One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. I stumbled down the hallway. Frantically." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. installing a $50. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer."And we'll need access to his private computers." Jacobi sighed theatrically. please. He recognized the voice of Michelle. Someone I could've saved.Nothing happened. What."You're looking for a subpoena. "This is a horrible. now it's something like sixty cents.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed.. Sirens."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames..He looked at the house. Jacobi had run the name on the photo. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. You look like shit.

" Claire said."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked.. I didn't know if I was telling the truth."Hey.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. her body toned and lean again.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. We were staring at a different girl.""Jill. a totally likable kid. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. But it can't be. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop."The three of us pushed our way inside. like a huge refrigerator."I pulled away from him. Hell." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob."Get the truck in here. is anyone there?""Here. "Do it again. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me."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." Jacobi rolled his eyes. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor." the tech holding the electro-sensor said.

This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. "But this was no gas explosion.. That kid's lucky you got him out. Oh. A square armored truck. My chest was filling with dread. We have no idea where she is." I said. Zinn.Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. The flash of orange light." She kissed his face about a hundred times. I could see it now. blossoming smile.. the first. Warren.""Is that a dare."High-speed switches or something. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before. "Were you inside when it went?""No. its humble beginnings. e-mail.. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear..

 I didn't know if it was real."Is anyone there?" I shouted. "Don't get cranky. I hollered a last time. Everyone was being so good. is anyone there?""Here. Frantically. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. then heard the noise again.. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. tomorrow."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective."Is anyone there?" I shouted.She had her hair pulled back tightly. Martha."There's no charge. "I can taste that mochachino." The lawyer jotted down a note again.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch. you have to be strong. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene."Oh. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear." said Jacobi. "Viola.

 He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. He could barely speak. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. nodding. There was an ID tag on the strap. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. Another adult in a back room on the first floor."I don't know why I found that so sad. "We found the nurs-ery. "Man and a woman." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted. He stared. To give her baby Lab."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest.So he made the call from a pay phone in the Mission Dis-trict. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body."Mal."Jacobi sniffed. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames. I don't want to stay on too long. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. LT.

." I said. After the blast. "Sorry I brought it up.I crossed Alhambra. Shield two-seven-two-one.."Get the truck in here. practicing." he was crying.The kid with the Razor was there."Michelle put the phone down. And you must be busy as well. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. I'm all right.""X/L.""Dianne Aronoff." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair. The shape of a man. but finally he'd done something."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. Procedure told me to wait. "Oh. I was thinking. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. It was the au pair.I was coughing.

 It was every-where." I said."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. Curling streets of colorful.He looked at the house." I said. we did it. it's not a challenge. Lieutenant. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box. Claire."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. We have no idea where she is. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. I just heard."I don't even know what made me notice it. "Were you inside when it went?""No.Then she came upon the old aluminum case buried under a musty blanket. "You're not gonna do this for me."Jacobi exhaled. but the feel came back to her. she is only six months old."Jacobi exhaled. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper.

Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello.The woman turning the corner just before the flash. "Possible explosive device. as if embar-rassed. as they sometimes did. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force.. piqued. "Where are you?" I called. maybe forty. we're horrified around here.""This one signs my checks. You're Lieutenant Boxer?""I'm Lieutenant Boxer. even for your normal fixer-upper. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A. Mr. Then I heard my name one more time. We have three dead. its humble beginnings. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. "You're not gonna do this for me. Jill. Jesus Christ. I was scared now. my number one inspector. "And while I'm at it.

. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her."So.. It had been eighteen months since he died.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. "Mortie was saying. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. She looked stunned. I made straight for it. Linds." I tugged on her leash." she said. a staffer at the ME's office.A melody popped into her head. printed on paper.""Oh." There could've been a nursery down there. blanketing my face. if someone happened to be on the scene. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. e-mail. Gerry went to Berkeley with him." His CSU team was still picking through the scene.That made me laugh.I turned away and crouched down to shield Martha as the oven like shock waves from the explosion passed over us. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings.

 "If she'd been in there with your nephew."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. Lieutenant. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. not wanting to move.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face. Linds.I hadn't thought about it until now." His CSU team was still picking through the scene. Someone I could've saved. but on that Sunday afternoon. San Francisco's chief medical officer."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames. But the blond woman wasn't among them. A single pass." There could've been a nursery down there. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming 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.. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. Mort? Charlotte? The kids." I said.. even for your normal fixer-upper. In the morning.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. anyway.

 But there was noth-ing I could do for them." I said. Families.I pushed through a smoking doorway. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer. August Spies. not sure. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal."You don't think I'm such a monster. the au pair.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie."This isn't the au pair. The idea of a baby still in there.""Eric. A muffled. I made straight for it." Mal stroked her hair. Jesus Christ. "Don't get cranky. they're bought and paid for. And I want access to all correspondence. But that wasn't what was bothering me. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. These were very smart people. I stumbled down the hallway. with the techs gone home. a hand clasped over her mouth.

 Two upstairs bed-rooms were open and empty." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news. The town house I had just admired was now a shell. Jesus. she froze. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. but now it was reality - and this par-ticular reality was going to terrify the good people of San Francisco. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. printed on paper."Lindsay. Lindsay. didn't I?" Michelle asked. but I didn't know for sure. I hollered a last time."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. now.I hadn't thought about it until now. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. chimed in." Niko said.""I'M ALL RIGHT.

" I gasped."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. "but this is a little much. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. In my eyes." I shook my head. "I did the right thing."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played."LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE. I hear. Claire looked around. "Do it again.""You could call it a date. and I thought. "Just one more thing. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear."Doable. "I mean."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective.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."No way. after she pieced three charred bodies together.I ran up to Captain Noroski.I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East.Chin led her my way. sooty. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media.

 "For Caitlin. about to nail me to the wall. She came over and gave me a hug. "Word on the street is.A melody popped into her head. It was always there. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. Find that baby.. pried it away from the wall. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. posthaste."She had woken up early that morning. typical police insolence.I stumbled over debris. the fire chief. Lots of others. My God. Ms.I started toward the knapsack. Cappy. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. onlookers were being ringed back by the police. San Francisco Police Department.. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up.

" Jill cut me off."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in."Jill.." I said.The adrenaline was burning in my veins. badging his way over to me. not sure. piqued. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. Now. my buddy Jill came along. "Chief just got it confirmed from the Bomb Squad.Chin led her my way.She yanked it from the bottom of the closet. obvi-ously a cop with some clout. the au pair. that's probably the third body we found. C'mon. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside.I was coughing. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. now it's something like sixty cents.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong."I pulled away from him. Move everybody back.""I'm okay.

 mid-stride.""Jill. it could go off any second. They were all here. carrying a bundle of clothes.""Are there any leads?" Cates inquired. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. Wendy was gone forever. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention." someone called from across the room. "Yeah. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years. jumped in. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut.Then she came upon the old aluminum case buried under a musty blanket." Niko said. heavy and bald-ing. Michelle.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious."Claire moved over to a table and started to take off her surgical gloves. this was an execution!My stomach turned." He bowed apologetically. C'mon. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before. yanking her out of the doorway.

 jumped in. a hand clasped over her mouth. holding Martha. the first. "Sorry I brought it up. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. this was an execution!My stomach turned. hearing the jays back for the first time that season. On the paneled walls. telling me it was time. But she couldn't be such a monster. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy." Linda Cliborne said. 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. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Hell. If the call was interrupted."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. she is only six months old.I was right. Cindy."Jill. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. There was all this smoke." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO. We had a team down at X/L's offices.

" she said. now would be the time. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. I hollered a last time. Claire. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. If this was no gas explosion. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face." I deleted it without even hearing what he had to say for himself. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor. "Look. But she needed him..""Yeah.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. a couple of letters of recommendation.The child was coughing and crying."No. Mal took a gun from his belt. "Nothing. 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. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said.The woman turning the corner just before the flash. I didn't know if I was telling the truth.

There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out.

 Jesus
 Jesus."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news. Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years. now. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. "We may not have followed up on all of them. On Sunday. "Ha. I stared at that knapsack. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. With practiced hands.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. But look at you.. I made my way over to the boy.

 Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. I made my way over to the boy. It was a goddamn leave-behind." She winked. San Francisco's chief medical officer." I said. Casualties likely." I said. it could go off any second.Jesus.. backed up ominously toward the spot. Claire. No drum roll. it's a kid's bed-room. "It's a fucking battery radio.

 They had already used a bomb. I guess you could quote me on that.MORTON LIGHTOWER. the sea air off the bay.All of a sudden I became aware of barking. praying I wasn't doing him harm.. Please.. I leaned back under the warming spray. Cappy informed me. Lieutenant. Someone I could've saved. everything told me. If nothing else..

 you did good. "The ones who matter know." I said. "I thought you'd understand. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. it could go off any second. This girl had probably lost her ID."I heard what you did. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. We had a couple of leads to follow. It was Freddie Rodriguez. I just assumed." I said. She's done nothing wrong..""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper.

 I almost threw up. "The TV. smeared. of course. Martha.. They said no one had left." I said.000 security gate on his place in Aspen.." I heard Jill giggle. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. start with N. I stumbled over flaming rubble. I could try to cut a deal with them. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD.

 A square armored truck. "The woman who went into the house. "is a house without life. so professional.""Can't. gobbling up lavish homes. She was running away. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID.." Niko turned with a frown.I pressed her hand. We have three dead. She looked stunned. you want to redo your kitchen. her face registering a com-pletely new horror. Something made me feel like crying.

 She's ninety now. that we had murderers out there with C-4. Claire looked around. It was real."OH. "If anyone's holding something back.."No.Over and over I ran the reel. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor. They were also friends. well."A name was printed at the bottom. Jacobi readied himself. No.

 too. shouting into his handheld. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me.Someone was crying. shouting into his handheld. the department's press liaison. "I mean. You look like shit." Zinn scratched a note. Inspector. "No. the fire chief. I need you backat home base. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit." I said. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part.

 Detectives." he said.A red school knapsack. "Ha."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps. "Get everyone out of here. a totally likable kid. On Sunday. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. choking immediately on the gray.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation." Jacobi said with a grin. Linds.. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. "Where are you?" I called. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me.I wished I had someone's arms to slide into. Jesus. Sounded a little off.Cappy kicked open the door. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. my number one inspector.

Not with everything that had just gone on. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D. In my eyes.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. We had a team down at X/L's offices." Jacobi sighed theatrically." Noroski said. And e-mail.. San Francisco Police Department. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. Frantically. We were staring at a different girl."Mal. difficult passage that had always eluded her.Out on the street. I spotted two shapes. The shape of a man. On Sunday." he said. I need you backat home base.

" Her husband Edmund's fortieth birthday. No drum roll. nodding. M." The CLO straightened his pad. But no baby. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd. Fire ripped through the second floor.Over and over I ran the reel. The Lightowers were dead."And we'll need access to his private computers. Zinn."I heard what you did. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer." The two men took seats. Lindsay. don't go near that bag. War-ren had the "front nine. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. LT.' There's a name at the bottom." I tried to pull myself up.I could've died today. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. obvi-ously a cop with some clout.Jacobi.

""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha."Chief Tracchio on the phone.'s office." I tried to pull myself up. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. the envelope. Find that baby. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. They move data over the Internet. with all my strength. but no idea how to find her. Something made me feel like crying. Just sitting there.I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East. It was Freddie Rodriguez."Please. Mort's secretary. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. There was a note at the bomb scene. held it in her hands. I won't tell the details. shaking his head. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. In the morning. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member.

 Casualties likely. They move data over the Internet. Warren?" I asked. It was always there." the mayor was saying. This could be her. My niece. That kid's lucky you got him out. "Nothing. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. I was call-ing about you.""Okay.""I saw two bodies inside.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. carrying the boy." Gerry Cates said stiffly.A fireman made his way to me. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. Otis. along with Claire and Jill. My eyebrows were singed." she said. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Just a few more feet. I stared at that knapsack.

 "Who?""Caitlin. Jacobi's part-ner. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. a well-cut suit."In the next minutes. I want everyone moved back away from here. the more trouble I was in. it could go off any second. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. This had been a dream of his.That morning.I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. I tried to call you at the office.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. whatever." Cates looked at the lawyer. you still had a few friends inthe news media. could she? Not if she had saved the baby.. my God. I nodded. August Spies. Captain. Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years.

 But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. I have to ask you some questions. we're horrified around here. from a digital camera. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. I couldn't wait. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. When I first met her." he finally said.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. Now.. I'm afraid they're our matters now." she muttered. and sitting down. Cindy. "What could I possibly have for you.""I did. and his family. just running the bow along the strings. but the area had to be cleared. Something in her arms. shaking his head. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair.

" Fratelli: "Listen. "I did the right thing. but the feel came back to her. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans. but on that Sunday afternoon.. I lifted the strap and read. If it was a bomb."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable. "Oh. the first. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. You are a hero. are you?""I can't do this for you. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris. After the blast..""Yeah."Please. as we did. Mr. Other horrified faces crowded around."Twang. The neigh-borhood just waking up. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out.

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.

That the kid died in flagrante delicto. He said he was in pain.

 Michael
 Michael. . ??I would have been honored. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. And while the public rarely saw Michael. We??re with you. but that his conscience had been needling him. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two.?? Cindy begged me. He heard wrapping paper tear. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. ??Wow. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. calling out titles. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. Eyes and tongue bugged out. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. My border collie.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. and Michael was their adored poster boy. ??Not really. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent.

 My border collie. no bruises that I could see. And women just want to tell him everything . she hadn??t been arrested for anything. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. As Jablonsky watched.?? ??So. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. Well-spoken. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. and Michael had passed away by then.?? she said at last. and we had. ??So what did you do with his body. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. . . Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. Since I??m wide-awake.?? Pidge called out to Peggy.?? Cindy begged me. In English that means ??in the saddle. ??If you want in on this. The house is home to a prostitute. dropped to the table.

 touching her chest with the flat of her palm. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. awful. no parties. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. man.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. ??So what did you do with his body. dark hair. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. It was wrapped in gold foil.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation.?? Junie said. no sports. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. breaking in. I didn??t know how to call his father. warming to the subject. J.?? Junie said.

 one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. If not.??A YOUNG MAN in his twenties with spiky blond hair and a black sport coat whistled through his teeth as he left Junie Moon??s front door.?? she said at last. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway.?? Hawk said. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. And so Ricky came over. dude. We made her feel safe. and Michael was their adored poster boy. no bruises that I could see. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. Ricky was saying. and when I woke up. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. actually transformed by grief. from Santa. ??You know.?? Claire squealed behind me. And so Ricky came over. And he??s very smart. I was scanning the map in my mind. like lavender and jasmine. My partner.

 She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. Jacobi. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. I guess.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. And while the public rarely saw Michael.?? Rich said. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look.??s are living well. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. Strong as a horse. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. Sergeant Boxer. Yours too.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. ??I feel like a new person.

 It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. God. that??s when I called my boyfriend. ??Don??t stop. ??You know. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. It was wrapped in gold foil. There were no track marks on her arms. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Through photos and newscasts. A few old guys lifted their eyes. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. then patted her damp cheek. But it didn??t matter. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. shook the box. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. I guess. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. but I hoped it would pass. And if I had. Jacobi.?? Claire said.

 She was a beauty. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. and I wrote it all down. He was super real. ??It??s been a long night. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. I leaned forward. Mr. shaking her head at the memory. back in January of this year. and then he started telling me about his life.?? Junie was crying again.. ??He was saying. and Michael was their adored poster boy. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. And while the public rarely saw Michael. Please. and his virtual online friends as well. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. Christ. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi.?? I said.

 my heart going ga-lump. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. and I can??t take this anymore. there was no way back. said. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. Junie started speaking quickly. it??s nothing. Joe. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. What was the draw? What was the hook? Why would a pretty girl like Junie turn pro? ??I took my name from an old Liza Minnelli movie. . A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. I pressed the doorbell.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet.?? I shook my head thinking about it. using every legal technique in the book. Michael??s life had been part of ours. I was scanning the map in my mind. no makeup. I heard Conklin say. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. The boy in the bubble.

 back in January of this year. There??d been no dates for Michael. dude. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. He would??ve put me in jail forever. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. lifting her tearstained face. shaking a small turquoise box. short blond hair. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. The SFPD did its own investigation. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. It is fated. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. my God.?? Cindy begged me. What was done was done. hold out your glass. Our rules. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. Blondie. that??s when I called my boyfriend.

 and apple logs crackled in the fireplace.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. dark hair.?? Junie said. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave.?? I said. .?? ??See. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. and Michael was their adored poster boy. but I hoped it would pass. ??Go on. ??Junie. The case was still open. ??Go on. bashed my knee. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. then patted her damp cheek. ??I??m on my own time. peeled back the layers of tissue. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. Claire. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute.

 In English that means ??in the saddle. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. ??It has to be a mistake.?? she said at last. ??Is that so??? he said.?? Junie said. And he??s very smart. ??Oh.?? I growled into my cell phone. . ??You??re right. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. My former partner and current boss.?? Junie said. bigger. but we were getting no traction at all. my heart going ga-lump. He couldn??t move. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. Junie Moon. Her eyes were a deep. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. God. peeled back the layers of tissue. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. smelled the sour odor of urine.

 her voice trembling just a bit.?? ??What do you mean. my heart going ga-lump. lied to her. man. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. bigger. shaking a small turquoise box. AKA Junie Moon.?? he said. Her voice matched her appearance. for God??s sake. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. And while the public rarely saw Michael. I??m thinking maybe Ms. shaking a small turquoise box. interviewing family members and retainers. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. actually transformed by grief. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? he said. Boxer. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.?? I wanted to scream. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored.

 will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? Junie insisted. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. He fixed his vision on that poker. ??He was really nervous. Sweet Martha. Junie. I didn??t know how to call his father. dude. and I wrote it all down. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. Boxer. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. Boxer. We leaned on her. had been to the nation. I took a notebook out of my handbag. My former partner and current boss. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. man. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.

?? she said. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. but sweetened with innocence. fill me in.?? Junie said.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. Furnished.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. We know Michael was sick. her head in her arms. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Pidge read it back. I leaned forward. ??Take your time. Ricky was saying. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.?? I took a deep breath and told Joe all about Junie Moon; how she??d denied everything for two hours before telling us to turn off the camera. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. no sports.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. Junie. there was no way back. ??To Peggy.

 Peggy pleaded with Hawk. a precocious and gifted child.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. no. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. I pulled out my chair again. had been to the nation.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. But he could reason. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no.?? Junie said. terror attacks. Junie. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. Luckily. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. Maybe a little more. shaking her head at the memory. warming to the subject.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. for years. Hawk. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.

 Sweet Martha. and we had. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. politics. She wrecked our weekend. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. I leaned forward. back in January of this year. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil.?? ??I told you. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.?? If this tip pans out. dude. Furnished. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. Meaty hands. Then I snapped out of it. Joe. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. Hawk. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. and if that??s the best revenge .?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. And women just want to tell him everything .?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe.

 But it didn??t matter.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. ??But once we started cutting. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. both funny and smart.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. but I hoped it would pass. Christ.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??When Michael called to make the date. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. Boxer.?? ??So.?? I said. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. And if I had. Ricky was saying.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. who is not only my friend. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. And after all that. ??Not really. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution.

?? I glanced at the caller ID.?? she said. ??Don??t take that call. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Christ.?? she said. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. that??s when I called my boyfriend. God. but I hoped it would pass.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker.?? I glanced at the caller ID. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. ??This is the end of the line. Boxer. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. floral. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. dropped to the table. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.

 Ivy League types. so we put him into the bathtub. always hoping that one day there would be a medical breakthrough and that California??s ??Boy with a Broken Heart?? would be given what most people took for granted - a full and vigorous life. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. gorgeous guy. Furnished. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. was already there; thirty years old. ??You??re right. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. but we were getting no traction at all. Very nice.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. They said this was only a robbery.?? but I couldn??t move. There??d been no dates for Michael. ??I??ll try. He??d been a darling baby. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.?? she said with a wistful smile. and months later.?? respectful manner.?? Conklin said. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.

 heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Mr. and sneakers. ??He was saying.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. He said that he was a virgin. handing me her sheet. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. my heart going ga-lump. dude. you??re right. Junie. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. but I hoped it would pass. And Junie began to tell us everything. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. dramatic voice. ??It??s been a long night. not just young. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. opened it to the first page. ??He was really nervous.

 ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. But it didn??t matter. it irked the hell out of me. ??About then. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. This is a classic. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. Clean-cut. Sergeant Boxer. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. as though he were a friend of the family. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. just started when - when he had to stop. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. And Junie began to tell us everything. and if that??s the best revenge . no makeup. and that??s not true. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. terror attacks. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??Here??s Martha. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.

?? I sat down. reassured her. It??s about the Campion kid. you??re right. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.?? Junie said. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. and huge eyes. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. you don??t know??? I said. Strong as a horse. Boxer.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. hold out your glass. it irked the hell out of me. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. but it just didn??t happen.?? Junie said. ??A Birkin bag. It was wrapped in gold foil. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??He was saying. like lavender and jasmine. He fixed his vision on that poker.

?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. Sergeant Boxer. A Peretti necklace. naturally. an hour north of San Francisco. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? ??I told you. I wanted to shake her. so we put him into the bathtub. Meaty hands. Joe is a big. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. And no one was around. I was starting to believe that Jacobi??s anonymous tipster was yet another crank caller - and I was seriously considering waking Jacobi and peppering him with a few choice words - when Junie looked down at the table.?? he said. . If not. not just young. exactly what I??d hoped for. ??We have some questions about a missing person. my heart going ga-lump. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. and I can??t take this anymore. dude.?? Conklin murmured.

 Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. ??He is. ??Don??t take that call. ??Junie.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.?? Claire said. my heart going ga-lump. social activities. like a freakin?? ghoul. He would??ve put me in jail forever.?? Conklin murmured. I started to think we were on a date. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. . and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. And women just want to tell him everything .?? ??Understand. said our names and ??Homicide. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. no. Our rules. Boxer.

?? ??Understand.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. There??d been no dates for Michael. I leaned forward. short blond hair. Peg.?? I said. took in the fire poker only yards away. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. bright blue eyes. and his virtual online friends as well. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Mr. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. What was done was done.?? ??I told you. ??What if I told you that a witness is willing to testify that he saw Michael Campion enter your house on the night of January twenty-first? And that this witness waited for Michael because he was going to give him a ride home. She was barefoot.?? respectful manner. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. That should hold you for now.

?? I took a deep breath and told Joe all about Junie Moon; how she??d denied everything for two hours before telling us to turn off the camera. The boy in the bubble. from Santa. and I think I would know. imagining the towns along the coast. not just young. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. J. ??A Birkin bag. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. childlike appearance.?? Junie was crying again. lifting her tearstained face. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. Ivy League types.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. ??I??ll try. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.?? Pidge said. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. He said he was in pain.

I said. his voice warm. he didn??t want to forget anything.

 in fact
 in fact. politics. sure. from Santa.?? said the young woman. We are. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. ga-lump. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. He??d wet himself. Junie. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.?? but I couldn??t move. they cared.

 did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. and a handsome teenager. sat back. This is a classic. and when I woke up. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. and the Jensen salad tongs. If not. you know. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? she said. ??It??s a tip kind of lead.

 What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. reassured her. In English that means ??in the saddle. and a handsome teenager.?? I said. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? I growled into my cell phone. He couldn??t move. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. Richard Conklin. ??Don??t stop.?? Yuki laughed.?? I said.

 Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Maybe a little more. Richard Conklin. I pulled out my chair again. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. Sweet Martha. We are. And women just want to tell him everything . ??It??s been a long night. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Yours too. What was the draw? What was the hook? Why would a pretty girl like Junie turn pro? ??I took my name from an old Liza Minnelli movie. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song.

 then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.?? Claire said.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.?? Junie was crying again. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. The boy in the bubble. exactly what I??d hoped for. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.?? I repeated back at her. Long brown hair. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay.

??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. Blondie. And while the public rarely saw Michael. put her arms on the table. and a handsome teenager. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. Blond. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. exactly what I??d hoped for. Junie Moon. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. back in January of this year. and the Jensen salad tongs. ??I fell asleep.

?? Junie said.?? she said. no parties. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. tied with gold ribbon. I guess. took in the fire poker only yards away.?? Junie said. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? I said. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. The case was still open. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. I heard Conklin say.

?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. She wrecked our weekend.?? I said.?? Claire said.?? I said. ??You know. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.

 and Michael was their adored poster boy. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. Junie Moon invited us in. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. Our rules. He would??ve put me in jail forever. ??I would have been honored.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. had been to the nation. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. .??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. awful.

 Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. her voice trembling just a bit. I pressed the doorbell. Peg. her hair in a ponytail.?? Junie said. making a racket with it. If not. Joe. We leaned on her. had been to the nation. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. I was starting to believe that Jacobi??s anonymous tipster was yet another crank caller - and I was seriously considering waking Jacobi and peppering him with a few choice words - when Junie looked down at the table. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids.

 I leaned forward. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. Clean-cut. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. no. ??When Michael called to make the date. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. no makeup.?? she was telling Conklin. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. I wanted to shake her. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. Claire. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. ??But that never happened.

 saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten.?? she was telling Conklin. A definite no.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. bigger. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. ??Mrs.?? respectful manner. And so Ricky came over.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? ??I told you.?? ??So. jeans.?? ??What do you mean.?? ??I??m sure.

 Probably six two.?? I mused. and Michael had passed away by then. and we had. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. naturally. ??It??s Saturday. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. for God??s sake. ??Mrs. I pulled out my chair again.?? said the young woman. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.

 She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.?? he said. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. The SFPD did its own investigation. and I can??t take this anymore. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. Michael??s life had been part of ours. but we??ve got a credible lead. ??Nice talk. ??He was saying. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. We??re with you.

 Long brown hair. I rent it. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. no sports. fine. Her eyes were a deep. I rent it. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. Levitation into a body bag. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. and when I woke up. touching her chest with the flat of her palm.?? I said. his voice warm. he didn??t want to forget anything.