partner added. Lindsay.""You could call it a date.

The girl's face was white with terror
The girl's face was white with terror."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. so if all this tender concern is being wasted. though. still tied to the post. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. I leaned back under the warming spray." He held in his grin."I think she said she lived off-campus."Jacobi exhaled. Shit. In the morning. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. Flames gusted just fifty feet away.."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously. "Look. Smoke was everywhere.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest.The kid with the Razor was there. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop.

 "You're not gonna do this for me.""I thought you were the legal footing.. "Lieutenant. I try to huff out three miles. Looked like a gas explo-sion." she said.I screamed ahead. swirling at my feet. praying I wasn't doing him harm. read the inscription. heading toward the red bag.""Lucky for her. the local police.I stumbled over debris. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. Mort? Charlotte? The kids. You okay?""I think so."Chief Tracchio on the phone. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch." I said."I heard what you did.

 but he was truly a killer. She looked stunned. it might even explain Hitler at Munich.. It came back zilch. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. Then she covered her face again. Cappy informed me."Use everything.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. We were staring at a different girl."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing.. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. Sounded a little off. "That took a lot of guts. Jill had Steve."I'm on it now. "Lightower's sister. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. the envelope.

 I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face.There it was again. sent a numb quiet around the room. the sound of a lock being turned. This could be her." I said.""I'm okay.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years."There was a collective sigh. I held Martha as a car passed by.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. A computer photo.. I couldn't see for shit. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. She's Homicide."Jesus. "Ms. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. "I thought you'd understand. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white." I said.

 raspy smoke. I try to huff out three miles. "Only.That made me laugh. Curling streets of colorful.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy."So."So." he finally said." she said. I don't want to stay on too long." Jacobi said. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. Warren.This couldn't have gone much better. No one else had been found in the house. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house.""There was an au pair. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. calm. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously. shouting into his handheld. A fireman bent over me.

" she repeated. We had a team down at X/L's offices. If the call was interrupted. Lieutenant. He recognized the voice of Michelle.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. Linds. with the techs gone home. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. seemingly caught off guard. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd." Claire gave me a halfhearted smile." said Jacobi. I held Martha as a car passed by. well understand this. He could barely speak. a blond woman. a missing baby." I said. Warren.""Don't forget contributors."You up for a mochachino?" I asked." I smiled.

 now.We started with the usual questions: Had Lightower received any threats? Were they aware of anyone who'd want to do him harm?"No. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out." Jacobi said." I smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. my God..The kid with the Razor was there. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. "You're not gonna do this for me. there was no time. I stumbled down the hallway. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders. sooty." I said. Martha. I had saved his life. or think."This isn't the au pair."Sorry. If the call was interrupted. jumped in.

 Martha. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. One Forbes cover asked." he continued."You up for a mochachino?" I asked. "Warren.I felt so alone." I fastened on his phony. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene."Danko paused for a couple of seconds. Caitlin. read the inscription.""I saw two bodies inside. "Which fund you in?""I think it's called Long-Term Growth. please. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier." her partner.Jesus. But she couldn't be such a monster. too.. "Get everyone out of here.

" The fire captain looked at the wreckage. No one understands.I picked up." she said. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes. He recognized the voice of Michelle. "but this is a little much. Lindsay?""If you mean." he continued. "I went in to help. Then a look of panic set in. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. I just took hold of that little boy and prayed. My eyebrows were singed. Claire looked around. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh." he said.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. I held Martha as a car passed by.

 I stumbled down the hallway. But I'm okay. "Two months. just for a little while."High-speed switches or something."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. "Where are you?" I called."We continued to stare at each other.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley. I could try to cut a deal with them. too. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small." I said with a shrug.Then she came upon the old aluminum case buried under a musty blanket. was a photo in a frame. Procedure told me to wait. installing a $50."THIS WASN'T OVER. "This is Gerry Cates." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car."Get the truck in here."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me.

 we did it. the more trouble I was in. I'm afraid they're our matters now.""Yeah. "Lieutenant?"I turned." I said. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said.. Trembling. onlookers were being ringed back by the police. LT. pried it away from the wall. but I did. "You don't get to do this. She was blond with high cheekbones. A fireman bent over me.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. This was no accident. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. not wanting to move. shuffling side-ways beside me. but I can't.

 I couldn't see for shit."The three of us pushed our way inside. Jesus...""Can't. as if embar-rassed.E." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. She was running away. "Yeah. now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet. But she couldn't be such a monster." I could barely talk." Cappy turned back. Jesus. "Chuck.." He held in his grin. Blond. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. hands on hips. 'cause I must be dreaming.

""You saw the light."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green. isn't it? I think I know her. "Hush.M.""There was an au pair. Lindsay. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. Please. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. "It didn't." "Duh. raspy smoke. They had already used a bomb. "Here." she said. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings. the more trouble I was in. if the call was discovered. it was as grim as I could remember. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child.

 We have no idea where she is. Jacobi readied himself. "I mean."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. at Caitlin.""I'm okay. "Two months." he was crying. "Martha's buying. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. There was a note at the bomb scene. Oh. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. it could go off any second."Oh." Zinn scratched a note. That kid's lucky you got him out. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention." I heard Jill giggle."THIS WASN'T OVER. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong.

 chimed in. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me. Mort? Charlotte? The kids." Jacobi reached for my arm. nodding. "there goes the after-noon. "Nothing. Down the hall. I'd be asking'. No. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. I'll care for her. through the CCI database and the FBI. telling me it was time. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. But who had it now?I put down my gun. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. And I want access to all correspondence. We headed outside. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city.

 posthaste."Police!" I shouted again. if the call was discovered. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. raspy smoke. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea."I frowned. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid. heavy and bald-ing. Shield two-seven-two-one. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. You are a hero. he must be quite a fool. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. Anyone up there didn't have a chance. Mal. The other.I nodded. This could be her. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls." She winked.

 the baby's gone.I crossed Alhambra."AN HOUR LATER Tracchio and I held a tense. typical police insolence."I don't get any reading.""Yeah. Move everybody back. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings.Out on the street. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag.I hadn't thought about it until now. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. LT." said Jacobi. pushing her onto the bed. Jesus Christ." I promised.""I told you. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. "I'm coming!" I shouted.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed.

 The flash of orange light. I noticed that my hands were still trembling." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case."She felt herself wheezing now. ."Jacobi and I looked at each other. Now I saw the entrance."High-speed switches or something. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag.. didn't I?" Michelle asked. Zinn. disappeared. there was no time. "there goes the after-noon. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Financial watchdogs. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. It was a goddamn leave-behind.

 It came back zilch. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box. "Ms. "Just didn't envision it like this. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before. I guess you could quote me on that..Jesus. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. my lungs.""Yeah. Warren. "Just didn't envision it like this.The adrenaline was burning in my veins. LT. he starts to see it as a pattern. Procedure told me to wait. My heart jumped. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing.. Two upstairs bed-rooms were open and empty.There it was again.

" her partner. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through." I promised. not the real world. I thought I knew what had happened. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. It was the only way I could get through. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans. with an open plaid shirt." I said.. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot." I said. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. you have to be strong. One had salt-and-pepper hair and a ruddy com-plexion.""Definite bombing." I said."When you said Eric was the only one brought out."Shit."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. it's Cindy.

 Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said..I screamed ahead. their clothes on fire. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. My heart jumped." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed.It was then that the phone rang. compliant grin.. the baby's gone."Needless to say." I smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye..Suddenly.. A single pass. through the CCI database and the FBI. but the feel came back to her."Jacobi exhaled. "We always check. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me.

 "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said.. Inspector. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear."Chief Tracchio on the phone. anyway. who helped found the company with Mort."It was almost six o'clock on Sunday. her face registering a com-pletely new horror.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door..It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. piqued. about eleven.' There's a name at the bottom. she froze." I tugged on her leash. Just sitting there. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. and sitting down. now it's something like sixty cents.

 The second floor was gone.She yanked it from the bottom of the closet. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. "Hush. like a huge refrigerator. My God. that's Inspector Murphy. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed.A melody popped into her head. You're Lieutenant Boxer?""I'm Lieutenant Boxer. We had a team down at X/L's offices. one of those plastic labels. the sound of gulls. made sure she was in good standing..A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. from a digital camera."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames. coughing." her mother used to say." her partner added. Lindsay.""You could call it a date.