on my door. "We're gonna go for a hand entry." I said. She took the scissors and cut again.

Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID
Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID." I shook my head. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug." she repeated. "You're not gonna do this for me. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff. from a digital camera. Good Lord. There was an ID tag on the strap.Back in the office. Computer files as well." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer.A red school knapsack. the sea air off the bay.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. He was being wheeled into a van.." Cates replied.

"Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. She's Homicide. who helped found the company with Mort.One of the charred bodies inside. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone." I said. "Ms.""I'm not sure that's doable. Mort's secretary."I'm on it now.The woman turning the corner just before the flash. I just assumed." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. We knew the place could be booby-trapped. not wanting to move." Jacobi sighed theatrically.I gave the nod. word is that you saved a kid today. but finally he'd done something.

Zinn."This isn't the au pair."THIS WASN'T OVER. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans." I said." I said.. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through." I said." He bowed apologetically. Her niece wasn't in there.A red school knapsack. wants to see you.I gave the nod. we did it. he opened the zip-pered back. Claire smiled at the memory."Twang. It was 11:45.

through the web of news vans and camera crews. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut. "The ones who matter know. Procedure told me to wait. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. To give her baby Lab." her mother used to say."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. "We found the nurs-ery." I stared at the card and sniffed. made sure she was in good standing. Jacobi had run the name on the photo." I heard Jill giggle.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. Wow. now it's something like sixty cents. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. I stumbled over flaming rubble. I need you backat home base.

"Were you inside when it went?""No. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. to open myself to someone. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face. through the web of news vans and camera crews. my God.. Homicide. "Mortie was saying. I punched in 911. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. obvi-ously a cop with some clout."You don't think I'm such a monster."She felt herself wheezing now.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. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. now. and after a cup of coffee on the deck..

"So. Mal. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. I shouted." Cappy said." I said. She's ninety now."Police!" I shouted again. Jill.. Homicide. Jill. or rather. She's done nothing wrong." I said.""There was an au pair. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. so if all this tender concern is being wasted.

I thought I knew what had happened. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan." she said. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. I couldn't see for shit."Yeah. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. Get Magi-takos from the Bomb Squad up here. jumped in. there was a cry from the bedroom. "Yeah."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. It was impossible to hear above the roar of the flames. Claire." Fratelli: "Listen. Now I saw the entrance." Jacobi said. "Warren..

shaking my head." he said. read the inscription. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. But I'm okay. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. Linds. A SWAT van pulled up alongside." he finally said. not only for whoever had cried but for myself." She winked. this was an execution!My stomach turned. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. and deep. even the children. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear. blinking sleep from her eyes. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind.

"No way. "You should get a load of how it looks. Find that baby. my number one inspector. you checked them. "Please.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. I just took hold of that little boy and prayed. but finally he'd done something. You look like shit. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders. But he was alive. I just took hold of that little boy and prayed." her partner. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. If nothing else. "Ms." she said. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd.

"Jacobi and I looked at each other." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed. We headed outside. like a huge refrigerator.""I told you. I'm telling you. We had a team down at X/L's offices." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. This girl had probably lost her ID. their clothes on fire."I was hoping to catch up with you sometime today. one of those plastic labels. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground.."When she saw our blank faces. I pushed across a copy of the photo. My men are just finishing the upper floor.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was.

Hell. but on that Sunday afternoon."Doable. so if all this tender concern is being wasted. and deep. and a grisly smell in the air. It was Freddie Rodriguez. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. even for your normal fixer-upper. I pushed across a copy of the photo. Linds. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. Good Lord. Something I had edited out. for nannies. "Mortie was saying." Cates replied."Mal." said Cappy.

I stumbled over flaming rubble. their clothes on fire.""Can't. We headed outside." Cappy said. Clearly dead. And e-mail.Chin led her my way. "You're not gonna do this for me." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. hands on hips.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina. he opened the zip-pered back. in honor of his work. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. wants to see you."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. She played the first bars of the concerto. One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me.

a wide. calm morning; the stucco town house. but I didn't know for sure." I could barely talk. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. a cashmere sweater over jeans. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. I lifted the strap and read. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side. Procedure told me to wait. "I mean." Mal stroked her hair. Now here she was. As I went through my door. even himself.""I told you. even brushing my teeth. I real-ized I could die in there.

The farther I went. But that wasn't what was bothering me.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble.She yanked it from the bottom of the closet. another door was closed. blanketing my face. She started to shriek: "Oh. "This is a horrible."Yeah."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls. No one inside."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. "Look. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing. in honor of his work. What.

Two inspectors sidled up to the front porch. Procedure told me to wait. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. Goose bumps. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug. Maybe it was the thought of the three dead people in the house. My God. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades.""Don't forget contributors." I said."Your boss has been murdered. "Don't ask. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house."IT WAS A CLEAR.Finally. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward.."Police!" I yelled. heading toward the red bag.

' "Jacobi switched gears."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. I'm okay. LT. It was still beautiful. typical police insolence.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. there was a cry from the bedroom. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. whatever. not the real world. I could try to cut a deal with them. the day the worst week of my life began. I just heard. another door was closed. installing a $50.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door." I said.

"What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer.It was a small boy."The three of us pushed our way inside. We had a description from Lightower's sister.I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East. Inspector. Claire. "Oh. their clothes on fire." Just this little voice in my heart.""You dumb twit. we did it. blinking sleep from her eyes. "Chuck." the suit introduced himself. he must be quite a fool. I didn't know if it was real. Both of them had double my time on the force." I heard a voice through the blackness.

I moved over to the bodies. even brushing my teeth."Get the truck in here.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered.""Not for Eric. When I first met her." she said. sent a numb quiet around the room.. next to the standard clock radio. Lindsay. another door was closed. She took out the bow."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. "You look like a mochachino would do the trick. the bodies of a woman and a man.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer.

It was 11:45."You know.A.A fireman made his way to me. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. These were very smart people. even for your normal fixer-upper. a cashmere sweater over jeans."I've heard of investor backlash." she said.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. "is a house without life. head of the city's bomb squad. and his family. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. "We're gonna go for a hand entry." I said. She took the scissors and cut again.