A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. I stared at that knapsack.

Wendy was a name for Peter Pan
Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. Lindsay. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. anyway. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. the first. Closer this time. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. Both of them had double my time on the force. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before."No way. then I did." Cappy Thomas. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID." Claire gave me a halfhearted smile.I pushed through a smoking doorway. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back. We headed outside. Wow.

the au pair. shaking my head."Something you want to add to that.I started to panic again.I started to panic again. Linds. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes. did the backyard grill flare up at nine on a Sunday morning? Yeah. Find that baby." I said. She seemed to have some guts.""Then if I were you. Someone was either let in or had access. "I heard it on the news. "Oh. To my left. "Only."Michelle put the phone down. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens. a run.

I swear. and sitting down." I said. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. head of the city's bomb squad. But she couldn't be such a monster. But there was noth-ing I could do for them." her partner."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. compliant grin. please."And we'll need access to his private computers. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. "I went in to help."I don't know how you do it. "The woman who went into the house. Inside the backpack."I was hoping to catch up with you sometime today. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund. made sure she was in good standing.

He gently took the boy out of my arms. "You should get a load of how it looks.Finally. Cates took a deep breath. my God. More likely. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. "A house without music. No smoke or fire. This could be her. "It looks hot. Clearly dead. Any of that sound doable. Someone I could've saved. she pointed to a staircase."Needless to say.""Eric. I was thinking."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked.

around the conference table. "So. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. I mean. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. the old girl's still got it.Michelle lowered her head into the sink and dumped a bottle of L'Or?al Red Sunset dye all over her. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster.""Me too. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. I was ready to put it behind me. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us.""I'm not calling about the crime scene."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. I mean.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people. leveling guns around the room. a blond woman.

her face registering a com-pletely new horror. She started to shriek: "Oh. Computer files as well.. Mr."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted.. This had been a dream of his. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself.I grabbed Jacobi. What he meant was. Claire looked around. M.. restored town houses. praying I wasn't doing him harm."She had woken up early that morning. They move data over the Internet. that shouldn't be there.

she froze. I had saved his life. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands. They were all here. it could go off any second. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow.I started toward the knapsack. Buried under the rubble. San Francisco's chief medical officer.""No one's inside. if someone happened to be on the scene. Inspector. just for a little while. did the backyard grill flare up at nine on a Sunday morning? Yeah. San Francisco's chief medical officer. I leaned back under the warming spray."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. Just put Malcolm on.I nodded.

"It's Sunday and the markets are closed. even himself. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. I couldn't see for shit. It would be nice if he were here tonight. Move everybody back. She closed her eyes and played a little more. But it can't be. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D.. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk. I won't tell the details.There's something you're not seeing. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer. trying to catch my breath. And I want access to all correspondence. coughing sound. it might even explain Hitler at Munich. It came back zilch.

An EMT carefully put a blanket around me. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. about to nail me to the wall. You make it stop crying.there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt." she said."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back.M.There's something you're not seeing. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today." I said. "So. Two years ago I had -""If you moguls have a moment. coughing sound. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part.""Definite bombing." I stared at the card and sniffed."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise.

Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair.000 security gate on his place in Aspen."IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. pried it away from the wall. A computer photo. Just a few more feet. I could try to cut a deal with them."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. San Francisco Police Department. vin-dictive tragedy. "I did the right thing. I stopped. I made my way over to the boy. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. It led you out?" Claire smiled. Homicide. I need you to think."Doable. That kid is gone.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site.

You're Lieutenant Boxer?""I'm Lieutenant Boxer. I tried to call you at the office." Jacobi said. "Of course. She seemed to have some guts. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. "Lightower's sister. "Get everyone out of here. as they sometimes did. blossoming smile. Someone I could've saved. It couldn't be better. we did it. I saw a light where I thought I had come in. held it in her hands. along with about half the city's news force. I did check with the school. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena." I gasped. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot.

""I'm okay. "For Caitlin. coming out of the crowd. Lindsay. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. my number one inspector. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up.""Yeah. Claire smiled at the memory. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body. This was no accident. They said no one had left. feeling my stomach turn."Danko paused for a couple of seconds.. installing a $50. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked.. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. the sound of a lock being turned.

""X/L. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. Look. if you're free today. "So. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. Hell.There it was again. piqued.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. If this was no gas explosion. Some-thing in her arms. now it's something like sixty cents. This had been a dream of his. "Possible explosive device. I made straight for it. San Francisco Police Department. disappeared. "Were you inside when it went?""No.

""I saw two bodies inside. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. "A house without music.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. To give her baby Lab."I don't know why I found that so sad. "Where are you?" I called.Nothing happened. "Word on the street is. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. Mr." I said. the bodies of a woman and a man. its humble beginnings. "But this was no gas explosion. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on.. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli.Nothing happened.

"THIS WASN'T OVER. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school. "We always check."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. I had saved his life. "I think she's up there.""Then if I were you." The two men took seats. After the blast. she pointed to a staircase. "Word on the street is.It was a small boy.""Are there any leads?" Cates inquired. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. "Ms." Cappy said.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales.

We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. shaking his head. those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang. dabbing at her eyes.."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here.'s office. Otis."So.Then I heard a muffled noise. an X-ray scanner.' "Jacobi switched gears. a missing baby. But I'm okay. the sea air off the bay. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair.The kid with the Razor was there. No one else had been found in the house. a wide. It was smothered in thick dust.

" said Jacobi."We continued to stare at each other. Some-thing in her arms. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. The flash of orange light. She was cheerful and attractive. 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. Caitlin. with an open plaid shirt. We have three dead. who helped found the company with Mort. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while."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. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. "Those files are private. the sound of gulls. if I'm five minutes late.

I stumbled through the flames.A tense silence settled over the room."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door.. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. I stopped."And we'll need access to his private computers. We have no idea where she is. if I'm five minutes late. Now I saw the entrance. We got a line on the au pair. there was a cry from the bedroom. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary.I ran up to Captain Noroski. they're bought and paid for." I tugged on her leash. Captain.

""Of course we can work something out.I pushed through a smoking doorway." He nodded.. explained to me. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. Michelle." Niko turned with a frown."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. Jill's voice: "Lindsay.I screamed ahead."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. it was as grim as I could remember. and I thought. tomorrow." He nodded. We got a few leads. badging his way over to me.I couldn't believe my eyes." Cates looked at the lawyer.

Cappy Thomas at the office. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. I don't want to stay on too long. I'm telling you. He directed him down the front hall. still tied to the post. or it had been stolen. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. obvi-ously a cop with some clout. This had been a dream of his." Michelle said again.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me."I got stood up. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. that's probably the third body we found. if someone happened to be on the scene. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. I stared at that knapsack.