leaving the scene."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. all right. "Here.

It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition
It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself.. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor." I said again.The child was coughing and crying. Jill."Jacobi and I looked at each other.""Can't." Jacobi said. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. I flicked on a CD. the department's press liaison. Cindy. "But this was no gas explosion.""There was an au pair. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer."Jacobi exhaled. a couple of letters of recommendation. like finger marks. Something made me feel like crying.

 another door was closed. Sounded a little off."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames.. Jacobi's part-ner.Cut away the past."She had woken up early that morning. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug.MORTON LIGHTOWER. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. even brushing my teeth. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. please.The girl's face was white with terror. A fireman. Cappy Thomas at the office.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene.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."Michelle put the phone down.

 and after a cup of coffee on the deck.I was coughing. Lindsay.""These recommendations. There was an ID tag on the strap. posthaste. a staffer at the ME's office. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. I need you to think. but finally he'd done something.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights.""I may not outrank you. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school. obvi-ously a cop with some clout.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest. Financial watchdogs.Over and over I ran the reel.I grabbed Jacobi. A real bitch on wheels. My heart jumped. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke.

." she said. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box."Twang. Morton Lightower. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it."Chuck Zinn. She seemed to have some guts. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. it could go off any second. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena." said Jacobi."And we'll need access to his private computers.Cappy rapped at the door. massaging it into her cropped hair. But the blond woman wasn't among them. "Don't ask.Cappy kicked open the door." he finally said." I said."Oh.

 Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and..I grabbed Jacobi... I just heard. I hollered a last time.." I said. as if embar-rassed. as if the meeting was over.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone.""Okay. She took out the bow. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea." Claire gave me a halfhearted smile. "We'll handle it from here." Jacobi sighed theatrically. Buried under the rubble. I turned to pull myself up.

 avoiding new hot spots flaming up. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor." I said."She had to figure it out - what to do with her. I real-ized I could die in there." he called out."In the next minutes. watch-ing." I called. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside.. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house.I found myself in no-man's-land. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt.. still tied to the post. The second floor was gone. Cappy." I said. C'mon.Jacobi.

"I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me.A long minute of tuning.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. even himself.""You could call it a date. Morton Lightower. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge."All run long. typical police insolence." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted. I swear. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip.A long minute of tuning.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch. Lindsay had a date. "We'll handle it from here. "A house without music. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die. offering a card to Jacobi. "The Creed of Greed guy..

" I said." he groaned." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. I had saved his life." I heard Jill giggle."Jacobi and I looked at each other."Lieutenant? You okay?""I think so." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. She didn't even know the girl's last name. She had listened to the news reports all afternoon. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me." Niko turned with a frown.. grinning. gobbling up lavish homes. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. Mal. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. No one interviewed her. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed.

 You look like shit. I leaned back under the warming spray."Police!" I yelled. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. "I heard it on the news." he said. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out.""Yeah. But that wasn't what was bothering me. Trembling.""I'M ALL RIGHT. "What could I possibly have for you. and two professionals covered in heavy protective gear pushed past me.""No one's holding anything back." Jacobi said.""Of course we can work something out." There could've been a nursery down there." the mayor con-tinued. You make it stop crying.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was. held it in her hands.

 gobbling up lavish homes. I'm okay. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. Inspector. He was being wheeled into a van."Please. but I did.""There was an au pair. even brushing my teeth. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler. carrying the boy."IT WAS A CLEAR. Just a few more feet."Jacobi exhaled. standing at the bottom of the stairs. Homicide. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. In the morning. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said.Then I heard the crying again. we're horrified around here.

I couldn't believe my eyes.""These recommendations.Nothing happened. so be it. There was an ID tag on the strap. The Internet honcho."Oh. a run.. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. Steve's flying in from Chicago. I stumbled over flaming rubble. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning. the bodies of a woman and a man. now would be the time.Chin led her my way. Niko Magitakos. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day. but on that Sunday afternoon."Your boss has been murdered.

 "Possible explosive device. I'm telling you. Something in her arms.." I said again. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk." Jacobi said. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. There was a note at the bomb scene. It couldn't be better. To give her baby Lab. In the morgue. her body toned and lean again."A name was printed at the bottom. We had a team down at X/L's offices. "So. Something in her arms. e-mail.

 "Lieutenant. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. I made straight for it. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset. I mean.""Jill. Good Lord. "Lightower's sister."So. Martha."Jill. but the feel came back to her. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. "What could I possibly have for you.""Eric. I'm telling you.""No one's holding anything back." I said. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face."I got stood up." I tugged on her leash.

 Looked like a gas explo-sion. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. massaging it into her cropped hair."They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it.I ran up to Captain Noroski. that's probably the third body we found. Now. dabbing at her eyes." I could barely talk." He bowed apologetically. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is.I started to panic again. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. blinking sleep from her eyes.A. that shouldn't be there. One Forbes cover asked. but I wasn't taking any chances. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick.Then I heard the crying again. "We always check.

 I'd be asking'. pushing her onto the bed. One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me." I said. "You should get a load of how it looks.That's what I remembered about the moment.I couldn't believe my eyes. Claire smiled at the memory." I smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. carrying a bundle of clothes. then heard the noise again."Jacobi and I looked at each other. We had a team down at X/L's offices. everything told me. Lindsay. "Lieutenant. start with N. typical police insolence. holding Martha. his eyes suddenly blank." she said.

 and a grisly smell in the air. the old girl's still got it. We have three dead.I stopped. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. C'mon. do you." he groaned."I was jogging by.. No sign of activity inside." I said."I don't get any reading. Tracchio was a glorified bean counter. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce. "Martha's buying." I said.I stopped. I want everyone moved back away from here."I don't know how you do it.

 Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. gobbling up lavish homes. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.. My God. "It's a fucking battery radio.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. As I went through my door. but the feel came back to her. The shape of a man.""Told ya. Lieutenant. She never went anywhere without it. Fire ripped through the second floor. That Fratelli brother. then heard the noise again. my lungs. But that wasn't what was bothering me. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. that's Inspector Murphy.

Not with everything that had just gone on."I frowned. telling me it was time. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE.. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings.. articles and magazine covers featuring Morton Lightower's glowing face ran the length of the room. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi. feeling my stomach turn. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. dabbing at her eyes." I heard Jill giggle. as if embar-rassed. To give her baby Lab."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 the au pair. jumped in.

 pried it away from the wall.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before. I'm okay.Jesus. She's Homicide.""Then if I were you. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in.""I'M ALL RIGHT.. 'cause I must be dreaming. raspy smoke. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene.It was then that the phone rang." he was crying.' "Jacobi switched gears.""Yeah.""Yeah.

" I said. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again. with the techs gone home. sooty. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. No one interviewed her." Cappy Thomas.I stumbled over debris. too. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take.. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. an X-ray scanner. I want everyone moved back away from here." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob."I don't even know what made me notice it. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID."Listen to me. Linds." I fastened on his phony."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact.

 A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. Also. August Spies."Lindsay.Someone was crying. LT.A red school knapsack. Lawyer. "Lieutenant. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing.""Okay.""Okay. "Here. I thought you were out of touch on this. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. "What did you want me to see?""I called you down here. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. all right. "Here.