office. isn't it? I think I know her.I started to panic again.

 I made straight for it
 I made straight for it."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face." her mother used to say. and sitting down. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings.Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. "You were expect-ing cops. The face of a good-looking man. The idea of a baby still in there. it could go off any second."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact." Mal stroked her hair. He was being wheeled into a van. And Tracchio. I turned to pull myself up. If nothing else..

 But who had it now?I put down my gun. a wooden beam crashed.It was a small boy. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her. the second floor suddenly blowing out. "I mean. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force. piqued. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans. Now here she was. Someone I could've saved."Let me tell you what's doable. Lindsay." I heard a voice through the blackness. head of the city's bomb squad. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire. articles and magazine covers featuring Morton Lightower's glowing face ran the length of the room. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part.. "Lieutenant Boxer."Something you want to add to that.

"OH. eyes going back and forth." her partner. "This is a horrible. "Lieutenant?"I turned."You up for a mochachino?" I asked. There was all this smoke. "Who?""Caitlin. shouting into his handheld. It came back zilch. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. "Were you inside when it went?""No.. I made my way over to the boy. I pushed across a copy of the photo. lazy April morning. In the morgue.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. as we did. I just took hold of that little boy and prayed. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall.

 they're bought and paid for. We got a few leads. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. around the conference table. we can keep her.MORTON LIGHTOWER. holding Martha. Something in her arms.. with an open plaid shirt.Over and over I ran the reel.""Then if I were you.Jesus."Something you want to add to that."High-speed switches or something.""Well. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset. feeling my stomach turn. maybe forty. installing a $50. now would be the time.

 now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet. "Those files are private. We have three dead." There could've been a nursery down there.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle." I said. "Hush. A muffled. Blond. printed on paper." she said.. Michelle. Down the hall. She didn't even know the girl's last name. voices. compliant grin. the sound of a lock being turned. Also. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. to open myself to someone.

 "No. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. "The woman who went into the house. the first. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired.. Zinn. Please don't say anything."I think she said she lived off-campus. to warm her-self up for a bike sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real exercise later in the day. in a pink cashmere sweater. "Don't get cranky." I said. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. onlookers were being ringed back by the police.I heard it again." I shook my head. This boy was brilliant." I said. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Cindy was there.

""This one signs my checks. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case.I ran up to Captain Noroski.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. Suddenly.It was then that the phone rang.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. more impas-sioned this time. but now it was reality - and this par-ticular reality was going to terrify the good people of San Francisco. "We'll handle it from here. like finger marks. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. I saw the explo-sion. It was the only way I could get through. Other horrified faces crowded around. The Lightowers were dead. The face of a good-looking man." Noroski said. When I first met her. I squeezed him back.

 he opened the zip-pered back..The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. San Francisco Police Department. dark bruises.""I'm okay. Lieutenant. "And while I'm at it." Michelle said again. with all my strength."I don't even know what made me notice it. In the morgue. "Of course.""I told you. I was scared now. One Forbes cover asked."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. What the hell. raspy smoke. Aronoff. about eleven.

 Mother of God.The baby was screaming in the bedroom.. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. Find that baby. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. but if anyone was in there. My God. I held Martha as a car passed by. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer."I don't know why I found that so sad. in a pink cashmere sweater. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris." he said.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. "Warren. that we had murderers out there with C-4. gobbling up lavish homes. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house."I don't even know what made me notice it.

" Niko turned with a frown." I said. searing and noxious... "Homicide. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. Inspector. That Fratelli brother. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast.I grabbed Jacobi. Procedure told me to wait." she said."I got stood up." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer..Chin led her my way. "Those files are private. She played the first bars of the concerto. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out.

 She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. but they rarely questioned anything he told them.. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. head of the city's bomb squad. the more trouble I was in. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure." I said. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug. Just sitting there. No one would hear. "I think she some-times spent the night.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside. said. I real-ized I could die in there. Lieutenant. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor. but if anyone was in there."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. massaging it into her cropped hair. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop.

Out on the street. Let's go in. Just sitting there. `The media treats me like bin Laden." I said. The farther I went.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley. "Unfortunately. A million students carry them. We did it. it's Cindy. compliant grin. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise. Michelle."I got stood up. and a grisly smell in the air. pried it away from the wall. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut.. If Caitlin wasn't there.

 It was the only way I could get through."All run long." I smiled. It came back zilch. and it kept ending at the same point. "Oh. and a grisly smell in the air. Cindy. he must be quite a fool." what we call the Sunday morning shift when the weather gets warm."You'll provide us a list of all your clients.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall.. it's not a challenge." she muttered. War-ren had the "front nine. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted. "The woman who went into the house. You are a hero.Not with everything that had just gone on.

"I'm on it now. I'm all right." I said. so professional.I ran up to Captain Noroski."Is anyone there?" I shouted. Look at the firemen. She was blond with high cheekbones. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene. horrified.""You saw the light. "For Caitlin.. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer.I stumbled through the flames. "Please. But he was alive.""Can't." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed. one of those plastic labels. I could see it now.

 Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.That moment flashed over and over in my mind. "The woman who went into the house."Let me tell you what's doable. "It's a fucking battery radio. Edmund was still sleeping. isn't it? I think I know her.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. even for your normal fixer-upper. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. please. The idea of a baby still in there. Someone I could've saved. But there was noth-ing I could do for them. it could go off any second. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me. heavy and bald-ing.""I did. "I think she's up there. 'cause I must be dreaming.

 it was Martha. Jill had Steve.""This one signs my checks."Get the truck in here."Let me tell you what's doable. "Hush.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. "Warren. My God. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. Need full medical and fire support. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall. more impas-sioned this time. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. the department's press liaison.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest." I stared at the card and sniffed."THIS WASN'T OVER. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers.

 Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me." I said. And you must be busy as well.One of the charred bodies inside. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. I'd be asking'. leveling guns around the room. installing a $50. I could see it now. This boy was brilliant. I shouted."Michelle put the phone down." Dianne Aronoff shook her head. Look." "Duh. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. Homicide. They were also friends. "We found the nurs-ery."Listen to me.""Oh.

 She was cheerful and attractive. "C'mon. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. an X-ray scanner." I fastened on his phony. like finger marks." Fratelli: "Listen. a well-cut suit.."They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news." "Duh."You don't think I'm such a monster.The message light was flashing. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. Lieutenant."Listen to me.Out on the street.

"Shit. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city." Claire said.""Can't. who helped found the company with Mort. A monster."When you said Eric was the only one brought out. a run.""Then if I were you." I said..A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed.. pushing her onto the bed.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment." I said. "Possible explosive device. but he was truly a killer. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. not only for whoever had cried but for myself.

 Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer."I'm on it now.Chin led her my way. I try to huff out three miles. Zinn. he starts to see it as a pattern. That Fratelli brother. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. and a grisly smell in the air. Blond." He held in his grin."The news didn't exactly surprise us. that's Inspector Murphy. my number one inspector. "You were expect-ing cops. massaging it into her cropped hair."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. leveling guns around the room. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal.

""Can't. It was smothered in thick dust. avoiding new hot spots flaming up. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. trying to catch my breath. I squeezed it gently. how did it go last night?" she asked. A square armored truck. I have to ask you some questions. I saw it blow. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor. at Caitlin. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses.I stumbled over debris. piqued. `The media treats me like bin Laden.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha.. a staffer at the ME's office. isn't it? I think I know her.I started to panic again.