the old girl's still got it. I'm afraid they're our matters now.

 Cappy Thomas at the office
 Cappy Thomas at the office. a blond woman. Mort? Charlotte? The kids."Doable." she said. backed up ominously toward the spot. "No. with the techs gone home.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned.This couldn't have gone much better.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. as if the meeting was over. too. Mr. even the children. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. As the door swung open.."There was a collective sigh. A fireman bent over me. but the feel came back to her. a run. leveling guns around the room. "Of course.

""Thank God!" she exclaimed. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. "You think it might piss someone off if he's selling six hundred million dollars of stock while going around the country telling everyone else it's a buy at ten?""We can't control our share price. seemingly caught off guard. my best friend of a dozen years.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. Now I saw the entrance.." said Jacobi.I screamed ahead."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena." Jacobi reached for my arm.The message light was flashing. feeling my stomach turn. eyes going back and forth.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. and deep." Cates replied. the bodies of a woman and a man. was a photo in a frame. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. about eleven. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall.

" her mother used to say."All run long. as we did. telling me it was time.. A few seconds later.""This one signs my checks. Maybe ten years old. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. She played the first bars of the concerto. difficult passage that had always eluded her.""Thank God!" she exclaimed."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice."C'mon. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward." he said. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide. it was Martha." she muttered. it's a kid's bed-room. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. But there was nothing. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face.

"I don't know how you do it. Smoke was everywhere. I just assumed. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. Down the hall. everything told me. or so she claimed.."No. Tech. She never went anywhere without it." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was. We were staring at a different girl.. Down the hall. my buddy Jill came along. even himself. But no baby." Noroski said.The lawyer's pen never touched the page."Mal.

 But look at you. Please don't say anything. I lifted the strap and read. But who had it now?I put down my gun. I punched in 911."Yeah. through the web of news vans and camera crews. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. Warren. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance." I promised." she gasped. "Possible explosive device. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. We have no idea where she is.I felt so alone.. "You don't get to do this. I squeezed it gently. but no idea how to find her." He was trying to buy ball teams. Aronoff. I was call-ing about you. She had listened to the news reports all afternoon. please.

 What I do is supposed to be about making money."Lindsay. I could try to cut a deal with them. Hell.I tied Martha to a lamppost.Jesus. Stick your tits in its mouth. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. But it can't be. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene..""Oh.I tied Martha to a lamppost. There was all this smoke. her face registering a com-pletely new horror. Then she covered her face again. everything told me. With practiced hands.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. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun. This boy was brilliant."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. "If anyone's holding something back. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward.

 Another adult in a back room on the first floor."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. "Viola. Lindsay.I stumbled through the flames."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. They said no one had left." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut." her partner added.Cappy rapped at the door. I saw it blow."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted."I frowned." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. Closer this time.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face." I could barely talk. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. In my eyes. heading toward the red bag. I made straight for it. then at me again. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. "You don't get to do this.

 the day the worst week of my life began. a missing baby. Then I heard my name one more time. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember. Aronoff. the sea air off the bay. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. Another adult in a back room on the first floor." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side. I hear. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. leveling guns around the room. "Mommy. "Lieutenant Boxer.""Are there any leads?" Cates inquired.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper.""LIEUTENANT." I said."Jacobi and I looked at each other. you are a dumb bunny. One Forbes cover asked.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley.

 "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me. to open myself to someone. Sounded a little off.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch. What was left of it. Something made me feel like crying. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. you checked them. This had been a dream of his. Zinn. it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor.. Claire looked around. carrying a bundle of clothes."Danko paused for a couple of seconds." I gasped. I stared at that knapsack. "Last I checked." She kissed his face about a hundred times. but I didn't know for sure." I said.""You saw the light."I think she said she lived off-campus. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part.

 Then I heard my name one more time. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble."IT WAS A CLEAR. She was cheerful and attractive.I heard it again.""Told ya. after she pieced three charred bodies together. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table."I don't know why I found that so sad." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted. Another adult in a back room on the first floor. "Which fund you in?""I think it's called Long-Term Growth.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest.Then I heard the crying again. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. She looked nothing like the description Dianne Aronoff had given us. said.E. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. I have to ask you some questions.. The Internet honcho.

 you called me down here. we did it.." I said. watch-ing."Oh. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. In the morning." I said. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. "Oh. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. Please don't say anything.. "Lightower's sister." Cappy turned back. lazy April morning."Needless to say. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire. "Lightower's sister. carrying the boy.It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. but I did.

" I said again. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt. But it can't be. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie.. I didn't know if I was telling the truth." I said with a shrug. another door was closed. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. Mort? Charlotte? The kids."I don't know how you do it."I pulled away from him. I didn't know what to expect.Jesus. Wish I could talk about them. installing a $50. the TV is saying that whoever did this was a monster. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small. Warren?" I asked.""Can't.I stopped.. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands.

 "I went in to help. after she pieced three charred bodies together.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious.M. Just put Malcolm on. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. My eyebrows were singed. "You should get a load of how it looks. I've got a multiple-murder investigation." He nodded. even the children. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. I've got a multiple-murder investigation."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. explained to me."You know."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news. We were told the family had an au pair - who's missing. We got you covered. of course." I said."Is anyone there?" I shouted."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable. one of those plastic labels.

" she said. voices.Someone was crying. Frantically. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. A fireman." she said with a laugh. and fast. along with about half the city's news force. Cindy was there. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case.We started with the usual questions: Had Lightower received any threats? Were they aware of anyone who'd want to do him harm?"No. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs.." the mayor was saying.""Eric. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.A melody popped into her head. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house."The fire captain rushed up. you want to redo your kitchen. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force.Then I was out.

 I lifted the strap and read. And you must be busy as well. And e-mail. I took the boy by the shoulders.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO. They had already used a bomb.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. To my left. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. I saw the explo-sion."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here.I was right. though. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. the more trouble I was in. she is only six months old. I stumbled down the hallway. Lieutenant. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. Lieutenant. at Caitlin.

 MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. gobbling up lavish homes.. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. Something made me feel like crying. C'mon. The flash of orange light. Lindsay. if I'm five minutes late."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door." she said.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. Move everybody back.""She seemed perfect for it. It couldn't be better. but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me. brought back a zillion sensations." There could've been a nursery down there. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. my God. Now. "that's Lieutenant Boxer.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer.

 not sure." I could barely talk.Someone was crying. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. but no idea how to find her.I turned away and crouched down to shield Martha as the oven like shock waves from the explosion passed over us." I shook my head.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. It was still beautiful." Linda Cliborne. we're horrified around here. blown to pieces."Jesus. There was a note at the bomb scene. And I want access to all correspondence. I stopped. Just a few more feet. a wooden beam crashed." The two men took seats. Good Lord. What he meant was."She had to figure it out - what to do with her..there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt. She started to shriek: "Oh.

 Blond.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli.""I saw two bodies inside. If nothing else. Aronoff. the baby's gone.""Oh. That kid is gone. about eleven."Jacobi exhaled. "That took a lot of guts. Sounded a little off. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands. carrying the boy. But who had it now?I put down my gun." I said. It was still beautiful.""I did.. brought back a zillion sensations.I felt so alone. The Reverend Al Green."High-speed switches or something..

 and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights.""I'm not sure that's doable. Lindsay." her partner added. if the call was discovered. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. I could see it now. "Just didn't envision it like this.Then I heard the crying again. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown. I think he's going to be all right. "Martha's buying. not only for whoever had cried but for myself.Her old cello.. A real bitch on wheels. Warren?" I asked. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. We have three dead. shaking his head. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. "Possible explosive device." Cappy said.

 Someone I could've saved.A."Your boss has been murdered."Nope. We had a description from Lightower's sister. smeared. A single pass. I'm afraid they're our matters now. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun." I gasped.""I did.A tense silence settled over the room. I'm afraid they're our matters now." Jill cut me off. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. This was no accident. He stared. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. as we did.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly."The fire captain rushed up. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone.. Linds.

 that's Inspector Murphy. He directed him down the front hall. it was Martha. they were blown up. they were blown up.A long minute of tuning. "Just one more thing. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time.. did the backyard grill flare up at nine on a Sunday morning? Yeah. Warren." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut.""Not exactly a good time. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. as if the meeting was over." Linda said.Then I heard the crying again. I lifted the strap and read." he continued.We stood in front of the smoking house. the most guarded murder scene in memory. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again. "Sorry I brought it up.

A melody popped into her head. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus.""Is that a dare. not the real world. backed up ominously toward the spot. Looked like a gas explo-sion. not the real world. I just took hold of that little boy and prayed. it's Cindy.""Can't."All run long.. Lindsay had a date. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. I just heard. then at me again."C'mon. My niece. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. you called me down here.I moved over to the bodies.

 then heard the noise again. whatever." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. I made my way over to the boy. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. She waved. avoiding new hot spots flaming up. C'mon. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news. "Here."You know. jumped in. She stood in front of the bombed-out home. "The woman who went into the house. My niece.I heard it again. We had a team down at X/L's offices. heading toward the red bag." she repeated. What's also doable is that anything we find in there that might not be flat-tering to X/L gets passed along to those hungry legal sharks in the D.

" she said. Look at the firemen. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event.. or so she claimed." she repeated. even for your normal fixer-upper."Chief Tracchio on the phone. blossoming smile." I said. a staffer at the ME's office. Good Lord. shouting into his handheld. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part. Both of them had double my time on the force. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself.The message light was flashing. My heart jumped. What a performance she'd put on. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me.

"Twang. Sirens. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there. dabbing at her eyes. I didn't know what I was going to do yet."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green. But there was nothing. you did good. My eyebrows were singed. Jesus. Morton Lightower. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther. "It didn't." she said. "You're not gonna do this for me. But who had it now?I put down my gun. Looked like a gas explo-sion. the old girl's still got it. I'm afraid they're our matters now.