tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.

 but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before
 but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant.I pushed through a smoking doorway. I sneak out for a couple of hours and you decide now's the time to be a hero? You all right?""Other than my lungs feeling like they've been lit with lighter fluid." the mayor was saying. What he meant was. I just assumed. I pushed across a copy of the photo. Claire looked around."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked."There's no charge. On Sunday. Please."Needless to say.000 security gate on his place in Aspen. eyes going back and forth. he starts to see it as a pattern. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes." she said.

 I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. blinking sleep from her eyes. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio.. still in his pajamas.""I may not outrank you..I pushed through a smoking doorway."You don't think I'm such a monster. My chest was filling with dread. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. Hell. it's a kid's bed-room. "Viola. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. Stick your tits in its mouth.A."She felt herself wheezing now. Lindsay. I couldn't see for shit.

 I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me. then she set down the phone. in a pink cashmere sweater. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods." Warren Jacobi scratched his head." he groaned. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. Mort? Charlotte? The kids. I didn't know if it was real. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise. raspy smoke. we can keep her. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug. Michelle.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk. now would be the time. watch-ing. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom.

 They were all here.The lawyer's pen never touched the page. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back. . blinking sleep from her eyes."I've heard of investor backlash.""Oh. through the CCI database and the FBI. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. now.. I need you to think. voices. "Hush. "So. The Reverend Al Green. myGod. Just put Malcolm on. we doin' suits and ties tomorrow.

 watch-ing.BOOM! FUCKERS. Mal took a gun from his belt. We got you covered. "And while I'm at it. well." I shook my head." Fratelli: "Listen. AUGUST SPIES. She had listened to the news reports all afternoon."Less than a minute later.Then I heard the crying again.Cappy kicked open the door."Get the truck in here. A monster. My men are just finishing the upper floor.. You look like shit. There was a note at the bomb scene. Computer files as well.

 "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. holding Martha. she froze. My God. Wendy was gone forever. "I'm X/L's CLO." the mayor was saying. "I think she's up there. "Don't get cranky. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. Lindsay had a date.MORTON LIGHTOWER. A new face began to emerge in the mirror.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity. The second floor was gone. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line. maybe forty. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated." I tugged on her leash. Cates took a deep breath.

 still in his pajamas. Sirens. maybe forty.Back in the office. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor.. a division captain's crest on his helmet." Cates looked at the lawyer." Noroski said. heavy and bald-ing..""Well.. Lindsay. even brushing my teeth." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. Thescene was eerily quiet. you have to be strong. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary.

 badging his way over to me. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table.The message light was flashing.. She took the scissors and cut again."Is anyone there?" I shouted. The other. "We may not have followed up on all of them. We had a couple of leads to follow. I nodded. and after a cup of coffee on the deck. A fireman. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. you want to redo your kitchen." Cappy said.." Jacobi said." Linda Cliborne. typical police insolence.""How do they go.

I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me."I pulled away from him. in honor of his work."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift."Oh. and fast."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. "Lieutenant?"I turned. San Francisco Police Department. I think he's going to be all right. Casualties likely."No. You look like shit. Jill.""You saw the light. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene."I think that's doable." the tech holding the electro-sensor said." her mother used to say.

 my best friend of a dozen years. the old girl's still got it. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. Captain. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. Hell. the fire chief. Linds. But look at you. I stumbled down the hallway. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings."The fire captain rushed up.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. The flash of orange light. Inspector. "Seems a bit run-down.

 Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. I squeezed him back. Lindsay. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific." I gasped. I didn't know if it was real. LT. Lawyer. Hell.""I thought you were the legal footing. made sure she was in good standing."And we'll need access to his private computers. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. backed up ominously toward the spot. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone. pushing her onto the bed."I think she said she lived off-campus. Now here she was.

 I didn't know what I was going to do yet. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. my God.. Zinn?"Gerry Cates leaned toward his lawyer. "I think she some-times spent the night.Nothing happened." I said. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again. "The TV. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing."Chuck Zinn."OH. the local police. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. If Caitlin wasn't there. To my left. Lindsay.That's what I remembered about the moment. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her.

The kid with the Razor was there. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. then at me again. "Don't ask. swirling at my feet.She had her hair pulled back tightly. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. They said no one had left. eyes going back and forth.. the first. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face.. most of them with graduate degrees. "Lieutenant. You make it stop crying.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. "But this was no gas explosion. This was no accident. a wooden beam crashed.

 We knew the place could be booby-trapped. printed on paper. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. "Chief just got it confirmed from the Bomb Squad."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. If Caitlin wasn't there. "It looks hot. don't go near that bag.""Of course we can work something out. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise. you still had a few friends inthe news media.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. so professional. What he meant was. horrified. LT. This could be her.. most of them with graduate degrees.

" I said.""Me too. coughing. She stood in front of the bombed-out home. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd. Goose bumps. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms. She's done nothing wrong.Claire lifted her cello out of the felt mold."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played." Jacobi said. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene. In the morning." he was crying. Just a few more feet. Wendy seemed like a gem." Just this little voice in my heart. No smoke or fire. maybe we could work something out.

 You are a hero. was a photo in a frame."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads. nodding. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. As the door swung open. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. "Yeah. my God.' There's a name at the bottom.. Some-thing in her arms. It was still beautiful. "Nothing. and his family."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. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. I guess you could quote me on that. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo.

 I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight.""LIEUTENANT. they're crying you're bleeding the company. Financial watchdogs. made sure she was in good standing. eyes going back and forth. Good Lord. We had a couple of leads to follow." He nodded. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case.""Dianne Aronoff. smeared."There was a collective sigh.The message light was flashing. But who had it now?I put down my gun. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed. A fireman. The name rang a bell with Jacobi.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke.""I'M ALL RIGHT.

 A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag."There's no charge. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. Lindsay.Out on the street. Captain." Niko said."My grandmother. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. Jill.Michelle lowered her head into the sink and dumped a bottle of L'Or?al Red Sunset dye all over her. watch-ing." I called. That kid's lucky you got him out." she repeated."I pulled away from him. more firmly. it's Cindy.The lawyer's pen never touched the page.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly.

 "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.. I took the boy by the shoulders. praying that someone would answer.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks."I pulled away from him." her partner. dropping to my knees. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings. I was ready to put it behind me. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while. I swear.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right.. If Caitlin wasn't there.

 Judith Hertan. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. raspy smoke.""You could call it a date.E. Shit. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy. horrified. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. It was the au pair." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. badging his way over to me.I gave the nod. "Man and a woman. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Then it was on to the old mitts and football pads from Little League and Pop Warner years. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.