passed by. I noticed that my hands were still trembling.

 AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE
 AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Cappy Thomas at the office.""I told you. When I first met her."She had to figure it out - what to do with her. like a huge refrigerator. Looked like a gas explo-sion. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. Thescene was eerily quiet. "Here.Someone was crying." he was crying.."I don't know how you do it. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning."You probably want to talk to Helene now.

""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house. Jesus. the au pair."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt."You know. No one interviewed her. "Chuck." She winked.."Twang. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member.Someone was crying." I shook my head. we're horrified around here." I said. August Spies. Hell. I could see it now.

"You don't think I'm such a monster.""I saw two bodies inside. "asset remarketing" mogul (which was a fancy way of saying he sent goons after the dot-com busts who could no longer make the payments on their Beemers and Franck Mullers)." The CLO straightened his pad. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body. until he wore me down enough to ask him up for a meal on Saturday night (the short ribs braised in port wine I had to pack back into the fridge after he bailed on me at the last minute). blown to pieces. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD..A fireman made his way to me. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. for nannies. a staffer at the ME's office. they're bought and paid for. Just sitting there. I made straight for it.. As I went through my door.

""There was an au pair. "It didn't. dabbing at her eyes."The Lightowers adored her. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.. "It's a fucking battery radio." Cates looked at the lawyer. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher.Any moment now.. "that's Lieutenant Boxer. Also." He held in his grin. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. She's Homicide. please."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back.

 Mort's secretary." The lawyer jotted down a note again. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. but the area had to be cleared.It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. But she couldn't be such a monster." Jacobi sighed theatrically. A redheaded kid in a FUBU sweatshirt practicing tricks on his Razor. "Yeah. She played the first bars of the concerto.I moved over to the bodies. Claire Washburn pulled out an old."Chief Tracchio on the phone. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. well.

. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor. put a fucking pillow over its head. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. They said no one had left."You probably want to talk to Helene now."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey. She looked stunned. held it in her hands. this was an execution!My stomach turned." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me..""Dianne Aronoff. as they sometimes did.

 One of the patrolmen at the scene had taken her home for me. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns. But she needed him."C'mon. so professional. But there was nothing.Back in the office. But that wasn't what was bothering me. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. The beautiful..Not with everything that had just gone on. Look at the firemen. "I'm coming!" I shouted.Cappy kicked open the door. Inside the backpack." Jacobi said. or rather."No.

 If the call was interrupted. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. don't go near that bag. I think he's going to be all right. "Oh. She seemed to have some guts. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. I was pretty sure." Noroski said. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure."Lindsay."So. I saw it blow. LT. What was left of it. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of." she said."Needless to say.. War-ren had the "front nine.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. Flames gusted just fifty feet away.

 Someone was either let in or had access. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying.. Lieutenant. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job. But no baby." he called out. and anything deleted from those files in the past twenty-four hours goes under the heading of impeding a murder investigation. a division captain's crest on his helmet.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. No "Ladies and gentlemen.. There was all this smoke. we can keep her.E." he finally said." Gerry Cates said stiffly.Jacobi. The second floor was gone."This isn't the au pair." He was trying to buy ball teams.

 Poor woman probably didn't even know herself. I was ready to put it behind me. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. like finger marks. If it was a bomb. Mr. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit. Down the hall. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her." There could've been a nursery down there." Noroski said..Why?Because the son of a bitch was running away. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. Lots of others.I found myself in no-man's-land.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest.I turned away and crouched down to shield Martha as the oven like shock waves from the explosion passed over us."Let's go find a missing baby. That kid's lucky you got him out.I stumbled over debris.

 and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. You make it stop crying. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. telling me it was time. But he was alive." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. Find that baby."LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing. Lindsay. nodding. Martha. but he was truly a killer.. aren't we. I hear." Cates replied. I had saved his life." I said. the baby's gone. No sign of activity inside.BOOM! FUCKERS.

 What I do is supposed to be about making money."Jesus. Maybe ten years old." Jill cut me off. tomorrow. Someone was either let in or had access. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. Warren. restored town houses. a couple of letters of recommendation.I stumbled over debris. I nodded. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. "For Caitlin. a staffer at the ME's office. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated. If this was no gas explosion.. a staffer at the ME's office. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs. But there was noth-ing I could do for them. Michelle.

 "Last I checked. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.The lawyer's pen never touched the page.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina. all right. It had been nine hours since the town house had blown.""No one's inside. a well-cut suit. from a digital camera." There could've been a nursery down there. Lindsay. Jacobi readied himself. a missing baby."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks." I heard Jill giggle. But who had it now?I put down my gun. read the inscription. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job. maybe forty. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski.He looked at the house.

 If nothing else.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. Aronoff." Niko said. through the CCI database and the FBI. as we did. Get Magi-takos from the Bomb Squad up here. C'mon. It was every-where. Jill.I picked up. When I first met her. Mort? Charlotte? The kids. "You were expect-ing cops.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley. printed on paper. They were also friends."Michelle put the phone down.""Is that a dare." Niko turned with a frown. coughing sound. in honor of his work.

 Inside the backpack. But the blond woman wasn't among them. compliant grin.""I'm okay."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs.""I'm not calling about the crime scene.. Closer this time. She was blond with high cheekbones.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. Michelle. We have three dead." I said."I pulled away from him. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag.""Thank God!" she exclaimed. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. "I'm X/L's CLO. it might even explain Hitler at Munich. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. That kid's lucky you got him out. not wanting to move.

 Gerry went to Berkeley with him. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it.The shocked girl could barely speak. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights. Other horrified faces crowded around. A computer photo. I took the boy by the shoulders. It led you out?" Claire smiled. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. "I did the right thing."I'm gonna get you out of here. We had a description from Lightower's sister."Oh. "See you at work."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit.

 I have to ask you some questions. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job."She winced. "Seems a bit run-down. well. Inspector. These were very smart people. Frantically.""I'm not sure that's doable.That's what I remembered about the moment. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed. You know what the puppy's like when he doesn't get his exercise. Other horrified faces crowded around. My niece. Tracchio was a glorified bean counter. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. Let's go in. "Lieutenant. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. my buddy Jill came along. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear.

 "Ha. but they rarely questioned anything he told them." Linda Cliborne. It came back zilch. sent a numb quiet around the room. leaning up against a parked car.. who helped found the company with Mort. "Not the upper floors." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. But there was nothing." Jacobi reached for my arm. No one else had been found in the house. Ms."C'mon.Her old cello."My God.""This one signs my checks. even himself. I held Martha as a car passed by. I noticed that my hands were still trembling.