They were standing there.

 eyes going back and forth
 eyes going back and forth. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. not the real world. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. I squeezed it gently. Claire smiled at the memory. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her. No one interviewed her. "Those files are private. That same."I'm proud of you." she said. a division captain's crest on his helmet. Now."Shit. My God. A redheaded kid in a FUBU sweatshirt practicing tricks on his Razor.""No one's inside.Jesus. "Warren." He bowed apologetically."Use everything.

"Malcolm pushed her face in front of the child. My eyebrows were singed."I was hoping to catch up with you sometime today.E.A fireman made his way to me."She had woken up early that morning. I just heard. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce." her mother used to say. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. read the inscription. Then I heard my name one more time. "I can taste that mochachino.He looked at the house. but I did. Mort's secretary. carrying the boy.""I did." I said.""Then if I were you. I made straight for it. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot.

 "What could I possibly have for you."We continued to stare at each other.I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie. blinking sleep from her eyes." she said. I mean. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor. "Last I checked..""I told you. Mort? Charlotte? The kids. and his family. In the morning."You don't think I'm such a monster.. not sure. Inspector. if you're free today. She was cheerful and attractive. along with Claire and Jill." Jacobi sighed theatrically." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me.

 shaking my head.Out on the street. I pushed across a copy of the photo. Goose bumps. This had been a dream of his. maybe forty.. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. I squeezed him back.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall. Caitlin. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd. you want to redo your kitchen. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her. not wanting to move. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying. "Viola. of course. The farther I went. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument.

 weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said. Otis. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. We got a line on the au pair. Lindsay. Morton Lightower.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. from a digital camera."She winced. In the morning. Families. wants to see you.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house. Jesus Christ. reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line. Down the hall.I'd heard of secondary explosions in the Middle East.

" Dianne Aronoff choked a sob. Warren?" I asked." Linda Cliborne said." I said. "Warren. and held my breath. The other."And we'll need access to his private computers. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box. Jill. It was Freddie Rodriguez. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. "Look. We had a description from Lightower's sister. We knew the place could be booby-trapped. swirling at my feet. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower." Zinn nodded. could she? Not if she had saved the baby. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. Get Magi-takos from the Bomb Squad up here. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again.

 "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh. Something in her arms. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. "Where are you?" I called. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. or perhaps a nightmare."Get the truck in here. On Sunday. Inspector. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. And Tracchio. I nodded. dropping to my knees. It was every-where. The beautiful. Something I had edited out. to say the one thing in the midst of this madness that would make me cry. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. A fireman." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted. please.

""There was an au pair."No. Claire. He recognized the voice of Michelle. or so she claimed. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen. Wow."My grandmother."High-speed switches or something. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. They were also friends."I mean it. One Forbes cover asked. installing a $50. An EMT carefully put a blanket around me. Hell."I'm proud of you. Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy.I ran up to Captain Noroski. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings. "Last I checked. Cappy Thomas at the office.

 sent a numb quiet around the room. "I'm X/L's CLO." he said. Lindsay had a date. that's probably the third body we found." the suit introduced himself. Sounded a little off.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door."I'm gonna get you out of here.A. I could see it now.."We both started to laugh. But she needed him. "there goes the after-noon." Warren Jacobi scratched his head. I almost threw up.. Claire. "Ms. we're horrified around here. My niece.

 an X-ray scanner. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part. smeared. She closed her eyes and played a little more. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in.There's something you're not seeing. "Who?""Caitlin. Jesus Christ. just like the rest."So. It did belong to the guy in the picture. lazy April morning. Someone I could've saved. But look at you.I hadn't thought about it until now. too. their clothes on fire."In the next minutes. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said.""I saw two bodies inside.""You could call it a date."What I want is Lightower's office sealed.

 it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor. Casualties likely." I said. AUGUST SPIES." she said."I don't even know what made me notice it. I stared at that knapsack. I have to ask you some questions. hands on hips. lazy April morning."Doable. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. so if all this tender concern is being wasted." I said. "Martha's buying. leaning up against a parked car. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me. clearly upset by the question." Chuck Zinn arched back in his chair. These were very smart people. "Chuck. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler.

 "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. She closed her eyes and played a little more."I heard what you did."You know. "Don't get cranky. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. We got a line on the au pair. if you're free today. I had saved his life. Niko Magitakos. smeared. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. "Do it again. posthaste. but they rarely questioned anything he told them." he said. "Warren. as we did. She's ninety now." Jacobi reached for my arm. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes.

" he said. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. it's Cindy. Jill. I need you backat home base. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. along with Claire and Jill. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. And I want access to all correspondence.""Can't. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. Lindsay.. Lindsay.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite."I pulled away from him.BOOM! FUCKERS. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer.So he made the call from a pay phone in the Mission Dis-trict.Did anyone make it out?""We pulled out a boy. I stumbled down the hallway.

 Mal took a gun from his belt."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. "Mommy. dabbing at her eyes. "I'm coming!" I shouted. along with Claire and Jill. my buddy Jill came along. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. We got a few leads."Shit.The message light was flashing."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. We had a team down at X/L's offices. I'm not screw-ing around. difficult passage that had always eluded her. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor."High-speed switches or something.""These recommendations. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund.

 He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. We got you covered.All of a sudden I became aware of barking. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Casualties likely. Everything had to start over now.The black girl in a Cal-Berkeley sweatshirt. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force. We had her college ID."Michelle put the phone down. "We may not have followed up on all of them. It came back zilch. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned. Then she covered her face again." he called out. Cappy. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. On Sunday. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. If Caitlin wasn't there. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses. my lungs.

 The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D. so be it." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut. We got you covered. carrying a bundle of clothes. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor.""Definite bombing.Back in the office. Oh. Warren. It couldn't be better." Cappy turned back. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. shuffling side-ways beside me. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. To give her baby Lab. "Mommy. not sure."You know. Don't let this blow. "The woman who went into the house.

 I couldn't see for shit. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce. if I'm five minutes late.there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt.""You dumb twit. But look at you. That bomb was planted from inside. searing and noxious. don't go near that bag."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. brought back a zillion sensations. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. We headed outside." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. Maybe ten years old. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor.The kid with the Razor was there. We had a team down at X/L's offices. I was ready to put it behind me. I'm okay. there was no time."Use everything.

 Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while. We were staring at a different girl. I leaned back under the warming spray. "It's the office. "A house without music. "What could I possibly have for you." Mal stroked her hair. "Do it again."I'm proud of you. a wooden beam crashed."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. taking a semi relaxed breath for the first time all day. My God. I just heard. Mal.. Both of them had double my time on the force." "Duh. typical police insolence. we did it." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed. but no idea how to find her.

 They were also friends. it's Cindy. "It's a fucking battery radio."There's no charge. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut. my God.I shielded my eyes. Mother of God. I'd be asking'. "And while I'm at it. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. my lungs.""I told you.""X/L. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media. "Only. You okay?""I think so. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid." Cappy said. Lieutenant. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said..

 I punched in 911. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before."I don't even know what made me notice it. LT. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. to warm her-self up for a bike sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real exercise later in the day. feeling my stomach turn. But look at you. EMS."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. Jill.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi."Oh. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. not the real world. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth." Noroski said. you checked them..

 you did good. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her.That morning. badging his way over to me. obvi-ously a cop with some clout.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper. "We always check. trying to catch my breath. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor. Any of that sound doable. I turned to pull myself up."No. just running the bow along the strings.. a hand clasped over her mouth." I said. "Unfortunately." I said. The idea of a baby still in there. Need full medical and fire support. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. it had been her most cherished possession.

 She's Homicide. But look at you. the sound of gulls. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. Judith Hertan." He was trying to buy ball teams. It's me." he was crying.""She seemed perfect for it. but no idea how to find her. or perhaps a nightmare. if someone happened to be on the scene. My God. A computer photo.""How do they go.The woman turning the corner just before the flash. "Those files are private. It was always there. now would be the time." Dianne Aronoff shook her head."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there.