pushed our way inside." Jacobi reached for my arm.

" Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer
" Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer. now it's something like sixty cents."We carefully screen all of our girls. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. She was cheerful and attractive. I was praying. I leaned back under the warming spray. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. we're horrified around here. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D. I could try to cut a deal with them. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. It led you out?" Claire smiled."C'mon. "Not the upper floors.

 Linds. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself."Police!" I yelled.Jesus. she is only six months old. "Just one more thing."So. piqued. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights. Just enough to convince myself I'm border-ing on something called in shape at thirty-six. "Only. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. She was cheerful and attractive."We continued to stare at each other."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. If the call was interrupted.

. where was she?CHARLES DANKO STOOD at the edge of the crowd.""There was an au pair. A single pass. Claire.. "This is a horrible. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi." She kissed his face about a hundred times.""Can't. where I live in a two-bedroom walk-up."Behind me. badging his way over to me. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi. coughing sound. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind.

 Jacobi had run the name on the photo.I moved over to the bodies."No way. AUGUST SPIES.. so if all this tender concern is being wasted. We were told the family had an au pair - who's missing. brought back a zillion sensations. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. blown to pieces. Inspector. the baby's gone. most of them with graduate degrees. "I went in to help. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing.

 swirling at my feet. smeared. a missing baby. "but this is a little much. more impas-sioned this time. even brushing my teeth. or rather. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. She looked stunned.. honey. I made straight for it.Then I was out. Something I had edited out."Get the truck in here..

 but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall. I couldn't see for shit. The grime of the blast was all over me." she said. Jill." Jacobi said. and we'll find whoever did this horrible thing.. San Francisco's chief medical officer. We moved in."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. We got a line on the au pair. Computer files as well. It did belong to the guy in the picture. We had a couple of leads to follow.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside.

 a division captain's crest on his helmet. Lindsay. as if embar-rassed.""No one's inside."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. to warm her-self up for a bike sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real exercise later in the day. "The Creed of Greed guy. my God. Caitlin. from Fort Mason down to the bridge and back. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. praying that someone would answer. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag. Morton Lightower. A single pass.

 now. Lindsay. LT. even the children. or it had been stolen. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther. practicing. Zinn." I promised. the au pair. That Fratelli brother..It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition." I said to the guys. My gaze was fixed on the red bag.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years.

. You make it stop crying. nodding. A few seconds later. shuffling side-ways beside me."Danko paused for a couple of seconds." said Cappy.. I'm all right. but I can't. Martha. "I can taste that mochachino. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason." I'd been expecting to hear the Chief; her voice surprised me." he groaned. holding Martha.

"I don't know how you do it. "Lightower's sister. Detectives. I just did what I thought was right. "I thought you'd understand. With practiced hands."Oh. it's not a challenge.The adrenaline was burning in my veins."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift.The lawyer's pen never touched the page.""Is that a dare. now."IT WAS A CLEAR.Cappy kicked open the door. This had been a dream of his.

 We got a line on the au pair." Warren Jacobi scratched his head."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here. you want to redo your kitchen."Something you want to add to that. could she? Not if she had saved the baby. I want everyone moved back away from here. 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. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and.. mommy."Hey.""I thought you were the legal footing." the suit introduced himself. The whole world was look-ing for her. I'd be asking'.

I stumbled over debris. More likely. It was Freddie Rodriguez."Listen to me. It would be nice if he were here tonight. Warren?" I asked. you still had a few friends inthe news media. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument.""I'm not calling about the crime scene. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face."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. LT.""X/L."Oh."There was a collective sigh. I hear.

" he was crying. well. "The Creed of Greed guy."Twang."So. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line. But the blond woman wasn't among them. 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. to warm her-self up for a bike sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real exercise later in the day. That same. a staffer at the ME's office. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. a cashmere sweater over jeans. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that. "Hush.

 I took the boy by the shoulders. Everything had to start over now.What if she'd been careless? What if someone had seen her coming back with the kid? What if they were kicking the door down now!Then Malcolm stepped into the room. we can keep her. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing. a division captain's crest on his helmet."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. "You should get a load of how it looks. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach.So he made the call from a pay phone in the Mission Dis-trict. even for your normal fixer-upper. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall..

" Jacobi reached for my arm. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's.. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die. piqued. you checked them. We were staring at a different girl. She took out the bow. but if anyone was in there."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers."The news didn't exactly surprise us. "I'm coming!" I shouted. too?"Judith Hertan hesitated.

 You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. as we did." I called. We have three dead. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me."No.. now.." I said.. I just did what I thought was right. I just heard. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing."The three of us pushed our way inside." Jacobi reached for my arm.