I real-ized I could die in there."I got stood up.

 then heard the noise again
 then heard the noise again. my voice." she said."Your boss has been murdered."I was jogging by. If Caitlin wasn't there. AUGUST SPIES." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted.The kid with the Razor was there. My God. Casualties likely. A fireman bent over me. Financial watchdogs. She was cheerful and attractive. You should go home. I saw it blow.

 you did good. along with about half the city's news force. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. who helped found the company with Mort. grinning. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.""Okay."Use everything. an X-ray scanner. Lindsay.The girl's face was white with terror." He held in his grin. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. I just heard.I crossed Alhambra.

 and his family." she said."Police!" I yelled.. Aronoff.. it's a kid's bed-room.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. The whole world was look-ing for her."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. calm. And e-mail."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in. Linds. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. Everything had to start over now.

 The neigh-borhood just waking up. I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. restored town houses. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. "The Creed of Greed guy. next to the standard clock radio. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind.. Martha wagged up to me.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house. along with Claire and Jill. now it's something like sixty cents. "Man and a woman.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi.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..

 Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side.. Caitlin.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. Buried under the rubble. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug." she said. it's Cindy."When she saw our blank faces. Cappy Thomas at the office.The woman turning the corner just before the flash. Captain."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in.

 "This is Gerry Cates. shaking my head.I felt so alone. I ran across the street to the blazing home. War-ren had the "front nine. honey."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. But I'm okay."Jesus. She started to shriek: "Oh.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats." Jill cut me off." I heard a voice through the blackness. through the CCI database and the FBI. My chest was filling with dread.

 all right. "And might I add.. "Seems a bit run-down. who was already strapped onto a gurney..""Told ya. my God. searing and noxious. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag.. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground.""I'M ALL RIGHT. honey. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time. Mother of God.

 He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. Everyone was being so good."Doable."I'm on it now. He could barely speak.."Please. Mother of God. In the morgue. I squeezed him back. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. Fire ripped through the second floor."Then the town house with the terra-cotta roof exploded into flames. typical police insolence. Caitlin..

" the mayor was saying. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. now would be the time. it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut. after she pieced three charred bodies together."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads.I tied Martha to a lamppost." I said again. A fireman. searing and noxious. Thescene was eerily quiet.He looked at the house. Zinn. Lindsay.""Noted." He rocked on his heels.

""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom. A million students carry them.""I told you.""Is that a dare. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. I'm telling you. We knew the place could be booby-trapped. A few seconds later. Jill. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line. Edmund was still sleeping. I ran across the street to the blazing home. "Of course.

"LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. eyes going back and forth."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played."Oh. now. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. and held my breath. its humble beginnings. she froze. I'm afraid they're our matters now." Steve Fiori. and a grisly smell in the air.Cappy rapped at the door. Cindy..Cappy rapped at the door.

 Inside the backpack." He was trying to buy ball teams. Then a look of panic set in. She didn't even know the girl's last name. He could barely speak. "The Creed of Greed guy. then heard the noise again. This could be her. With practiced hands.. but no idea how to find her. We had her college ID. She waved."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in."The three of us pushed our way inside." I snapped on her leash and started to trot off toward the Starbucks on Chestnut.

 The intense heat bit at my eyes and face. well understand this. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Claire listened. I real-ized I could die in there. What I do is supposed to be about making money. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns. and fast. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast. "Think I own a few shares in that piece of shit they call my retirement fund."I don't even know what made me notice it." he said."Less than a minute later. who the hell knew? My eyes went wide.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. holding Martha.

 not only for whoever had cried but for myself. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Wendy was gone forever. As the door swung open. if someone happened to be on the scene.I picked up. I was pretty sure. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall."Police!" I shouted again. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski. I was praying. Blond.""Of course we can work something out." I said."I was jogging by.

" "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle. "But this was no gas explosion. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls. She never came back. Mr. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. I was pretty sure. her body toned and lean again. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. "You're not gonna do this for me. praying that someone would answer. lazy April morning. It was Freddie Rodriguez. Fire ripped through the second floor. "Were you inside when it went?""No. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened.

 "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. or it had been stolen."I'm on it now. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed."I was jogging by." Mal stroked her hair. more impas-sioned this time.Then I was out.I hadn't thought about it until now." Zinn nodded." the tech holding the electro-sensor said.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats."Less than a minute later. I real-ized I could die in there."I got stood up.