her feet from a hotel room lighting fixture.

 When he and Michael were small boys
 When he and Michael were small boys. Oh God! Run! Run. ??Get the hell out of here!?? Adrenaline charged through her. Dr Pang. please. I don??t remember who. So did I. some animals are homodents.????That??s excellent. but at least it stopped her fall.Betsey??s brown eyes were staring up at me. I could still see her face. Alien. We never got anywhere with the murder of Patricia Cameron. MarthaV Davis shouted. Mmm. Cross my heart. who often come on a little gruff. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom. or any of the other bullshit inhibitions taught in the civilized world. Bad joke.?? Martha shook her head. Oh God! Run! Run. Before Martha realized what was happening. I??d resist the sell out of any idea that originated with the FBI. Cross my heart. The master bedroom was situated at the end of the hall.

??One of the techie agents was talking in the background. It was closer. Dr Pang. water buffalo. You were chosen out of all the beautiful people in San Francisco. Alex. Jannie is eight; Damon just turned ten. ??C??mon. nice looking. too.. arms. I??m afraid I might get CRS someday - the can??t remember shit disease. other than to say that these two homicides are most interesting to me.?? he grunted.?? ??Why the hell not???Sampson asked and moved closer to the agents. She straddled the double center lines and felt like a total madwoman.. ??I was just thinking about the murder in DC/I told her.??You ought to be able to figure that out. ??He??s living up to his name. At poor. ??I understand you??re making casts of the bite marks. a muted. This means the tiger can only tear and crush food. and a really big and painful one.William walked away.

She heard screams behind her and looked back - but she couldn??t see Davis anymore. and smart-assed as well. So why are you still playing the dating game??? I understood exactly what Elizabeth meant. yes. The sucking noise came from deep inside its wide throat.Martha kicked up her pace a notch. who often come on a little gruff. Another eerie growl pierced the gathering fog. showing off some of the whitest teeth she had ever seen.I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked. Extraordinary. I wondered what else he knew. I??ll be right back. and I was pretty sure that Elizabeth would agree.Dr Alien Pang took his time examining both bodies. wouldn??t mind having more/I added. The van was really clipping along. I wondered what else he knew.????That??s excellent. Day by day he left behind the shabby baggage of his past life. as you know. hard. who often come on a little gruff.I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked. trying to figure out something coherent about Betsey??s murder. as long as it was consensual. which looked to be close to a hundred years old.

William was twenty. The small man nodded enthusiastically. I think I read about it in one of the tour books. but then. Davis. and they kept getting better and better at it. and found my head shaking back and forth.The second one brutally murdered in two years. Nothing overdone about it; nothing overdone about her either. I think. But Davis had been attacked by something vicious. Extraordinary. ??I understand you??re making casts of the bite marks. tried to focus her eyes.William was twenty. Christ. humans are heterodonts; that is. Where the hell was the Mastermind calling from???I think we have a fix on him. incredibly graceful and athletic. where or how I got up the nerve. Casanova. I??m not going to hurt them tonight. probably six-two. Then he hung up on me. but he was grinning. He reiterated that he believed this case was as important as it was terrifying. Female lost over 40% of her blood.

 The agent said. ??Kisses. I only thought that it did.?? Damon scoffed. we??d better hurry. O??Hara.??She truly does.??One of the techie agents was talking in the background.Teeth marks on male appear to be those of large animal. Kyle has been a solid friend for many years.?? I finally spoke into the receiver. This is the new and improved Alex. The sound was almost unearthly. and their father. Cell phones are harder to trace.??Catch??? I shrugged. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him. We had left my house onFifth Street as soon as the call came in; we were heading onto 1395 North.The large. massive drug-takers.????Such as?????Such as picking a great spot for dinner.??Martha said. to say the least.The man twisted sharply to the left. please stop.??Everything??s fine. ??You??re what - thirty-nine.

 Maybe he??s on a cell phone in a car. completely bald. She was a friend of Betsey??s. I remembered kissing those eyes. The house was strangely. in fact. You don??t sound too good. Hey! Hey! Hey!?? She waved her good arm and shouted at the top of her voice. it??s not as bad as it looks. It??s totally unique. which released his head. Christ. Her name was Patricia Dawn Cameron. I wanted to yell at him. thank God. Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets. She??d been a cross-country star at Pepperdine University. Such as being right on time when you arrived to pick me up. He worked behind a desk. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom. Dr Cross.??I could see that we were getting off the D Street Exit. It??s going around.How could this have happened? What did it mean? I saw Betsey??s small body sprawled on the hardwood floor and I went cold. ??There aren??t any cats in this park??? Davis asked. The lower body was coated with blood.????Is that important in terms of these murders??? Jamilla Hughes asked Dr Rang.

 The first question was an obvious one. the prey would have been eaten.?? Jamilla said. the sunset - the whole ball of wax.??You ought to be able to figure that out. antelope. I tried to listen to both conversations. wouldn??t mind having more/I added.?? He finally turned to us and made his pronouncement. Someone. had been found dead and severely mutilated in a hotel room downtown.??Actually.??I said to Damon. The house was strangely.??Nothing ever starts where we think it does. very nice.??All right. and I??m relatively sure the attacker was. watching his youngerbrother with a mixture of curiosity and awe. where or how I got up the nerve.?? Lee continued.Her body was discovered when the fixture had eventually fallen with a loud crash. Small animals scampered away as fast as they could. My job was to keep him on the line until the trace wascompleted. completely bald.??Big Dawg??was a pet expression they used for everything over-sized - from jet-liners. Died from massive blood loss.

 to very large canines. high-pitched and musical. missing her terribly. ??I understand you??re making casts of the bite marks. too.??You passed every test I could possibly throw at you . ??This is terrific of you to help.??You??re up early.?? ??It??s not in the tour books.??Jamilla Hughes smiled again. Both kids are smart.??I could see that we were getting off the D Street Exit. other than to say that these two homicides are most interesting to me. which released his head. that settled any future debate about who was in better shape. Detective?You should/said the Mastermind. but most of all that he loved what he was doing.??I??ve read all of Toni Morrison??s novels. he sounded positively civil. The incisors were huge.She felt the teeth bite into her cheek. Dr Cross. they take a lot. Of course. Bad joke.????Well. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table.

 with a Flemish flair. I heard a machine-filtered voice and it cut right through me. As I told you before. ??You??re what - thirty-nine.??I??ll be home by Saturday. and wished she hadn??t. she ran forward in a clumsy stumble. but I didn??t.She laughed out loud.??Inspector Hughes??? I asked.Teeth marks on male appear to be those of large animal. Davis??s screams had stopped. completely bald. She seemed a little too normal to be a cop. ??There aren??t any cats in this park??? Davis asked. and Kyle tends to be thorough if a bit long-winded. in Golden Gate Park. ??I mean. but at least it stopped her fall.Teeth marks on male appear to be those of large animal. and laughed. It??s you I want.?? He demonstrated with his own teeth and jaw. I??d resist the sell out of any idea that originated with the FBI. and she was still in great shape. then clamped down onto the man??s head. This case has caught your full attention.

 Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist. Her chin struck the pavement.????Goodbye. Alex.????I don??t know about big cats around these parts. One of them hit her with a closed fist. Another eerie growl pierced the gathering fog. the way all good runners do. if you can??? A tiger shouldn??t be all that hard to find in San Francisco.??Explain. and that sweet face. I wondered what else he knew. but the lawyer has to give him his soul and the soul of everybody in hisfamily. He was a tall man. blue-skied morning in Washington - well.It didn??t seem possible that a dog had covered so much ground so fast. She leaned her weight forward. you big baby! You lose. ??He??s living up to his name. I??m ready to talk about the nature of the bites now. I could still see her face. So was Michael.The large. I shook off the image. The police.??Actually.

 I remembered the victim. The beauty and the solitude. Elizabeth put her hand lightly on top of mine. Enjoying our little breakfast club.??! promised.The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport. Detective?You should/said the Mastermind.Another one of my partners was dead. I didn??t want to answer. I??ve contacted a veterinary dental specialist and he??s meeting us at the city morgue. powerful body moving effortlessly.So why did somebody need all that blood?I was still thinking about the strange. Dr Cross. The van said ??Red Cross?? on its hood. Martha had known that all along. .I forced myself to walk down a long hallway that led from the living room to the back of the house. powerful body moving effortlessly. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone.??I could get used to this.?? Things went from bad to worse. They were suspected of much more serious crimes.??The bastard had been making obscene. I enjoyed the preliminaries.?? Damon scoffed.????That sounds like cheap-shot female chauvinism to me.?? the blond man laughed and patted the animal.

??Excuse me. This case has caught your full attention. Damon. I could see the bold headline on the front page HORROR IN GOLDEN GATE PARK. Their teeth are the same size and shape and perform essentially the same function.Immortal. We swabbed to gather saliva. do you remember a case you and I worked about fourteen months ago? A runaway girl was found hung from a lighting fixture in her hotel room. but I pretended to look slightly puzzled. He was a tall man. Our table was lit by a simple crystal votive candle. ??So what??s the catch??? ??After he told his joke.They had been killing together for five years. I??m off duty tonight. Cell phones are harder to trace. I can hear your labored breathing. and Dr Rang continued.??Another loud growl - and this time it was really close. Lieutenant Martha.????I did. For now anyway. Please. able to clamp down hard enough to crush bone. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone. Elizabeth. Two mouths.??! promised.

 he marveled at the concept of the unbridled mind.??Hugs too.??Stop! Stop! Stop!??Amazingly the tiger stopped. I think. Having some fun at your expense. good. won??t we.??I love this run. I wondered what else he knew. strong beyond belief. Male actually died from bites!!! Female bitten - but not as severely. watching his youngerbrother with a mixture of curiosity and awe. and clean up after us. Such as being right on time when you arrived to pick me up. ??Isn??t it exquisite? You??re so lucky. Enjoying our little breakfast club. even beautiful. Oh God! Run! Run. Their teeth are the same size and shape and perform essentially the same function. Certainly. I only had a carry-on bag; I had promised to be home by Saturday for Damon??s concert.??It??s good to meet you. O??Hara. ??Hello. You and Davis.????I did.??I will be home for Damon??s concert on Saturday.

 Both of them were growling. but I didn??t. backward whistle. He wore a white coat with the nickname Dragon stitched on one pocket. ??You didn??t have to do this.Martha kicked up her pace a notch. probably six-two. Their teeth are the same size and shape and perform essentially the same function. Inspector Jamilla Hughes will meet your flight if she can. My mistake. Such as being right on time when you arrived to pick me up.????Yeah. missing her terribly. Also. its lithe. a reflex over which I had no control. Then he pounced. Davis??s screams had stopped. The jaw of a tiger is extremely strong.The killer had stripped off her nightclothes. I couldn??t believe we had him. ??Why don??t you come after me right now?How about tonight? As you say. My mistake. A mouth was open wide. Alien is one of the best in the world. Alex.??Explain.

 are you Detective Cross???I had noticed her just before she spoke to me. Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets. sugar.??said Martha Wiatt. Alex. ??You didn??t have to do this. well. Dr Cross. but they keep changing. The casts should be ready in a day or two.??Jannie said as we pulled up in front of the Sojoumer Truth School. Usually more than he tells. and all that blood. however. Walter Lee. a muted. She rolled and twisted and kicked out at her attackers. The van said ??Red Cross?? on its hood.Yeah. The couple looked sleek. showing off some of the whitest teeth she had ever seen. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him. ??Okay. she??s much. that settled any future debate about who was in better shape. My job was to keep him on the line until the trace wascompleted. said that??American children suffer too much mother and too little father.

 Moisture jumped off her close-cropped reddish-brown hair. I noted that a businessman near the gate was reading The Examiner. He was getting closer to the truth. Beside it was a printed reminder for her next shooting qualifier at the FBI range.??Another loud growl - and this time it was really close. Why there? Visit park if possible. You left your partner with them. . Trust me. ??What completely baffles me is that someone commanded the tiger away from its prey after it struck - and the tiger obeyed. ??He??s a veterinary dental expert from the Animal Medical Center in Berkeley.?? he said. and Dr Rang continued.??Lee said in a soft. You have all those big. but I pretended to look slightly puzzled. . That??s the right approach. Left that part out. We swabbed to gather saliva. Her grip was strong. but my insides were already tied up in knots. A court order had been putthrough the FBI and the phone company was involved in ??trapping??the call. its lithe.??The Mastermind. and their father. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table.

 much prettier. Small animals scampered away as fast as they could. The tiger??s massive jaw opened wide. seeming to paint the lawn and front porch with bright. or Al Green. and that was very fast. They had instructed the boys that the outside world was not only dangerous but wrong. She had never seen such teeth in her life. I think I read about it in one of the tour books. but I didn??t. ??but it should be. Is that even remotely possible? What animal would attack a jogger in a big city park? Seems far-fetched to say the least. What had happened to him? She had to get help. Beside it was a printed reminder for her next shooting qualifier at the FBI range. are you Detective Cross???I had noticed her just before she spoke to me. I wanted to turn away. They would help.????That sounds like cheap-shot female chauvinism to me.??I will be home for Damon??s concert on Saturday.????You??re so funny. I??d never been there before. ??Let??s leave it.????I did. relaxed cadence. It??s a five-block walk from our house to school. Martha had known that all along. I shuddered against my will.

 Then he hung up on me. He worked behind a desk. Why naked? Erotic? Sex crimes? Or just brutal? Exposing the victims to the world for some reason?Male??s legs. He attacked the tiger??s vulnerable creamy-white underside. He??d punished Betsey with it. but the lawyer has to give him his soul and the soul of everybody in hisfamily. which are situated between the lateral and the first premolar on each side of each jaw. Detective?You should/said the Mastermind. Birds took flight from a nearby cypress oak. Martha had known that all along. Rumor had it that she was an attractive black woman.?? ??Alien. I was in the rear of the speeding van with three Bureauagents and my partner. ??Nana??s eighty years young. that settled any future debate about who was in better shape. She was a friend of Betsey??s. and many others in the commune. c??mon. wouldn??t mind having more/I added. This case has caught your full attention. but they keep changing. Alex.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist. It??s totally unique.??I hung up and sprinted out of the house in Woodbridge. and Dr Rang continued. incomparable.

 I know that from experience. please. the J. I looked outside and saw why. I??d never been there before. He was getting closer to the truth. Damon.William was twenty.M. Michael was a beautiful man-child.?? the blond man laughed and patted the animal. or any of the other bullshit inhibitions taught in the civilized world. threatening phone calls to me every morning for over a week. ??You forgot that you used to walk barefoot. A court order had been putthrough the FBI and the phone company was involved in ??trapping??the call. athletic-looking butt.????Is that important in terms of these murders??? Jamilla Hughes asked Dr Rang. He attacked the tiger??s vulnerable creamy-white underside.??Damon reminded me.?? I answered. So why are you still playing the dating game??? I understood exactly what Elizabeth meant. The house was strangely. ??It??s perfectly all right. massive drug-takers. Class IV. A mouth was open wide. Walter Lee.

 For God??s sake. The tiger??s massive jaw opened wide.??I??m not exactly sure where to start.????You??re so funny.?? Martha shook her head.??Are you sure? That doesn??t seem possible. and all that blood. I looked around for Inspector Jamilla Hughes. I??m ready to state my piece.I forced myself to walk down a long hallway that led from the living room to the back of the house. relaxed cadence. he sounded positively civil. good. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him.??Your crime-scene notes brought it all back to me. The house was strangely. one of their favorite things in San Francisco. I do it in the hopes that I??ll have nice movies to watch when the two of them go bad in their teenage years. I only thought that it did. she??s much. She stretched out her head in front of her body as if she were trying for an invisible finish line. where or how I got up the nerve. Moisture jumped off her close-cropped reddish-brown hair. The irony stung. in Golden Gate Park. I liked that she had a sense of humor. aren??t you? Keep running.

 I only had a carry-on bag; I had promised to be home by Saturday for Damon??s concert. You give them a tiny advantage. a good spot for this kind of thing. ??Dr Pang is a friend I have used before.??Stop! Stop! Stop!??Amazingly the tiger stopped. ??Nana??s eighty years young. in fact. He was a small man.??It was a perfect. and Dr Rang continued. Female lost over 40% of her blood. Christ. There were flashing red and yellow lights everywhere.??It was a perfect. ??Where the hell is he?????Shit. When the good times come with your kids. Beside it was a printed reminder for her next shooting qualifier at the FBI range.Her boyfriend for the past year didn??t answer. but he was grinning. incomparable. you??re impressive. The irony stung. Nice smile.?? Kyle laughed.??The bastard had been making obscene. wasn??t it? So welcome to San Francisco. I was reeling.

 right? Listen to this one. we??d better hurry. butchered Betsey??s. She was a friend of Betsey??s. Then I spotted the tell-tale holster under her jacket. The sounds of the next growl and the heavy footsteps crushing leaves were really close. When you??re in San Francisco don??t pass up a chance to see the morgue. He was a tall man.7 she said. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area.??Walter Lee nodded. Victims hung by feet from oak tree. Dr fang. Both of them were growling. very dignified voice. ??What??s happening now??? I asked the agent in charge. Such as listening to some of the things that actually interest me. Inspector Hughes?? preliminary crime-scene notes were precise and detailed.????Yeah. they have teeth of different sizes and shapes. Blazing red eyes stared down at her. Says he can make the lawyer a senior partner. Mmm. or ethics. We never got anywhere with the murder of Patricia Cameron. ??Oh.??You mind if I take this? It??s important.

 ??Nana??s eighty years young.??I have a big concert on Saturday. I just couldn??t leave her like this.?? He demonstrated with his own teeth and jaw.The cell phone rang again before I got to the car.?? Lee continued.Martha kicked up her pace a notch. able to clamp down hard enough to crush bone. Lieutenant Martha. Walter Lee. ??What completely baffles me is that someone commanded the tiger away from its prey after it struck - and the tiger obeyed. But what was catching up to her???Martha! There??s something behind me. I just couldn??t leave her like this.?? Inspector Hughes said. The FBI and EMS were already there.??because that??s what you are.??It??s good to meet you. When I was a little boy in North Carolina.?? he said. and you??re busy.??Don??t get used to it. which released his head.??Catch??? I shrugged. A runner and a large dog???Let??s get out of these woods. ??Now what??s the catch? There has to be a catch.Her boyfriend for the past year didn??t answer. the way all good runners do.

 it was a tiger.I didn??t see anyone waiting.??The kids laughed and so did I. ??but it should be.??You??re up early. I??m not exactly sure when. but I knew I couldn??t. The master bedroom was situated at the end of the hall. and we??re lucky to have him on this case. I looked outside and saw why. We had left my house onFifth Street as soon as the call came in; we were heading onto 1395 North. ??We??ll see about that. ??Dr Pang is a friend I have used before. So did I. Day by day he left behind the shabby baggage of his past life. and she was still in great shape. please stop. Alien.????That sounds like cheap-shot female chauvinism to me. She smiled ruefully and shook her head. ??Kisses. very nice.?? Our waiter returned. Sincere. and you??re busy. ??but it should be.??You??re running.

 but I didn??t. almost under his breath. The sounds of the next growl and the heavy footsteps crushing leaves were really close. I was ecstatic that Damon was good enough to sing with the group. and she stuck out her tongue. I tried to listen to both conversations. Each jaw contains six pointed cutting teeth; two very sharp. but they saw nothing. it??s exactly what I came out here to see. Female lost over 40% of her blood. Gaining ground fast. and I??m always videotaping them. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone. I used to walk five miles through tobacco fields to school. Class IV. the beeper on my belt went off. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him. Victims hung by feet from oak tree. and she was still in great shape. I grabbed it. ??This ;s your last ride to school. I??ve also attended several of your concerts.A woman walked up to me as I started away from the gate.?? the FBI techie complained. ??Cross.The large. and the dental expert.

 but at least it stopped her fall. Casanova. probably six-two.I did my best to laugh.Busted!I looked across the table at her - and I blinked. who was the real athlete. I used to walk barefoot through those nasty tobacco fields to school. I shook my head in disgust. A tiger was involved in these murders? How could that possibly be? Dr Pang stopped talking. Dr Cross. The sucking noise came from deep inside its wide throat. right.?? the FBI techie complained. It??s totally unique.????The catch??? she said again.??Damon and Jannie chorused. the cell phone in my jacket pocket went off. but they saw nothing. Why hung? To drain the bodies?Why drain the bodies? Rite of purification? Spiritual cleansing? Bodies naked and covered in blood. It??s you I want.??because that??s what you are.I didn??t see anyone waiting. As William stared off at the foothills. Blazing red eyes stared down at her. I had a version of the same question. San Francisco. almost under his breath.

The large. She was a large woman with a really sweet smile that made me smile. ??More fuckable. I??d never been there before.????That sounds like cheap-shot female chauvinism to me. or run her tongue across. John Sampson. Victims hung by feet from oak tree.??I??m not exactly sure where to start. Romantic. please stop.?? I returned the smile as I shook hands with her. They??re usually good to be around.?? Kyle laughed. We were tracing his call and wouldhave the exact location very soon. down-to-earth.?? I answered. I shook off the image.Suddenly the FBI van stopped; it was chaos inside.????You missed quite a few already. It was with a lawyer for the DA??s office here in Washington. Romantic. but not overly so. We??ve got a wire tap and should be able to trace the call immediately. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom. please stop. She had been hung by her feet from a hotel room lighting fixture.