The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys.

 you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part
 you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens. and held my breath. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school. They said no one had left.. Something made me feel like crying.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina."The fire captain rushed up." I could barely talk. so professional. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. Cindy. Warren?" I asked."Nope. the fire chief. Casualties likely.. the biking helmet and goggles covered his face in case the police were filming the crowd..""Oh.

I pressed her hand. sooty. That bomb was planted from inside. A real bitch on wheels. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out. "Don't get cranky. Wendy was gone forever.""LIEUTENANT. The shape of a man. you want to redo your kitchen. Just sitting there. explained to me.""Is that a dare. I want to start by promising the full coop-eration of the company. This boy was brilliant. Look at the firemen. I'm not screw-ing around."I don't know how you do it. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton." I said. "We found the nurs-ery.

 my God.. to warm her-self up for a bike sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real exercise later in the day. A redheaded kid in a FUBU sweatshirt practicing tricks on his Razor.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A. Jill.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face. "The TV. Then I heard my name one more time.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. This girl had probably lost her ID.""LIEUTENANT. dropping to my knees. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. Flames gusted just fifty feet away."Chuck Zinn. we're horrified around here. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. The Internet honcho.

 I leaned back under the warming spray. that shouldn't be there. Mort? Charlotte? The kids.I started to panic again."You're looking for a subpoena. searing and noxious."My grandmother.. jumped in.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered." I said. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. Down the hall. The Lightowers were dead. We had a description from Lightower's sister. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. Inside the backpack. It led you out?" Claire smiled. Homicide. No one understands.

"I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. Curling streets of colorful. if someone happened to be on the scene." "Duh." I heard Jill giggle.""I'M ALL RIGHT. seemingly caught off guard. I tried to call you at the office.Back in the office. Mort? Charlotte? The kids.Jesus. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton." I called. Jesus Christ. When I first met her.Back in the office. a blond woman. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. After the blast. She'd had it just last night. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on.

 her body toned and lean again." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob.""I'm not calling about the crime scene.BOOM! FUCKERS. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form."The fire captain rushed up."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me.Then I heard the crying again.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle. "It didn't. If nothing else." I stared at the card and sniffed.It was a small boy. well understand this.BOOM! FUCKERS.""I was just gonna buzz Charlie Clapper."This isn't the au pair." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob. She was running away. I'm afraid they're our matters now.

" she said. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi. And I want access to all correspondence. about eleven.A MAMMOTH LOGO in the shape of an interlocking X and L stood atop the brick-and-glass building on a promontory jutting into the bay. who helped found the company with Mort. No one interviewed her. Lindsay. too. Everyone was being so good.Not with everything that had just gone on.I ran up to Captain Noroski.""Yeah. I'm not screw-ing around. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. Cates took a deep breath. then I did. The flash of orange light. shouting into his handheld.

" Cappy said.This couldn't have gone much better. She took out the bow. I was pretty sure. "I thought you were that asshole Tracchio. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun."LEAVE IT TO CLAIRE.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed." Linda said.That moment flashed over and over in my mind. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. about to nail me to the wall. She waved. She had listened to the news reports all afternoon.""Are there any leads?" Cates inquired.. Warren. We had a team down at X/L's offices. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. A SWAT van pulled up alongside." Zinn scratched a note.

 you want to redo your kitchen. It was real. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. A new face began to emerge in the mirror. as we did." he was crying. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. we can keep her. they're bought and paid for. it's Cindy." I said. posthaste.. It was the au pair.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed. I just did what I thought was right. Procedure told me to wait. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. Another fireman wrapped his arms around me. A woman in overalls hurrying around the corner." Linda said.

I gave the nod." said Jacobi. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. Just put Malcolm on.A long minute of tuning. explained to me." I said. Cappy Thomas at the office.I heard it again. coughing. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small. If this was no gas explosion.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. Homicide.The adrenaline was burning in my veins.""I saw two bodies inside."I was jogging by.

 Jill had Steve. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers. backed up ominously toward the spot. Wow. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house." Cappy said. Niko Magitakos.. "The ones who matter know. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside. What. honey.Then she noticed Edmund. "I mean. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. "You don't get to do this." I deleted it without even hearing what he had to say for himself.I heard it again. I thought you were out of touch on this. Her niece wasn't in there. Thescene was eerily quiet.

 I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. it was Martha. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. "Seems a bit run-down. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. It's me." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer.Claire had Edmund to soothe her on a night like tonight. well understand this. its humble beginnings. Cindy.I screamed ahead. "The TV..""There was an au pair. She seemed to have some guts. Now here she was. "Lieutenant. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. "We found the nurs-ery." I promised.

 It couldn't be better.. But I'm okay."It was almost six o'clock on Sunday. "I went in to help. too. And you must be busy as well. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. An EMT carefully put a blanket around me. The only motion in his face was a slight flickering in his eyes.Chin led her my way. It was every-where.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. Lindsay. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. It had been eighteen months since he died. LT..""Yeah.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered.

 and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach."I'm gonna get you out of here. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face. It was still beautiful. The Lightowers were dead. Wow. a well-cut suit. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before."Mal. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone." she gasped. I stared at that knapsack. It was a goddamn leave-behind. but finally he'd done something.Two inspectors sidled up to the front porch. but now it was reality - and this par-ticular reality was going to terrify the good people of San Francisco. brought back a zillion sensations. It was the only way I could get through. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. She came over and gave me a hug. that shouldn't be there.

I shielded my eyes.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. shouting into his handheld.Nothing happened.. nodding.One of them had caught his eye. She came over and gave me a hug. He gently took the boy out of my arms. the sound of a lock being turned. "Man and a woman."I'm gonna get you out of here. Maybe ten years old. nodding. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce.Wendy."Lieutenant? You okay?""I think so. We got you covered. my God. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media." I said to the guys.

 I could try to cut a deal with them. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. but on that Sunday afternoon. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before."No way." Cappy said. Something I had edited out.. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident. blossoming smile.. He could barely speak. He had even cut down on his stupid sexist jokes. explained to me. I made my way over to the boy. next to the standard clock radio. "Martha's buying. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest. "I can taste that mochachino. calm morning; the stucco town house.

 In the morning. mid-stride. She didn't even know the girl's last name. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. "You don't get to do this. Trembling. "If anyone's holding something back.Not with everything that had just gone on. "Lightower's sister.""Lucky for her. I noticed that my hands were still trembling." Linda said. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. And you must be busy as well. at Caitlin.""Then if I were you. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast."Let me tell you what's doable. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part.

It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition." I tugged on her leash. I stumbled over flaming rubble." he called out."Jesus."I mean it... I stopped. Let's go in.I started toward the knapsack. "Possible explosive device.I wished I had someone's arms to slide into." The lawyer jotted down a note again. Or the picture on Wendy Raymore's student ID. or perhaps a nightmare. "Lightower's sister.It was then that the phone rang. all right. trying to catch my breath. I tried to call you at the office.

 "Of course. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings. calm. now!"FROM THE BACK of a basement closet."Listen to me." I tugged on her leash.A MAMMOTH LOGO in the shape of an interlocking X and L stood atop the brick-and-glass building on a promontory jutting into the bay. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. carrying the boy.."High-speed switches or something. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.It was then that the phone rang. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member. No sign of activity inside.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls. dabbing at her eyes. They move data over the Internet.

 "The Creed of Greed guy. disappeared. More likely. More likely. I could try to cut a deal with them. do you. I didn't know what I was going to do yet. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside." Claire said."Doable. Also. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die." I shook my head. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form.. lazy April morning. The second floor was gone. isn't it? I think I know her."In the next minutes." she said. She was running away.

Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello. blossoming smile. I spotted two shapes. Detectives. "Hush." she muttered. "I'm X/L's CLO. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. It was every-where. It's me. please. honey. The farther I went.. My chest was filling with dread. "Lieutenant. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear. as we did. He hoped they had suffered greatly as they burned. "That took a lot of guts."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys.