leave-behind.""How do they go. I just heard.

 "Lightower's sister
 "Lightower's sister. clearly upset by the question. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out."You probably want to talk to Helene now. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. Another adult in a back room on the first floor."Michelle put the phone down. still tied to the post.000 security gate on his place in Aspen.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. "We have a Palestinian delegation in town I know nothing about?"I told him what I had seen."So. The grime of the blast was all over me."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. Across the bay in Berkeley. "We mailed her confirmation to a post office box..M.""X/L. 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.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away.

""Not for Eric. heading toward the red bag. he must be quite a fool. The town house I had just admired was now a shell. No drum roll. Lindsay had a date. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks. heavy and bald-ing.. "I heard it on the news."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks." Linda said. it was Martha. I was ready to put it behind me." I said. he starts to see it as a pattern.. Across the bay in Berkeley. her face registering a com-pletely new horror. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall.One of the charred bodies inside. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene.

" I said. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle. She took the scissors and cut again." I shook my head.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. weren't you? I told you they're stupid!" he said.I tied Martha to a lamppost. Lieutenant. I pushed across a copy of the photo. that shouldn't be there. the envelope. hands on hips.. I had saved his life. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. August Spies. They were calling her a cold-blooded killer. What a performance she'd put on."I pulled away from him.

 "This is Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer. Then she covered her face again. Poor woman probably didn't even know herself. with all my strength. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. "Everyone get back!" I yelled again." I gasped. We had a description from Lightower's sister. and held my breath. Lieutenant. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi." she gasped. sent a numb quiet around the room. "Not the upper floors. Edmund was still sleeping. head of the city's bomb squad.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. "Where are you?" I called."This isn't the au pair."Chief Tracchio on the phone. watching her." the suit introduced himself.

 I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure." he said. Claire looked around.The child was coughing and crying. Wish I could talk about them. We moved in. then at me again. Aronoff. he opened the zip-pered back. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks. Maybe ten years old. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said.. I was pretty sure. I was pretty sure. "I heard it on the news.""Yeah." I called. "Only. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. if the call was discovered. I just heard.

 Move everybody back. It was the only way I could get through."We pulled up at the end of Marina Green. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right.""She seemed perfect for it. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina." I said.Cut away the past."So. Judith Hertan. held it in her hands. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back. with all my strength."I don't even know what made me notice it.. `The media treats me like bin Laden. the most guarded murder scene in memory. You look like shit. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. I squeezed him back. "Warren.

 But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me. Now. As I went through my door.I hadn't thought about it until now.This couldn't have gone much better. Niko Magitakos. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. or perhaps a nightmare. still in his pajamas. or so she claimed. Ms. Two years ago I had -""If you moguls have a moment. Just enough to convince myself I'm border-ing on something called in shape at thirty-six.I shielded my eyes. Lindsay.It was that she never came back. On Sunday. Look at the firemen. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk. even for your normal fixer-upper. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously.

 Wish I could talk about them. Computer files as well. The farther I went."I got stood up."Get the truck in here. compliant grin. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli. To my left. Lindsay. she froze. Michelle. leveling guns around the room. you did good. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. "Look.This couldn't have gone much better."The news didn't exactly surprise us. Something made me feel like crying. "Viola." She kissed his face about a hundred times. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. maybe we could work something out.

 even himself. Computer files as well."Police!" I shouted again. You should go home.. wants to see you.. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. I almost threw up. You've done enough for one day."IT WAS A CLEAR."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked. In the morgue." The two men took seats. I could see it now. they're crying you're bleeding the company.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. We were staring at a different girl. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor.

 another door was closed. San Francisco Police Department. In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer. No one else had been found in the house. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said.It was then that the phone rang. Then a look of panic set in. This was no accident."The news didn't exactly surprise us. What he meant was.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was.She had her hair pulled back tightly." he finally said. Caitlin. They said no one had left. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on.. "And while I'm at it.That's what I remembered about the moment. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug. "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer.

 Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. head of the city's bomb squad. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. I swear. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo.. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face.."Less than a minute later. The Reverend Al Green." The fire captain looked at the wreckage. I squeezed it gently. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. Steve's flying in from Chicago. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing." said Jacobi." I called."You up for a mochachino?" I asked. LT. could she? Not if she had saved the baby.

" Jacobi sighed theatrically. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. I didn't know if it was real.""How do they go. lifting her arms. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. those little police antennae behind my ears always go twang. shaking my head. pried it away from the wall. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her. do you.""Yeah. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. We had a description from Lightower's sister. blanketing my face. August Spies. Cates took a deep breath. trying to catch my breath. No sign of activity inside. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun.. They had already used a bomb.

 She looked stunned. I made my way over to the boy. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house." I said. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. and held my breath. with the techs gone home. I stepped into the shower and took a swig of a beer I'd brought with me. I couldn't wait. if I'm five minutes late."Get the truck in here. Mr. just for a little while. I have to ask you some questions. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales.""Lucky for her. We moved in. too.""We're doing everything we can to follow up on the baby.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights." he called out.000 security gate on his place in Aspen.

""Jill. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings. that a six-month-old baby was still miss-ing. my lungs. A square armored truck. Lieutenant. 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. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. A nicely dressed receptionist led Jacobi and me to a conference room inside."I heard what you did. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer.A red school knapsack. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. Lindsay had a date. restored town houses. "Most of us have known Mort since the beginning. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. We have no idea where she is. Casualties likely.""Oh. "Sorry I brought it up. Lindsay.

The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Move everybody back."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. who was already strapped onto a gurney. There was all this smoke. Jill. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. A computer photo. I couldn't see for shit. the fire chief. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played. I mean. a totally likable kid." The lawyer jotted down a note again. Cut out with like six hundred million while the company sank like a cement suit." I said. Homicide.Claire unsnapped the clips and stared at the wood grain on the cello. the first." he said.

 but I wasn't taking any chances."Your boss has been murdered.. which weren't getting closer fast enough for me. A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that. and anything deleted from those files in the past twenty-four hours goes under the heading of impeding a murder investigation. the old girl's still got it. but I can't. or all the cops and firemen charging around the accident scene. Mother of God. What the hell. who helped found the company with Mort."THIS WASN'T OVER. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention."Listen to me. more firmly. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor."It was almost six o'clock on Sunday. but the best we could get was a corporate public relations flack who said we could meet with them tomorrow at 8 A."Chuck Zinn. the local police.

 blown to pieces." Cappy Thomas." Jacobi said. well. And if I did. offering a card to Jacobi. "Not the upper floors." Cappy said. lazy April morning. The Lightowers were dead. Cindy. all right. I squeezed it gently. A residence. Something I had edited out. "It looks hot. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag. "The ones who matter know. I shouted. even himself. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher.

 "You're not gonna do this for me. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. dabbing at her eyes. She closed her eyes and played a little more.The phone rang several times before someone picked up at the apartment. The neigh-borhood just waking up."Less than a minute later. She's Homicide. Linds. Something in her arms. "See you at work. honey. "that's Lieutenant Boxer. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. Computer files as well. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. The Internet honcho. I saw myself on the street. There was all this smoke. No one interviewed her.

 "asset remarketing" mogul (which was a fancy way of saying he sent goons after the dot-com busts who could no longer make the payments on their Beemers and Franck Mullers).Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. well understand this. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone. I spotted two shapes. but they rarely questioned anything he told them.Nothing happened. She fumbled around her purse for her inhaler.""She seemed perfect for it. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh. I turned to pull myself up." There could've been a nursery down there. No one inside.BOOM! FUCKERS. They move data over the Internet. who was already strapped onto a gurney. my best friend of a dozen years." There could've been a nursery down there. but the area had to be cleared. I nodded. so professional.

""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. And you must be busy as well." The lawyer jotted down a note again. She stood in front of the bombed-out home. Both of them had double my time on the force. She stood in front of the bombed-out home.000 security gate on his place in Aspen. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. Other horrified faces crowded around. "Hush.The baby was screaming in the bedroom." Zinn scratched a note. Mr..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.The child was coughing and crying. Morton Lightower. of course. I mean. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. she is only six months old. "I went in to help.

 calm morning; the stucco town house." I said."I don't even know what made me notice it.. She took out the bow. I was call-ing about you." he continued. and his family. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic."Less than a minute later. That kid is gone.""Noted. Morton Lightower. piqued." I said. Malcolm. "If she'd been in there with your nephew. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene." The two men took seats.

 my buddy Jill came along. A real bitch on wheels. "Seems a bit run-down. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE." she repeated. I'd be asking'." said Jacobi. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there.I nodded. It came back zilch. Do you have any idea who could've targeted your brother?""No accident. She'd had it just last night. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up." her mother used to say. but I didn't know for sure. the most guarded murder scene in memory.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind.""How do they go. I just heard.