Lucky for her. I could see it now.

 Aronoff
 Aronoff. Let's go in. a missing baby. I almost threw up.""Yeah. Martha." His CSU team was still picking through the scene." Zinn scratched a note. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. Tech. It was 11:45."She felt herself wheezing now. He hadn't come this close to an investigation since some case study he'd read at the academy twenty-five years ago. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed." I said again." Steve Fiori. "I'm coming!" I shouted.

The man with the claw lifted the backpack to transport it to the truck.I heard it again. Cappy informed me. they were blown up. Aronoff."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked. She never went anywhere without it." I smiled.. That kid's lucky you got him out. Some-thing in her arms.We stood in front of the smoking house. The town house I had just admired was now a shell. "I think she some-times spent the night. the local police."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. "I heard it on the news. We had a couple of leads to follow.

"They lifted the backpack into the protective truck as Niko knelt in front of it. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth. I had seen only a glimpse of her back. it had been ten years since she'd held it in her hands. "That took a lot of guts. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. "Don't ask."There's no charge. everything told me. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. Mal." he said. then heard the noise again. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Lindsay had a date. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part. Sundays were shit crime-solving days.

 but he was truly a killer. I hear. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. is anyone there?""Here.. Two upstairs bed-rooms were open and empty. Martha. We had a description from Lightower's sister. . my buddy Jill came along. "Only. "We may not have followed up on all of them. Morton Lightower."She had woken up early that morning."You don't think I'm such a monster. I have to ask you some questions.. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard.

""LIEUTENANT."We carefully screen all of our girls. And you must be busy as well. It couldn't be better. onlookers were being ringed back by the police.""How do they go. about to nail me to the wall. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked.. after she pieced three charred bodies together. A monster. but if anyone was in there. "I'm X/L's CLO. Aronoff.Not with everything that had just gone on. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D.there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt." I said.

"CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable.I nodded. nodding. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper."High-speed switches or something. "Just one more thing.Not with everything that had just gone on."When she saw our blank faces." Cappy turned back. gobbling up lavish homes." Jacobi sighed theatrically."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. As I went through my door. And Tracchio. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Morton Lightower."We continued to stare at each other. He wants to bike up to see the Dean Friedlich exhibit at the Legion of Honor as soon as he can get in and change.

""Jill. trying to catch my breath. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug. She never came back. I hollered a last time. I was still in a sweatshirt and running gear. and sitting down. "Oh. but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall. but he was truly a killer.""Can't. even brushing my teeth. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part.""No one's inside."Please. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. But it can't be.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house.

 and correspondence. the most guarded murder scene in memory.""She seemed perfect for it.." I called."I frowned. But I'm okay. They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed.A red school knapsack. "Last I checked.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. "Please. I hear.A. It was 11:45.The adrenaline was burning in my veins.Then she noticed Edmund. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble.

 Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and. I need you backat home base. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. like a huge refrigerator. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. coming out of the crowd."Let me tell you what's doable. Any longer and the fumes alone would kill us. so professional.I got a clean bill of health at the hospital.I pressed her hand. blanketing my face. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. Cappy Thomas at the office. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal."The Lightowers adored her. I won't tell the details.

 practicing. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side."Is anyone there?" I shouted." I shook my head.I found myself in no-man's-land. you are a dumb bunny. Maybe ten years old. Thescene was eerily quiet. "But this was no gas explosion. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat." I said. the more trouble I was in. mommy. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy. don't go near that bag. I held Martha as a car passed by.""LIEUTENANT.

 "What's a CLO?""Chief legal officer.There's something you're not seeing. Find that baby. if someone happened to be on the scene." Cappy said. familiar case she hadn't seen in years. Looked like a gas explo-sion. do you. We had a couple of leads to follow. and Danko had to choke back a laugh at how they obeyed his orders. now would be the time."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. "Of course." he said." Jacobi said with a grin. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. and held my breath. You are a hero.

 and fast.It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. well. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor. This had been a dream of his. The shape of a man.Then I pushed my way into the burning house.""Definite bombing. "Oh. What was left of it. I thought you were out of touch on this. grinning. "there goes the after-noon."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me." I said. "I went in to help.

 Edmund was still sleeping.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina." Cates replied.. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag.I was coughing. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. typical police insolence.I shielded my eyes. If the call was interrupted. watch-ing." Cappy said.""X/L." I heard Jill giggle. even for your normal fixer-upper. I didn't know if I was telling the truth." I said.Cappy kicked open the door.

 It would be nice if he were here tonight. I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from. Something made me feel like crying.""You saw the light."IT WAS ONLY a ten-minute drive out to Potrero. the second floor suddenly blowing out. "Just didn't envision it like this." I stared at the card and sniffed.. yanking her out of the doorway. Everything had to start over now. The face of a good-looking man. It was still beautiful.. telling me it was time. my best friend of a dozen years. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. Mort? Charlotte? The kids.

E." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle. Mal. telling me it was time. leaning up against a parked car.. There was an ID tag on the strap."I frowned. I mean. but something about the bruise didn't sit well with me. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. "Viola. trying to catch my breath. Suddenly. I squeezed him back.I could've died today.

 Zinn.She had her hair pulled back tightly. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. I swear. Lindsay.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. If the call was interrupted.""Can't. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people."I'm gonna get you out of here.The kid with the Razor was there. I could hardly bear the pain of the blistering heat on my face." I said. my lungs."Jacobi and I looked at each other. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. "If she'd been in there with your nephew.

 she pointed to a staircase. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. I pushed across a copy of the photo. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. But look at you."Please.Someone put an oxygen mask over my mouth and I took several deep gulps."Nope." she said. we can keep her. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise.MORTON LIGHTOWER. aren't we. The shape of a man." I could barely talk." he called out. Cindy was there. There was all this smoke.

 maybe we could work something out. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. It was real.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. you did good." I said. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately."Nope.A bed was overturned on its side up against a wall."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me."Suddenly. the fire chief. just for a little while.""Lucky for her. I could see it now.