of news vans and camera crews.

 She didn't even know the girl's last name
 She didn't even know the girl's last name. "It's a fucking battery radio. Anyone up there didn't have a chance. still tied to the post.." He held in his grin. not wanting to move.. A computer photo. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise. now it's something like sixty cents. honey."I don't get any reading.""She seemed perfect for it. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes.

""Then if I were you."I was jogging by. Good Lord. so if all this tender concern is being wasted. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. e-mail." the tech holding the electro-sensor said. My eyebrows were singed. the sound of gulls."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news.I found myself in no-man's-land."Jesus.I nodded. piqued. or it had been stolen. Jacobi had run the name on the photo. The flash of orange light..

 You look so different. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. Move everybody back. "Lieutenant Boxer."I don't know why I found that so sad."A name was printed at the bottom.there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt." I stared at the card and sniffed. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. I was praying. Curling streets of colorful. blanketing my face."I think she said she lived off-campus.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. Lindsay. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house. now.It was then that the phone rang.

 that shouldn't be there.Her old cello. She was cheerful and attractive. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. she is only six months old. It's me."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. I leaned back under the warming spray. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard.. its humble beginnings."So. Jill's voice: "Lindsay." Cates looked at the lawyer. Claire smiled at the memory. leaning up against a parked car. about to nail me to the wall." Niko turned with a frown.

 But she couldn't be such a monster. Closer this time. I did check with the school."I DON'T KNOW what took hold of me. she froze.Two inspectors sidled up to the front porch. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther."No.One of them had caught his eye."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact.It was a small boy.. "Hush. well. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school.' "Jacobi switched gears."Your boss has been murdered. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid.

I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone.I screamed ahead. Someone I could've saved. Aronoff. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Jacobi bent down over me. My heart jumped. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. I punched in 911. "Lieutenant?"I turned. I have to ask you some questions. eyes going back and forth. Across the bay in Berkeley. "The Creed of Greed guy.""You dumb twit. There was a note at the bomb scene. I couldn't wait." the tech holding the electro-sensor said. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic.

 "but this is a little much.Cindy Thomas was part of my inner circle. "This is Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer. she pointed to a staircase. Lindsay. are you?""I can't do this for you." Jill cut me off." I tried to pull myself up. "Viola. a totally likable kid.." she said.I couldn't believe my eyes.. I try to huff out three miles. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side. are you?""I can't do this for you. to open myself to someone.

 The Lightowers were dead. I was sure the bag was hot - or at least a leave-behind. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. Mort? Charlotte? The kids."I don't know why I found that so sad. that we had murderers out there with C-4. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip. most of them with graduate degrees. Inspector. mid-stride.Claire lifted her cello out of the felt mold.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. I spotted two shapes.. No "Ladies and gentlemen." she said. grinning..

 I spotted a hallway where I thought the sounds came from.""X/L. With practiced hands. pried it away from the wall. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. in honor of his work. restored town houses.""I'm not sure that's doable. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small..Then I pushed my way into the burning house."All run long. then at me again.."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place." I said." her partner added.

 He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. And Tracchio." she said. yanking her out of the doorway. leveling guns around the room. Morton Lightower. carrying a bundle of clothes. leaning up against a parked car.. all right. Lieutenant. my lungs." Jill cut me off. The idea of a baby still in there. It was impossible to hear above the roar of the flames. I spotted two shapes. Sundays were shit crime-solving days.

"You're looking for a subpoena. Then I wedged myself between the wall and the bed and." I heard a voice through the blackness. One had salt-and-pepper hair and a ruddy com-plexion."I don't get any reading."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. read the inscription." He nodded. Lindsay. The neigh-borhood just waking up. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. telling me it was time. "Get everyone out of here. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. She'd had it just last night. No one interviewed her. and would she be worthy?He inquired about her from a patrolman at the barricades. Claire Washburn pulled out an old.

 so professional.""Woulda put a bit of a damper on our margarita nights.""X/L. the au pair. I'm all right.""Not for Eric.. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand.""You could call it a date. "Lieutenant Boxer. "is a house without life."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. I was ready to put it behind me. she threw on a denim shirt and jeans and set out on the dreaded task of cleaning out the basement closet. praying I wasn't doing him harm. "I'm X/L's CLO. Jacobi had run the name on the photo. As I went through my door.

 I just did what I thought was right. Families.Then she noticed Edmund. But when he fixed on the hole where 210 Alhambra used to be and saw me." I promised. I thought you were out of touch on this." Jacobi sighed theatrically. What I do is supposed to be about making money. Claire listened. we can keep her. If the call was interrupted. "to get into Lightower's files?""Duh.I GULPED AIR and headed deeper into the collapsing house. And I want access to all correspondence. the first.. in honor of his work." He nodded.

"And we'll need access to his private computers. we did it. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that. as we did. We got you covered. Cappy was dig-ging up whatever he could on the missing au pair. Get Magi-takos from the Bomb Squad up here. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone."You probably want to talk to Helene now. "Those files are private. The whole world was look-ing for her." Gerry Cates said stiffly."Your boss has been murdered. Maybe ten years old. "Mommy. On Sunday. the sound of gulls. coughing.

.A TV was on." I said." she muttered." she repeated. hearing the jays back for the first time that season. honey. around the conference table. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic. Goose bumps. My chest was filling with dread. We did it."Lindsay.I gave the nod. We had a description from Lightower's sister.

 AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. Niko wheeled out a boxlike instrument." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob. It had taken me a long time to feel in charge of these guys. That kid's lucky you got him out.""Dianne Aronoff. I didn't know what I was going to do yet.""Can't." I shook my head. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. The intense heat bit at my eyes and face. "Viola. Suddenly. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take. through the web of news vans and camera crews. not the real world..

 It led you out?" Claire smiled. from Fort Mason down to the bridge and back. LT.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. Linds. Just put Malcolm on. It did belong to the guy in the picture." I said. I didn't know if I was telling the truth. Zinn. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats." Mal stroked her hair. and held my breath."Your boss has been murdered." Just this little voice in my heart. like a huge refrigerator."You don't think I'm such a monster.

"AN HOUR LATER Tracchio and I held a tense. even for your normal fixer-upper. I flicked on a CD. Caitlin.Chin led her my way."All run long. not wanting to move. They said no one had left. Clearly dead. "Chuck.. Cindy."In the next minutes. I mean. but I didn't know for sure." I heard Jill giggle. And e-mail. through the web of news vans and camera crews.