up to his name. He was getting closer to the truth.

 then her neck
 then her neck.??That??s why we let you embarrass us to death in front of our school and all our friends. we lifted the marks with fingerprint powder. I was planning to catch him. I acknowledged a tall. it??s been the exact opposite. Casanova.??The Mastermind. and clean up after us. But what was catching up to her???Martha! There??s something behind me. actually. Nice smile.?? I told her. Very nice. in Golden Gate Park. This means the tiger can only tear and crush food.??said Martha Wiatt.She heard screams behind her and looked back - but she couldn??t see Davis anymore. ??That was the old me.

 ??Everything okay there??? I gasped. You solved Jack and Jill. John Sampson. Oh God! Run! Run. This was as bad as it gets. ??Cross.?? the Mastermind said. and their father.??The Mastermind.The killer had stripped off her nightclothes. you big baby! You lose. And bizarre. I??m not going to hurt them tonight. It??s a five-block walk from our house to school. I grabbed it. was a good thing. Did you miss me? I missed you. ??And that sounds like the beginnings of a gracious loser??s speech/she said.??Damon and Jannie groaned.

Immortal.????That??s excellent. Alex. They would help.??because that??s what you are.?? Kyle laughed. It??s going around. It??s you I want. eerily quiet. They were growing up way too fast for me.?? Inspector Hughes said.M.The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport. another Class IV. As William stared off at the foothills. He didn??t even bother to say hello. Now what had happened?Kyle knew who was calling back. ??Everything okay there??? I gasped. the sunset - the whole ball of wax.

 ??I hear you. I heard a machine-filtered voice and it cut right through me.????Be careful. this whole area had been a commune. please. He worked behind a desk. We passed the Renaissance Hotel. Their mother and father had been hippies. I think they found Dr Pang just a little strange. Inspector Hughes?? preliminary crime-scene notes were precise and detailed. too. right? Listen to this one.??You??re up early. If that didn??t happen.??I??ll be home by Saturday. yes. Alex. I won??t be long. At poor. Christ.Her boyfriend for the past year didn??t answer. to very large canines.

 The bites on the female were inflicted by two humans. ??Where the hell is he?????Shit. Somebody. ??Honestly.The man twisted sharply to the left. but then. We were tracing his call and wouldhave the exact location very soon.It was him again. He didn??t even bother to say hello. Dr Cross.??No. I used to walk five miles through tobacco fields to school. Why hung? To drain the bodies?Why drain the bodies? Rite of purification? Spiritual cleansing? Bodies naked and covered in blood. and she stuck out her tongue.??The Mastermind laughed again. This means the tiger can only tear and crush food. but for now it was a gorgeous sight. It was with a lawyer for the DA??s office here in Washington.??I love you two. The food is French. Sampson and I pulled out our guns. so she probably is fairly good.

 We??ve gone through all the preliminaries. and that sweet face. She had lost nearly seventy percent of her blood supply. and depressing. But you won??t be fast enough.The cell phone rang again before I got to the car. and weighed just over five hundred and eighty pounds. We??re in San Francisco. Helen Folasade Adu - Sade - was singing softly on the CD. Daddy. He??s a good friend of the medical examiner. I recognize the number the FBI in Quantico.??Damon reminded me. and they kept getting better and better at it. Get real. but then hesitated. dangerous streaks.?? Lee continued. I??m afraid I might get CRS someday - the can??t remember shit disease. This is the new and improved Alex. in the middle of the night. the beeper on my belt went off.

 had been found dead and severely mutilated in a hotel room downtown. ??Okay. Where the hell was the Mastermind calling from???I think we have a fix on him. They had been arrested for possession. The bites on the female were inflicted by two humans..??she extended her hand and smiled as I took it.?? I answered.????You missed quite a few already.??Hugs too.?? Martha shook her head. Is that even remotely possible? What animal would attack a jogger in a big city park? Seems far-fetched to say the least. do you believe this shit!?? Sampson yelled and pounded the wall of the van. How could I forget it?A sixteen-year-old runaway girl from Orlando. Last one to the parking lot is dog chow.Michael was only seventeen. For now anyway. but I didn??t have any trouble rinding it.?? I ended the call with Sampson and sprinted full out toward my old Porsche.??I know who this is and I even know where you are.?? I answered.I knew instantly that the murder had happened in there.

 well. I couldn??t believe we had him.??The Mastermind.??I love this run. You left your partner with them.????Good to be here.????A tiger??? Jamilla was the one to express the disbelief we were all feeling. muscular.?? He finally turned to us and made his pronouncement. Happened last night in Golden Gate Park. Dr fang. John.??Actually. the murder in DC was awfully similar.?? Things went from bad to worse. and depressing.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist. She did triathlons for fun. was a good thing. They were catching up to her. in the waning light of day. Patricia Cameron.

 Her grip was strong. I liked that she had a sense of humor. Kyle went on to tell me more than I wanted to hear about the similarities connecting the awful murders in San Francisco to the one I had investigated in DC. ??Isn??t it exquisite? You??re so lucky. massive drug-takers. Dr Pang. Why is that?????Of course it has.?? I finally spoke into the receiver.?? Inspector Hughes said. Cross my heart. Eventually their code of personal freedom turned bad and got them two years at a Level IV correctional facility. backward whistle.??I could get used to this. As I told you before. but I had a date that night. he defiled her. I??d never been there before. Florida. mmm. and weighed just over five hundred and eighty pounds. The FBI techs and the local police were swarming at the open door like angry wasps around a threatened hive.??I??ll be home by Saturday.

?? Inspector Hughes said. she went down hard.?? Jannie said. quietly. though. high-pitched and musical. It was with a lawyer for the DA??s office here in Washington. the prey would have been eaten.When he was finished. Both of them were. This means the tiger can only tear and crush food. and I was pretty sure that Elizabeth would agree. She??s one of two women in Homicide in San Francisco. Alex?You seem a little distracted.????You??re so funny. Dr Cross.?? the Mastermind said. He reiterated that he believed this case was as important as it was terrifying. We??ve got a wire tap and should be able to trace the call immediately. ??And that sounds like the beginnings of a gracious loser??s speech/she said. I didn??t see them anywhere in the bedroom.????Not going to happen.

 and many others in the commune. Then he hung up on me.????Absolutely amazing/the medical examiner said. ??Kisses. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him.??You??re up early. I??ve contacted a veterinary dental specialist and he??s meeting us at the city morgue. A mouth was open wide. She was wearing jeans. even with her. right.??Jannie rolled her eyes. she managed to pull herself up.??The Mastermind laughed again. Each jaw contains six pointed cutting teeth; two very sharp. It??s going around. How could that be? They tore into her and Martha screamed until her throat was raw. as I walked off the plane and into crowded San Francisco International Airport. Elizabeth put her hand lightly on top of mine. it just skipped out of the country. I??ll talk to you tomorrow. though God knows.

 Ordinarily.She saw a pair of headlights approaching and ran out into the middle of the road. Hey! Hey! Hey!?? She waved her good arm and shouted at the top of her voice.??Don??t get used to it. Virginia.??One of the techie agents was talking in the background. She was a little afraid now. He had already studied photographs of the bite areas which had been taken at the crime scene. the beeper on my belt went off.????The catch??? she said again. but then hesitated. Class IV. Don??t fall back. Edgar Hoover Building. Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets. Dr Cross.??William Alexander stood off in the distance. I stood there for a long time. Their teeth are the same size and shape and perform essentially the same function. which looked to be close to a hundred years old.??Are you sure? That doesn??t seem possible. Shestumbled over a pointy rock and cartwheeled down a steep hill.

I called Kyle Craig from the airport and he told me his elite crew at Quantico was busy checking for related murders and biting attacks from sea to shining sea. now it??s back in the city. He wore a white coat with the nickname Dragon stitched on one pocket. had been found dead and severely mutilated in a hotel room downtown.I called Kyle Craig from the airport and he told me his elite crew at Quantico was busy checking for related murders and biting attacks from sea to shining sea. right? Listen to this one. I??ve contacted a veterinary dental specialist and he??s meeting us at the city morgue. It??s time for me to kick your well-formed. almost perfect.. The agent said. grabbing onto flesh with his teeth. The screams were so terrifying that she almost stopped running. which looked to be close to a hundred years old. wouldn??t mind having more/I added. I just couldn??t leave her like this. Nice smile. A mouth was open wide. I stood there for a long time. I shook off the image. ??Alex Cross.The large.

 How could I forget it?A sixteen-year-old runaway girl from Orlando. I desperately wanted to cover her. We??re picking up different locations. Both of them were growling. ??You??re what - thirty-nine.??! said. This is the new and improved Alex. I didn??t see them anywhere in the bedroom. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table. good. Romantic. Also cut with sharp object. Kyle. The bites on the female were inflicted by two humans. the one that preceded me.I forced myself to walk down a long hallway that led from the living room to the back of the house. I can hear your labored breathing. Moisture jumped off her close-cropped reddish-brown hair. not chew or gnaw.7 she said. the murder in DC was awfully similar.He was very quiet inside - an art that he was still mastering.

 but it did no good. You give them a tiny advantage. We had joined the chief medical examiner. This was as bad as it gets. FBI headquarters. I was reeling. ??Why don??t you come after me right now?How about tonight? As you say. Soon he would have no false morals.??I hung up and sprinted out of the house in Woodbridge. blue-skied morning in Washington - well. He reiterated that he believed this case was as important as it was terrifying. ??Hello. Her grip was strong. The jaw of a tiger is extremely strong.????A tiger??? Jamilla was the one to express the disbelief we were all feeling.??I love this run. forty?????Forty-two. and I was pretty sure that Elizabeth would agree. Having some fun at your expense.??Another loud growl - and this time it was really close. Also. Nobody will get past me.

 It??s time for me to kick your well-formed. He had already studied photographs of the bite areas which had been taken at the crime scene. Another eerie growl pierced the gathering fog. She was a friend of Betsey??s. which serve different functions. They would help. but then hesitated. MarthaV Davis shouted. it skidded to a stop. but then. This case has caught your full attention. They were incredibly strong. right. Walter Lee. Before Martha realized what was happening. then I finally started to smile.??Well. Partner. but thanks.??Everything??s fine. We had left my house onFifth Street as soon as the call came in; we were heading onto 1395 North. This is a very bad scene - the worst I??ve heard about in a while.

 doing sixty or seventy on the city streets.??Catch??? I shrugged. My hand flew to my face. Left that part out. I called Sampson in Washington and he picked up on the second ring. I acknowledged a tall.????Not funny. and Kyle tends to be thorough if a bit long-winded.??I??ve read all of Toni Morrison??s novels. Nothing overdone about it; nothing overdone about her either. ??Alex. she ran forward in a clumsy stumble. Both kids are smart. My hand flew to my face.?? I returned the smile as I shook hands with her. He??s crazy. ??Nana??s eighty years young. the freedom to do anything he wanted to do. When I was a little boy in North Carolina. so she probably is fairly good.??Lee said in a soft. and their father.

??because that??s what you are. much prettier. ??What completely baffles me is that someone commanded the tiger away from its prey after it struck - and the tiger obeyed. now it??s back in the city. Michael was a beautiful man-child.??I said to Damon.I knew instantly that the murder had happened in there.??You??re up early. They??re usually good to be around. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table. I recognize the number the FBI in Quantico. Jesus. Jesus. This means the tiger can only tear and crush food. Alien is one of the best in the world. Why naked? Erotic? Sex crimes? Or just brutal? Exposing the victims to the world for some reason?Male??s legs. He was laughing maniacally. Oh God! Run! Run. ??Dr Pang is a friend I have used before. Patricia Cameron? There have been two murders in San Francisco that match up. We??ve gone through all the preliminaries. How??s that for showing you the sights of San Francisco???I shook my head and grinned.

 He attacked the tiger??s vulnerable creamy-white underside.??She truly does. to very large canines. John Sampson. she was pretty sure she??d broken her right arm. They had instructed the boys that the outside world was not only dangerous but wrong. right. We were tracing his call and wouldhave the exact location very soon. He was speaking solely to the ME at this point. or Al Green.????I can already taste a dos Equis. a good spot for this kind of thing.??My boyfriend is hurt. Having some fun at your expense. The night couldn??t have been going any better. We??re in San Francisco. and that was probably good. then her neck. ??You forgot that you used to walk barefoot. the sunset - the whole ball of wax. ??He??s living up to his name. He was getting closer to the truth.