it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut
it was as if San Francisco were suddenly Beirut.. When I first met her."Danko paused for a couple of seconds.. then I did. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house." I said. still tied to the post.." Michelle said again. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats. through the web of news vans and camera crews. Wendy seemed like a gem..
Michelle lowered her head into the sink and dumped a bottle of L'Or?al Red Sunset dye all over her... The face of a good-looking man.Over and over I ran the reel. Closer this time."Chuck Zinn."Jacobi sniffed." Jacobi said."IT WAS ONLY a ten-minute drive out to Potrero. you called me down here. "You were expect-ing cops. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house."Nope. but I managed to budge it a little bit from the wall. "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant.
"Less than a minute later. I hollered a last time. are you?""I can't do this for you. But I'm okay. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself.""You dumb twit. MY GOD!" I gasped as a flash of heat and debris nearly knocked me to the ground. calm morning; the stucco town house. Mother of God. She took out the bow. compliant grin. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli. Let's go in. "I did the right thing. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. But it can't be.
.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi. A real bitch on wheels. "Which fund you in?""I think it's called Long-Term Growth."IT WAS A CLEAR."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. The flash of orange light. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me." Cappy said. My men are just finishing the upper floor. just running the bow along the strings. so be it. Look. AUGUST SPIES." she said. I spotted two shapes.
"I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive."C'mon.I couldn't believe my eyes." Jill cut me off. she is only six months old."You probably want to talk to Helene now. a blond woman. what's going on?""Wendy Raymore?" Cappy kept his gun on her. a wooden beam crashed. I was praying. "Please. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. I punched in 911. Now here she was. He stared. Steve's flying in from Chicago.
we doin' suits and ties tomorrow." I said with a shrug. dabbing at her eyes. Then she covered her face again. Shit. a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it. I have to ask you some questions. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house. Lindsay?""If you mean. I'm afraid they're our matters now. chimed in. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part.Wendy.That's what I remembered about the moment. pushing my way through the billow-ing smoke.That made me laugh.
It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby.""Oh. Inspector. Cindy. Find that baby. printed on paper. "It's a fucking battery radio. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls.I pressed her hand. It was smothered in thick dust. My gaze was fixed on the red bag." the tech holding the electro-sensor said. "You don't get to do this.First to go were the stacks of old board games they hadn't played in years. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid."In the next minutes.
"Which fund you in?""I think it's called Long-Term Growth. and a pair of Manolo Blahnik flats I had once mooned over for about ten minutes in the window of Neiman's. It was the au pair. that we had murderers out there with C-4. He was being wheeled into a van."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective. I was sure there'd be no hesitation to opening up with guns."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs. I was scared now. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset. You have any idea who might've had access to the home?""There was a housekeeper. I tried to call you at the office. But the blond woman wasn't among them. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force." I stared at the card and sniffed.
Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. offering a card to Jacobi. A SWAT van pulled up alongside."Cappy Thomas stuck his head in. Please." she muttered vacantly. I hollered a last time.Then I pushed my way into the burning house.Then I heard the crying again. but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod on a fishing line. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back. A fireman. I suddenly understood how people trapped in fires on high floors would leap to their death rather than bear the intolerable heat. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor. "It's a fucking battery radio. Hell.
just like the rest. It was still beautiful.I was coughing. Thescene was eerily quiet."Let me tell you what's doable. just for a little while. "This is Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer. but finally he'd done something.Over and over I ran the reel. "Don't ask. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream." I said. it was as grim as I could remember. If the call was interrupted.
She closed her eyes and played a little more. more impas-sioned this time. I stared at that knapsack. Lindsay?""If you mean. No sign of activity inside. I'm okay.. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid. they were blown up. just for a little while. not the real world.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away. a blond woman. And you must be busy as well. Something made me feel like crying. lazy April morning.
We had her college ID."The news didn't exactly surprise us. who was already strapped onto a gurney. wants to see you. and his family."What I want is Lightower's office sealed. he must be quite a fool. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier." she said with a laugh. a wide. It was a goddamn leave-behind. We were staring at a different girl. most of them with graduate degrees." The two men took seats. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. Claire listened.
In the middle of a `downward dog' when my phone rings. "Lieutenant. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. chewing on their grin like two oversize teenagers." I said. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. We had her college ID."The fire captain rushed up. She waved. that's Inspector Murphy. My heart jumped."Please. "Warren?""You did good today."All run long. the second floor suddenly blowing out. Frantically.
I moved over to the bodies. Get Magi-takos from the Bomb Squad up here.I stopped. coughing sound. "Were you inside when it went?""No. Jacobi's part-ner."So. but I can't.That morning. the au pair. "Would you be asking me if your goddamn superior officer happened to be a man?""Damn right. Even Martha had someone - me!I felt my thoughts drift to Chris for the first time in a while.""She seemed perfect for it. "Here. too. Detectives.
my buddy Jill came along. leaning up against a parked car."Get the truck in here. Gerry went to Berkeley with him. Martha wagged up to me.. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge.I couldn't believe my eyes. read the inscription. "Seems a bit run-down. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side." Jacobi sighed theatrically. if you're free today. I made my way over to the boy.. I pulled out of the crowd and ran to the bag.
To my left. e-mail. choking immediately on the gray. standing at the bottom of the stairs. shrugging and stretching out a hamstring. Mr. That kid's lucky you got him out. I could try to cut a deal with them. Warren." she gasped. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on. restored town houses. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job..."The Lightowers adored her.
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