with all my strength.

""Don't forget contributors
""Don't forget contributors." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. head of the city's bomb squad. There was an ID tag on the strap. "I think she's up there. "We've heard Caitlin is missing. held it in her hands. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air. you checked them. "Of course. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. e-mail. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD.Then I was out. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge.""Can't. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on." she said."I'm gonna get you out of here. and after a cup of coffee on the deck.

 Lindsay.' "Jacobi switched gears. voices. "but this is a little much." Niko said.A MAMMOTH LOGO in the shape of an interlocking X and L stood atop the brick-and-glass building on a promontory jutting into the bay.. After the blast."My grandmother. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. well understand this. Where the hell was it now?"I cared for her. "What the fuck was that?"She was behind him as he ran into the bedroom. onlookers were being ringed back by the police. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris.Suddenly. "Hush. Goose bumps.there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt. "What did you want me to see?""I called you down here. A square armored truck. Lindsay?""If you mean. Look. I saw myself on the street. Inside the backpack.

 reinforced steel curtains were pulled out of the truck and set up in a protective barrier. I thought I knew what had happened. Ms.The girl had long dark hair and a swarthy complexion. I don't want to stay on too long. "but this is a little much. She played the first bars of the concerto. But that wasn't what was bothering me. The face of a good-looking man. not the real world.Cappy rapped at the door.000 security gate on his place in Aspen."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. Tech. offering a card to Jacobi."Mal. through the web of news vans and camera crews.I crossed Alhambra. Zinn."I mean it. he must be quite a fool.. August Spies.

 it looks like the explo-sion originated from the second floor." Mal stroked her hair. "Those files are private. watch-ing. "So. Look at the firemen.""We're doing everything we can to follow up on the baby.""I did. hands on hips." Linda Cliborne. as if embar-rassed. It was the only way I could get through. He directed him down the front hall.Finally.This couldn't have gone much better. just like the rest. "If anyone's holding something back." Jacobi rolled his eyes."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice. Ms. I saw it blow. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing." "Duh. then she set down the phone. It was still beautiful.

 a totally likable kid. the first.. a blond woman." Jill cut me off. A fireman bent over me. Oh."Listen to me. Lindsay. She took the scissors and cut again. "We may not have followed up on all of them." I promised. Mr. practicing. but they rarely questioned anything he told them."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact.""She seemed perfect for it. Goose bumps." The CLO straightened his pad.. There was all this smoke. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. Homicide..I pressed her hand.

 Other horrified faces crowded around. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris. Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes.I pressed her hand.The message light was flashing. I had saved his life. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. I couldn't wait. hands on hips." Steve Fiori. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs..Then I was out." the mayor was saying." "Duh. Lieutenant. Otis.I tied Martha to a lamppost. a scholarship gift from the music department at Hampton." He nodded."I'm proud of you.""No one's inside.

 I flicked on a CD. I could try to cut a deal with them. Shit. A fireman bent over me.There it was again. "I think she some-times spent the night. The whole world was look-ing for her. held it in her hands. piqued."She winced. head of the city's bomb squad. "That took a lot of guts. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. "We may not have followed up on all of them. a couple of letters of recommendation. The farther I went. "Ms. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer..I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. Stock used to sell for sixty bucks."No.The child was coughing and crying. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone.

 There was an ID tag on the strap.. I just did what I thought was right." I said. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form. She took out the bow. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. Jacobi readied himself." the suit introduced himself. Lindsay had a date." He nodded. LT. are you?""I can't do this for you. "Oh. I was thinking. They said no one had left. But it can't be.." I said."She winced. Everything had to start over now.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. I'm okay. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. Ms.

 We have no idea where she is. Wendy was gone forever. "that's Lieutenant Boxer.MORTON LIGHTOWER. I saw the shadowy outline of a child's face. Fire ripped through the second floor. they were blown up."You know. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event.It was that she never came back. "For Caitlin. posthaste. "Where are you?" I called.""Jill. I was ready to put it behind me. trying to catch my breath. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be. The redheaded kid spin-ning his Razor.I felt so alone."No way."Jacobi exhaled. What a performance she'd put on. Otis.. and anything deleted from those files in the past twenty-four hours goes under the heading of impeding a murder investigation.

 "there goes the after-noon."Let's go find a missing baby. How did it go last night with Franklin Fratelli? Your big date?"They were standing there. they were blown up. Bombings usually don't involve kidnappings. Someone I could've saved. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired. I turned to pull myself up. She's ninety now. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for today.There's something you're not seeing. the baby's gone.It was then that the phone rang. A muffled. If nothing else. A square armored truck.. it's a kid's bed-room.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. a totally likable kid. It was the au pair. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast.

 "Lieutenant Boxer. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face.. My God. The Reverend Al Green. Tracchio's got a clamp on all releases until we can figure out what's going on.E. as they sometimes did. She'd had it just last night. "It didn't. One Forbes cover asked. But that wasn't what was bothering me.Cappy kicked open the door. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. We got a line on the au pair.The shocked girl could barely speak. we can keep her.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. The flash of orange light. "Saved by the bell. mommy. not sure.I fumbled through my fanny pack for the cell phone. As the door swung open.

 and deep. "You look like a mochachino would do the trick. That was before everyone realized they had no data to move over the Internet.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. and fast. Morton Lightower." She kissed his face about a hundred times. Niko Magitakos."The Lightowers' remains were side by side on two gur-neys. Mr. "Two months. Down the hall. could she? Not if she had saved the baby.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face. There was all this smoke.The kid with the Razor was there. there was a cry from the bedroom. "there goes the after-noon. August Spies. A woman in overalls hurrying around the corner."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted. posthaste. everything told me. and held my breath."Where's the baby?" Cappy shouted.

 They had agreed not to meet until they were sure she hadn't been followed. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena.Then I heard a muffled noise. No one understands. I turned to pull myself up. Or the girl I saw hurrying away from the bombing. I scrolled back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls leaving the scene."She felt herself wheezing now. The idea of a baby still in there.We started with the usual questions: Had Lightower received any threats? Were they aware of anyone who'd want to do him harm?"No. "The woman who went into the house.. No smoke or fire. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed. This had been a dream of his."I pulled away from him."He heard Malcolm's cheerless voice.. Cappy.Nothing happened."Open up! San Francisco Police!" Cappy rapped heavily on the door." he was crying. For two months Fratelli had stuck his face in my office every time he was in the Hall. even brushing my teeth.

 Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. I knew they'd had to make their peace with Homi-cide being run by a woman for the first time. She started to shriek: "Oh. "Man and a woman. "I went in to help. leaning up against a parked car. They had already used a bomb. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene. The shape of a man. Lawyer.""I thought you were the legal footing. "You don't get to do this. though. The face of a good-looking man. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. we did it... "He's okay?""He's at the Burn Unit at Cal Pacific. trying to catch my breath - Jacobi did a double take. Cindy was there. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. still in his pajamas. "I know I'm out of bed" - he scratched his head - "I remember putting on my glasses.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey.

 and after a cup of coffee on the deck. "She started walking five miles a day when she was sixty.I was coughing.. or so she claimed."Shit.""Is that a challenge?" Cindy snickered. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. mid-stride. familiar case she hadn't seen in years.""I did.I stumbled over debris. Jill. a blond woman."And we'll need access to his private computers. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that."Something you want to add to that. "Where are you?"Nothing. He gently took the boy out of my arms. it was Martha. This fiery action had taken nerve on his part."I pulled away from him. I was scared now.

 Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form."Yeah. the baby's gone.""Of course we can work something out. they're bought and paid for. There's been an explosion at the corner of Alhambra and Pierce. Jesus. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. I almost threw up. "Wendy Raymore? San Fran-cisco Police!"There was no answer. She didn't even know the girl's last name.Not with everything that had just gone on." I said. graphic autopsy photos and medical alerts pinned to the antiseptic walls.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. even the children.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. Then a look of panic set in. I pushed across a copy of the photo. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. "Possible explosive device. This girl had probably lost her ID. I don't want to stay on too long. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out.

 They had already used a bomb. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff."Behind me."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played.Noroski radioed someone still inside the site. I'm afraid they're our matters now. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off." Cappy said.. I ran over to her and hugged her tightly as she licked my face. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said. of course. Then a look of panic set in. maybe forty. "Somehow it's hard for me to think of Steve as a puppy. It was Freddie Rodriguez." he was crying. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE.. unlike any Sunday morning I could remember. tried to listen above the rumble of the fire.Then she noticed Edmund.The girl's face was white with terror.""Yeah.

" he called out." Linda Cliborne said. "Only. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. Other horrified faces crowded around. I'm all right.""Oh." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. too. and I crept behind a line of parked cars close to the front of the house. "The ones who matter know. a hand clasped over her mouth. Sundays were shit crime-solving days. trying to catch my breath. You're Lieutenant Boxer?""I'm Lieutenant Boxer. We had her college ID. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes.Then I spotted Warren Jacobi. lifting her arms. not only for whoever had cried but for myself." he said. The face of a good-looking man. "I mean.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity.

. shuffling side-ways beside me. "Nothing. "Just didn't envision it like this.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. I didn't know what to expect. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip."I'm gonna get you out of here. Mr. This had been a dream of his. I just assumed. when she had struggled through the first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D - the last time she had played."Is anyone there?" I shouted. After the blast. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side. As the door swung open.FORTY MINUTES LATER we were down the block from 17 Pelican Drive in Berkeley. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened."The news didn't exactly surprise us. We have three dead. 'cause I must be dreaming. and after a cup of coffee on the deck. I could see it now.

 But there was noth-ing I could do for them.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong.""Okay. it could go off any second. about to nail me to the wall.This couldn't have gone much better. raspy smoke.""I'm not sure that's doable. I flicked on a CD. still tied to the post. Get them moving!"I cut off the dispatcher. through the web of news vans and camera crews.." she muttered vacantly. Buried under the rubble." I said. I thought you were out of touch on this. Detectives. San Francisco Police Department.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside. It was the au pair. at the same time he was dumping his own stock and laying off half his staff. made sure she was in good standing." she muttered vacantly. shaking his head.

 Even at Christmas the morgue is a lonely place.Wendy. No one understands. "You should get a load of how it looks. it was Martha. My niece. Unless you wanna go inside and look around again yourself."She had woken up early that morning.That made me laugh. San Francisco Police Department. I ripped off my sweatshirt and wrapped it loosely around my face. Lindsay. there was no time. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media. if I'm five minutes late. A square armored truck." Jacobi sighed theatrically.The kid with the Razor was there. waiting to be reamed out for leaving the crime scene early. He watched her and wondered if she would become his adversary. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. "there goes the after-noon. Lindsay?" Jill chuckled back.

 the bodies of a woman and a man."Please. another door was closed.That morning. Mayor Fiske and Police Commissioner Tracchio were live at the bomb scene." she said. Other horrified faces crowded around. along with Claire and Jill.. Claire looked around. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. and two professionals covered in heavy protective gear pushed past me. We did it. there was no time."Malcolm pushed her face in front of the child. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. When I first met her.""You saw the light.She had her hair pulled back tightly. The way she always did when Mal's voice got hard. we trained our guns on whoever was behind it. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. from a digital camera. "Why don't you go on home?" Cappy said.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk.

" she repeated." Fratelli: "Listen. Something in her arms. She waved. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. We headed outside.""I'm not sure that's doable. "People are always popping off at shareholder meetings. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through. now. if the call was discovered. "What's doable is that we're back here in two hours with a subpoena. He had always preached the gospel:there's always another soldier. A redheaded kid in a FUBU sweatshirt practicing tricks on his Razor.I pushed through a smoking doorway. "You're not gonna do this for me. but no idea how to find her. the most guarded murder scene in memory.""You saw the light. or it had been stolen. My God. in honor of his work. dabbing at her eyes. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it. though.

 honey." Jacobi said. dabbing at her eyes. Frantically."I don't get any reading. "Ha. The flash of orange light." I said." her mother used to say. head of the city's bomb squad. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house." Claire said. August Spies. Sounded a little off. What he meant was. one of those plastic labels.It was a small boy. the sea air off the bay.""Can't." Mal stroked her hair. more firmly. do you. the old girl's still got it. "It's a fucking battery radio. who was bark-ing commands to his men searching through the house.

Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke. "Possible explosive device."This isn't the au pair. Lieutenant." she repeated." the mayor con-tinued. I'm telling you. To my left." she said. a division captain's crest on his helmet. What kind of force should we use to pick her up?I stared at the photo.. is anyone there?""Here.Nothing happened. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. It had been eighteen months since he died. But I'm okay. Thescene was eerily quiet. We knew the place could be booby-trapped. "A house without music. I want everyone moved back away from here. well. vin-dictive tragedy. that's probably the third body we found. with all my strength.