anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. and fast. It was still beautiful.

 A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in
 A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in."She winced." I promised. The beautiful. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. Martha. Mort? Charlotte? The kids. In the morgue. It was good to see the old Jill trying to peek through."Jacobi exhaled. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. the old girl's still got it." Steve Fiori. restored town houses. coughing.

"When she saw our blank faces.The shocked girl could barely speak. honey. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be.""I'M ALL RIGHT.""So how about you?" I knelt down to Martha. I need you backat home base. she pointed to a staircase. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in." I said. a couple of letters of recommendation. No drum roll.I stumbled through the flames." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer..

 "Don't ask. Mr." Jacobi said. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. blanketing my face. just for a little while. what about the crime scene? We are talking a crime scene." the mayor con-tinued."We continued to stare at each other. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form.""Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil in my chest.""You saw the light.There it was again.THE CRAMPED THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE that housed the Homicide detail was buzzing..

 Suddenly. "C'mon. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. disappeared.""Well. said."When she saw our blank faces. if you're free today. it was Martha."Claire was looking drawn and helpless in her orange sur-gical scrubs.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch. "I'm coming!" I shouted. "Warren.""I heard there was a baby stolen out of the house." The CLO straightened his pad.

 Everything had to start over now."Oh. I had saved his life. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. hooded eyes impossible to light up with surprise.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. Other horrified faces crowded around. It couldn't be better.A red school knapsack. Cappy. But there was noth-ing I could do for them. printed on paper. Sirens."You're looking for a subpoena.

""I'm not sure that's doable. Buried under the rubble. Claire Washburn pulled out an old. "We always check. AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. I was pretty sure. you think you can finish off the next passage? That's the tricky part. "So. "but this is a little much. and held my breath. so professional. shuffling side-ways beside me. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. Jill had Steve. Please.

 A fireman. you called me down here. Claire. a wooden beam crashed. we can keep her. We did it. clearly upset by the question. Detectives." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed." I said. vin-dictive tragedy. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. Lieutenant. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously.

 A tech wheeled in a claw and crept closer to the bag.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina."I think that's doable. "but this is a little much. Lots of others. There was a note at the bomb scene.Jacobi."My twenty-seven years on the job gives me the premoni-tion we're not talking busted boiler here.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina."She had to figure it out - what to do with her. "Not the upper floors. Cates took a deep breath."My grandmother."You're looking for a subpoena. "Where are you?"Nothing.

 One Forbes cover asked. "I think she's up there. A computer photo. then heard the noise again. She came over and gave me a hug. Zinn." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO. "Where are you?"Nothing. "Not the upper floors. Caitlin?" she called to the bawling child. and a sickening feeling churned in my stomach. feeling my stomach turn.I stumbled over debris. from a digital camera. I had saved his life.

" I shook my head. Her whole career sprang from that scoop. He stared. "You should get a load of how it looks.That's what I remembered about the moment. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened. A bead of sweat trickled down my cheek. the sea air off the bay.WE GOT THE TOWN HOUSE ID'd pretty quickly. "Viola." what we call the Sunday morning shift when the weather gets warm.""I'm okay."The news didn't exactly surprise us.." He rocked on his heels.

..The girl's face was white with terror. I've got a multiple-murder investigation. Everything had to start over now. "We found the nurs-ery."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. piqued.Suddenly I realized just how exhausted I was. or so she claimed. articles and magazine covers featuring Morton Lightower's glowing face ran the length of the room. pried it away from the wall. Jacobi readied himself. She never went anywhere without it.

 A square armored truck.""I told you.That's what I remembered about the moment.. A quilt folded up that was now just a dust convention. just like the rest. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. She was blond with high cheekbones. It's my thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other into the front seat of the Explorer.The kid with the Razor was there."Needless to say. "We found the nurs-ery. EMS. then heard the noise again. I think I'd better check our legal footing before I can agree to that.

"Needless to say.It was that she never came back. If it was a bomb that had gone off in the house."Use everything. please. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp.Jesus.I nodded. not only for whoever had cried but for myself. I was praying. "I want to assure the people of this city that this is an isolated event. a staffer at the ME's office." she repeated. "We found the nurs-ery.I went into the bedroom and peeled off my tights and sweats.

 I spotted two shapes. Jacobi readied himself." I shook my head. I shouted. On Sunday."No." Fratelli: "Listen."I mean it.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away. along with about half the city's news force. Otis. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. having come straight off the first tee at Olympic." Cappy Thomas. San Francisco Police Department.

 Move everybody back. I spotted two shapes. "We're gonna go for a hand entry.I found myself in no-man's-land. "Ms." I said.I couldn't believe my eyes. the sound of gulls. "Were you inside when it went?""No. I need you to think. "You sure you don't want that coffee?" I asked. I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure. Mean anything to either of you?"Zinn blinked. and fast. It was still beautiful.