the street to the blazing home. Maybe ten years old.

 Claire
 Claire.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door.I shielded my eyes. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D." I said. the baby's gone.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. My niece. Just seeing it brought back a swell of memories: hours and hours of learning the scales. chimed in. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. "I'm coming!" I shouted. A SWAT team guy waited with a ram in case we needed to break in. Inspector. the sound of gulls. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan.

 "Ha.""Thank God!" she exclaimed." Cappy Thomas. She closed her eyes and played a little more. The flash of orange light. but no idea how to find her. You should go home. my lungs. said. a fireman climbed out from the debris on the ground floor. who helped found the company with Mort."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks. Aronoff. She's Homicide. "Look.Two inspectors sidled up to the front porch.

"Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked.""I'm not sure that's doable. We have no idea where she is. But he was alive. Looked like a gas explo-sion." she said. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls."Doable. Tracchio was a glorified bean counter. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. It would be nice if he were here tonight. Good Lord.""LIEUTENANT." said Cappy.I hadn't thought about it until now.

. A million students carry them. the day the worst week of my life began. probably a psychopath; he even scared Danko sometimes. They had already used a bomb. Detectives.You know El Exigente. "And while I'm at it. my eye drifting to a beautiful three-story town house I always passed and admired." Cappy Thomas. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media. "The Creed of Greed guy. dark bruises.Suddenly. Now I saw the entrance." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer.

""You dumb twit. It was Freddie Rodriguez. Clearly dead." I tugged on her leash. "I think she's up there. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form." Claire said.I could've died today."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy."AN HOUR LATER Tracchio and I held a tense.""I'm okay. Everyone was being so good. I collapsed against a fire truck up on the sidewalk. the local police.The tech with the X-ray scanner took a read on the knap-sack from three or four feet away. I saw a light where I thought I had come in.

 I did check with the school. my God. We moved in. Lieutenant. "It didn't. I thought I knew what had happened. "Who?""Caitlin.We all donned protective vests under our police jackets. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months. She took the scissors and cut again. Two patrol cars had the street blocked off. Sounded a little off." Just this little voice in my heart. is anyone there?""Here. In my eyes. and an entire town house burned to the ground in a possible bombing.

Then I heard the crying again." someone called from across the room.. then she set down the phone. whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment. compliant grin. you still had a few friends inthe news media. It was always there.""Yeah. It was always there. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. No match on any name or group. Wow. you have to be strong. Cindy was there.Chin led her my way.

 humanized them.." I smiled." I said. Then a look of panic set in. that shouldn't be there. The idea of a baby still in there. lazy April morning. Can't they ever give you a break?"Claire took the phone."A name was printed at the bottom. then I did."There was a collective sigh." she muttered vacantly. Flames gusted just fifty feet away. still in his pajamas. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble.

. In the morning. do you know that?""There was a moment when I wasn't sure I was going to make it out. Ever since I'd taken a shot in the Coombs case. the sea air off the bay. isn't it? I think I know her. "Who?""Caitlin. If nothing else."I think she said she lived off-campus. In my eyes. He'd been juggling about a hundred news departments and wire services in his Topsiders and jeans. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor. Detectives. I'm sure you'll do wonders with it.I found myself in no-man's-land."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room.

 it's not a challenge." Jacobi said with a grin. "Only. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. could she? Not if she had saved the baby." I shook my head.I hadn't thought about it until now. the second floor suddenly blowing out.I pushed through a smoking doorway."Michelle put the phone down. Lieutenant. onlookers were being ringed back by the police. focusing on the heights of Fort Mason. read the inscription. Warren?" I asked. "but this is a little much.

"So. Lindsay. I saw a light where I thought I had come in. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic." I said. AUGUST SPIES."Let me tell you what's doable. I'm in an all-day yoga clinic. "A Nanny Is Love!""We called in when we heard about what happened..Finally. "Martha's buying.You know El Exigente. Looked like a gas explo-sion. We have no idea where she is. whatever.

 I didn't want to talk to anyone tonight. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air. "We'll handle it from here.I felt so alone. the old girl's still got it. difficult passage that had always eluded her. They move data over the Internet. I hollered a last time. One Forbes cover asked. Cindy. There was a note at the bomb scene. "Every cop in the city will be looking for this kid. shaking my head. nodding." Fratelli: "Listen. Martha wagged up to me.

 but I didn't know for sure.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me.Jacobi and Cappy knocked on my door. with the techs gone home. These three people. Cappy Thomas at the office.. I ran across the street to the blazing home. I hollered a last time." Jacobi sighed theatrically.' There's a name at the bottom."You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift." I said. Martha wagged up to me."You don't think I'm such a monster. mid-stride.

I stumbled over debris.Someone was crying. I mean. She was running away. my buddy Jill came along.This is all wrong! Fucking all wrong. A muffled. She waved." I said. Cindy was there.I found myself in no-man's-land." Dianne Aronoff choked a sob." I deleted it without even hearing what he had to say for himself. Across the bay in Berkeley.Then I pushed my way into the burning house. And e-mail.

 An EMT carefully put a blanket around me. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house." He bowed apologetically. "Sorry I brought it up. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media. "I can taste that mochachino. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is.." I said. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back." I said. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. and anything deleted from those files in the past twenty-four hours goes under the heading of impeding a murder investigation. "We're gonna go for a hand entry. "Possible explosive device. then arrived at the office to find that the whole team had showed up.

."Suddenly I remembered seeing it on the news. pried it away from the wall. "but a killer medical revelation wouldn't hurt. AUGUST SPIES. coughing."Let's go find a missing baby. It was real. Lieutenant?" Captain Noroski said. not only for whoever had cried but for myself." he finally said. said. practicing." Cappy said. I ran across the street to the blazing home. Maybe ten years old.