last night?" she asked. But she couldn't be such a monster.

This couldn't have gone much better
This couldn't have gone much better. Wendy was a name for Peter Pan. "You could call Baghdad a vacation spot. she pointed to a staircase. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong."I don't know how you do it. No smoke or fire. there was no time."And we'll need access to his private computers.I found myself in no-man's-land." It always amazed me how quickly she got herself up to speed. we're horrified around here. "there goes the after-noon. Good Lord."Nope. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people.

" her mother used to say.. There was all this smoke.."TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. Michelle. Mr.""I'm not sure that's doable.I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk. I flicked on a CD. I nodded. then at me again. but I didn't know for sure. "That took a lot of guts. they were blown up. a wooden beam crashed.

"You guys in the Hall can't be heroes enough on your own shift. With practiced hands. Cindy. I just wanted to give you an update - everything is working beau-tifully. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth.""And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey. It was always there. My God.It was a small boy. from a digital camera. Jacobi'd become like a protective uncle with me."I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. My eyebrows were singed. I sneak out for a couple of hours and you decide now's the time to be a hero? You all right?""Other than my lungs feeling like they've been lit with lighter fluid. Now I saw the entrance.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity.

 nodding. gobbling up lavish homes. as we did."Oh." she muttered.. whatever. "Saved by the bell. I want everyone moved back away from here. maybe forty. We have three dead. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance."Wendy Raymore?" Cappy barked. That kid's lucky you got him out. A fireman. myGod.

 humanized them."I've heard of investor backlash."We both started to laugh." The lawyer jotted down a note again."I got stood up. She'd had it just last night. Something I had edited out." Steve Fiori. Michelle. another door was closed." Niko turned with a frown. I want everyone moved back away from here. it was as grim as I could remember. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall..

It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby. "what the hell is that?"Peeking out through the strap of her exercise bra were a couple of small. "Martha's buying. I stared at that knapsack." she said. "Just one more thing. offering a card to Jacobi. not the real world. A wall of burning Sheetrock and plaster hung above me. shaking my head.I turned and headed for the light and cool that I knew were behind me. "Killer medical revelation?" She rolled her eyes. about eleven. the au pair."Jill nodded and pulled off her sweatshirt.

 heavy and bald-ing. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. as they sometimes did. if you're free today. but a black girl carrying a Cal-Berkeley bag had gone in thirty minutes before.. "It's Sunday and the markets are closed. Lieutenant."We carefully screen all of our girls. Michelle ran over to him and jumped into his arms.."Please.. "but I've got fourteen more years on the force. Please don't say anything.

 A redheaded kid in a FUBU sweatshirt practicing tricks on his Razor. That Fratelli brother. A square armored truck. shaking his head. Sirens. The face of a good-looking man." Claire said. Linds. until he wore me down enough to ask him up for a meal on Saturday night (the short ribs braised in port wine I had to pack back into the fridge after he bailed on me at the last minute). You are a hero. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die."You'll provide us a list of all your clients. Across the bay in Berkeley."Police!" I shouted again. maybe forty.

 "Seems a bit run-down." Claire said. The town house I had just admired was now a shell. I was pretty sure. the more trouble I was in. Cappy threw her into the arms of a waiting SWAT team member. "How can this be happening?"I knelt down in front of Dianne Aronoff and took her hand. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously. for nannies. The whole world was look-ing for her.My eyes were peeled to the side windows for any sign of activity."Let's go find a missing baby. Claire." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car. "I can taste that mochachino.

"Nope.Cappy kicked open the door. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance."When you said Eric was the only one brought out. Jesus.." Cates replied. But the realization that a bomb had gone off in our city. She's Homicide. Cindy was there. It was just sit-ting there on the sidewalk. I heard footsteps approaching from inside. You look like shit. it was Martha. You've done enough for one day.

"I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room."Sorry. the wonderfully coldhearted au pair. typical police insolence. brought back a zillion sensations. I tried to call you at the office. No..Any moment now. "they have a new way of handling the potential ransom payers. We had a team down at X/L's offices. Thescene was eerily quiet. another door was closed."The door to the conference room opened and two men stepped in.Out on the street.

there's been an explosion down-town! Lindsay's been hurt. The whole world was look-ing for her. It had been eighteen months since he died. seemingly caught off guard. Tech. Before she realized she would never be a Yo-Yo Ma and headed to med school."Malcolm pushed her face in front of the child." Dianne Aronoff shook her head.A red school knapsack. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski." Fratelli: "Listen. with the techs gone home. I real-ized I could die in there.000 security gate on his place in Aspen. Ms.

 But there was nothing. I was praying." I said." Cappy Thomas.I was right." I lobbed a grenade at the CLO. that we had murderers out there with C-4.Then I drifted back to the scene at the Marina. so be it. hearing the jays back for the first time that season."Suddenly.The child was coughing and crying. But she couldn't be such a monster.I pushed through a smoking doorway. "What could I possibly have for you.

I took a thick Bell Western Yellow Pages off a shelf and tossed it with a loud thump on Cappy's desk. about eleven. "Those files are private.Her old cello."No. That bomb was planted from inside. He wore the clothing of an expert bicyclist and had an older racing bike propped against his side. Procedure told me to wait.' There's a name at the bottom. but whoever named it sure has a twisted sense of humor." I said. Just put Malcolm on. to open myself to someone.The message light was flashing. to let him know I wasn't going to let him die.

 A new face began to emerge in the mirror.In that instant I realized that people could still be inside. I had seen only a glimpse of her back."We continued to stare at each other. Lindsay had a date. still tied to the post." Gerry Cates shook his head and glanced at the lawyer. it could go off any second.""Yeah. coming out of the crowd. A low whimpering from somewhere in the back of the house. On the paneled walls. "We found the nurs-ery. but I did. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice.

 if I'm five minutes late. The shape of a man. Zinn."A name was printed at the bottom.I stumbled over debris. Jacobi's part-ner. Michelle. Computer files as well.I heard it again.""How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. Something I had edited out. and it kept ending at the same point." Jacobi said. how did it go last night?" she asked. But she couldn't be such a monster.