pretended to look slightly puzzled. When he and Michael were small boys.

 not the middle of Montana
 not the middle of Montana. Why naked? Erotic? Sex crimes? Or just brutal? Exposing the victims to the world for some reason?Male??s legs.?? I ended the call with Sampson and sprinted full out toward my old Porsche. Is that even remotely possible? What animal would attack a jogger in a big city park? Seems far-fetched to say the least. ??I was just thinking about the murder in DC/I told her.??I said to Damon. Died from massive blood loss.??You win. and obviously serious about the job he had taken on. and that was probably good. Like they were a pack.?? she said. The van said ??Red Cross?? on its hood.?? the FBI techie complained. as you know. You can add that to the file on my so-called reputation.

 the way all good runners do. important cases notched on your belt. but I knew I couldn??t. Such as listening to some of the things that actually interest me. Why there? Visit park if possible. Gaining ground fast. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom. good.?? ??Thank you for your time.So why did somebody need all that blood?I was still thinking about the strange. She had been hung by her feet from a hotel room lighting fixture. She had lost nearly seventy percent of her blood supply. The master bedroom was situated at the end of the hall. ??Everything okay there??? I gasped. It was filled with the kind of country clutter that she??d loved when she was alive.????Goodbye.

 too.I took a deep breath and walked inside. The Boys Choir was one of Washington??s secret treasures. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him. I??m on my way back to Washington right now. I??ll be right back. which looked to be close to a hundred years old. So was Michael.Betsey??s brown eyes were staring up at me. and weighed just over five hundred and eighty pounds. I??ve seen way too much of him. He worked behind a desk. it??s not as bad as it looks. too.??Walter Lee nodded. and all that blood.

She laughed out loud. I??m right here with you. She stretched out her head in front of her body as if she were trying for an invisible finish line. as long as it was consensual. that beautiful bridge. Rumor had it that she was an attractive black woman. Nobody will get past me. Patricia Cameron.?? Kyle laughed. But you won??t be fast enough. ??Alex. Eventually their code of personal freedom turned bad and got them two years at a Level IV correctional facility. you know. Jamilla Hughes and I were inside the morgue at San Francisco??s famed Hall of Justice. almost under his breath. the one that preceded me.

 deer. Certainly. Class IV. She was probably in her mid-thirties. I needed a break from the Mastermind. It??s a five-block walk from our house to school.They had been killing together for five years. my educated guess.What game were the killers playing? Autoerotic? I remembered the related case in Washington. We had him. We swabbed to gather saliva. the signal is roaming again.??Well. You??re my favorite puppet. No problems here. Both of them were growling.

 completely bald. I remembered kissing those eyes. Davis. You left your partner with them. The bites on the female were inflicted by two humans. We??re in San Francisco.. bouncing like a wet ball. I was just rucking with you. he sounded positively civil. Right on the heels of the two of them. ??Isn??t it exquisite? You??re so lucky. The first question was an obvious one.?? He demonstrated with his own teeth and jaw.I didn??t see anyone waiting. ??Let??s leave it.

 a reflex over which I had no control. but it was aggravated assault that put the brothers behind bars. Elizabeth. freedom lovers. So why are you still playing the dating game??? I understood exactly what Elizabeth meant. Dr fang. They were suspected of much more serious crimes. Christ. but I knew I couldn??t. I noted that a businessman near the gate was reading The Examiner. in fact. I??ve seen way too much of him. He loved it out here.?? He finally turned to us and made his pronouncement. John. as you know.

 Keep up with me. ??But enough bad poetry. Damon. Don??t fall back. I shuddered against my will. but they keep changing. probably six-two. It was filled with the kind of country clutter that she??d loved when she was alive. ??There aren??t any cats in this park??? Davis asked.?? ??Well. He had already studied photographs of the bite areas which had been taken at the crime scene. We were tracing his call and wouldhave the exact location very soon. I can hear your labored breathing. I was in the rear of the speeding van with three Bureauagents and my partner. She looked up. he defiled her.

 but they leaned in close and I wondered how much longer they would be willing to give me hugs and pecks on the cheek. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him. Ordinarily.????A tiger??? Jamilla was the one to express the disbelief we were all feeling. The master bedroom was situated at the end of the hall. okay??? Davis said. Such as being very handsome - not that it matters to me. John Sampson.????That??s excellent. ??Okay. Her arms and legs moved in synch like efficient pistons.And Betsey had been much more than just a partner.?? /! also like children. We never got anywhere with the murder of Patricia Cameron. unaware of where she was going.?? I said.

 threatening phone calls to me every morning for over a week. ??That was the old me. or so she says. a good spot for this kind of thing. They had instructed the boys that the outside world was not only dangerous but wrong. We had joined the chief medical examiner. The lawyer stares at the devil and asks. Died from massive blood loss. He was flawless.I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked. It??s her case and she??s supposed to be competent. had been found dead and severely mutilated in a hotel room downtown. The van was really clipping along.William was twenty. It was closer. dear.

 The first question was an obvious one. We had him. It??s totally unique.??You??re up early. of course. He keeps dragging me into the nastiest murder cases on the FBI??s docket. I hated taking his calls.??Actually. Get real. For God??s sake. I think they found Dr Pang just a little strange.?? Our waiter returned.I arrived at Betseys house in Woodbridge. but none could be proved. ??C??mon! Let??s go. mmm.

 ??We??ll see about that.??No.??the Mastermind said. A court order had been putthrough the FBI and the phone company was involved in ??trapping??the call. You??re still my love slave.She laughed out loud. ??Ecstasy. but he was grinning. ??Why don??t you come after me right now?How about tonight? As you say.??! promised.?? With my kids. Why hung? To drain the bodies?Why drain the bodies? Rite of purification? Spiritual cleansing? Bodies naked and covered in blood. He was a small man. The FBI techs and the local police were swarming at the open door like angry wasps around a threatened hive. even with her.??It was a perfect.

 Cross my heart. wasn??t it? So welcome to San Francisco. moved at a fast pace as the evening fog began to roll in like a sulfurous cloud across Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. She??d been a cross-country star at Pepperdine University. Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets.??Actually.They were invincible. This is a very bad scene - the worst I??ve heard about in a while.?? ??Alien. and clean up after us. able to clamp down hard enough to crush bone. and that was probably good.Because he??s the Mastermind. you know.The rest of my day was long. Of course.

 I think they found Dr Pang just a little strange. More than anything.????I don??t know about big cats around these parts. ??Where the hell is he?????Shit. Lieutenant Martha. They were like sharpened knives. I tried to listen to both conversations. and wished she hadn??t. or any of the other bullshit inhibitions taught in the civilized world. Kyle. and the dental expert. eerily quiet. but not overly so.Soon the thick fog would blanket the bridge and bay completely. O??Hara. Christ.

 What??s up? What happened?????He said he??s coming for you and Nana and the kids. Why naked? Erotic? Sex crimes? Or just brutal? Exposing the victims to the world for some reason?Male??s legs. I was reeling.??Big Dawg??was a pet expression they used for everything over-sized - from jet-liners. as I walked off the plane and into crowded San Francisco International Airport. dear.??I could see that we were getting off the D Street Exit. blue-skied morning in Washington - well. The lower body was coated with blood. muscular. but I knew I couldn??t. ??Get the hell out of here!?? Adrenaline charged through her. they take a lot. aren??t you? Keep running. They were suspected of much more serious crimes. It??s moving outside Washington.

 Where the hell was the Mastermind calling from???I think we have a fix on him. Victims hung by feet from oak tree.The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport. I acknowledged a tall. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone. They were incredibly strong. I enjoyed the preliminaries. We swabbed to gather saliva. trying to steady the receiver against my chin and ear.She laughed out loud. as you know. I??ll call you. Trust me. He reiterated that he believed this case was as important as it was terrifying. but I pretended to look slightly puzzled. When he and Michael were small boys.