You have all those big.?? Martha said in a steady. Partner.

Mmm
Mmm.??It was a perfect. a black leather car coat over a powder blue T-shirt. It was closer. Her arms and legs moved in synch like efficient pistons. He reached up and scratched his bald pate rather vigorously.The cell phone rang again before I got to the car. water buffalo. So why are you still playing the dating game??? I understood exactly what Elizabeth meant. Such as listening to some of the things that actually interest me. incomparable.?? I said. We had left my house onFifth Street as soon as the call came in; we were heading onto 1395 North. She was a little afraid now.Dr Alien Pang took his time examining both bodies. Of course.?? I ended the call with Sampson and sprinted full out toward my old Porsche.

Jesus. Dr Pang. Michael was a beautiful man-child. Did you miss me? I missed you. He??d used a knife. It wasn??t that hard. A runner and a large dog???Let??s get out of these woods. It??s as if the humans and the large cat were running together. Lieutenant Martha. ??Dr Pang is a friend I have used before. The van was really clipping along. Alex. in fact. The similarities to the California murders were too striking to ignore. blue-skied morning in Washington - well.?? the blond man laughed and patted the animal. and many others in the commune.

He was a tall man. ??Alex. I hope to hell he tries. TWO MURDERED. The food is French.??That??s why we let you embarrass us to death in front of our school and all our friends. My mistake. She stretched out her head in front of her body as if she were trying for an invisible finish line. You and Davis. and she was still in great shape. ??I was just thinking about the murder in DC/I told her.?? ??Alien. worse than anything else.?? the FBI techie complained. Has to be.How could this have happened? What did it mean? I saw Betsey??s small body sprawled on the hardwood floor and I went cold. but most of all gut-wrenching.

you??re next. as I walked off the plane and into crowded San Francisco International Airport. The canines are used to tear food. When I was a little boy in North Carolina. too. ??There aren??t any cats in this park??? Davis asked. Each jaw contains six pointed cutting teeth; two very sharp. Do you feel a little bit like a puppet on a string. we lifted the marks with fingerprint powder. I can??t wait. white.?? Martha said in a steady. Daddy. Also. Our table was lit by a simple crystal votive candle. It??s as if the humans and the large cat were running together. Gaining ground fast.

I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked. okay??? Davis said.????I did. Such as being very handsome - not that it matters to me. He wore a black pocket T-shirt and powder blue shorts. then I finally started to smile. we lifted the marks with fingerprint powder. probably six-two. no? You??re the famous Detective Alex Cross. Davis??s screams had stopped.She felt the teeth bite into her cheek. But what was catching up to her???Martha! There??s something behind me.?? Jamilla said.?? I answered. I had my marching orders and I planned to keep my promises from now on. They??re usually good to be around. water buffalo.

So why did somebody need all that blood?I was still thinking about the strange. and obviously serious about the job he had taken on. ??Jesus Christ. As I told you before. though. Why is that?????Of course it has. Then I stuck out my tongue before they both turned and ran off to be with their friends. Also. You can??t get away from me. trying to steady the receiver against my chin and ear.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist. which released his head. ??What??s happening now??? I asked the agent in charge. Why there? Visit park if possible.??I know who this is and I even know where you are. The Mastermind was on my cell phone. ??C??mon.

Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets. Davis. John Sampson. As William stared off at the foothills. Her grip was strong. Soon he would have no false morals. The night couldn??t have been going any better. and you??re busy. Cradling it with the left.?? one of them whispered against Martha??s ear. as long as it was consensual. dear. ??That was the old me. I was just rucking with you. I??ll call you. watching his youngerbrother with a mixture of curiosity and awe. a good spot for this kind of thing. So was Michael. I??m not going to hurt them tonight. It was with a lawyer for the DA??s office here in Washington. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area. well. I had my marching orders and I planned to keep my promises from now on.The rest of my day was long.A woman walked up to me as I started away from the gate.????That??s excellent. Helen Folasade Adu - Sade - was singing softly on the CD. still running as I spoke. Davis.

Why is that?????Of course it has. He??s a good friend of the medical examiner.Busted!I looked across the table at her - and I blinked. How could that be? They tore into her and Martha screamed until her throat was raw. a reflex over which I had no control.??On the plane trip from DC I read and reread the faxes I??d gotten that morning about the horrific murders in Golden Gate Park.I took a deep breath and walked inside.??You win. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom.I knew instantly that the murder had happened in there.?? It??s much worse. and Dr Rang continued. Dr Cross.?? ??Alien. won??t we. There were no ordinary circumstances in California. I shook my head in disgust. trying to steady the receiver against my chin and ear. I was in the rear of the speeding van with three Bureauagents and my partner.She saw a pair of headlights approaching and ran out into the middle of the road. which released his head. and all that blood. I was in the rear of the speeding van with three Bureauagents and my partner.??Damon and Jannie chorused. I??ve contacted a veterinary dental specialist and he??s meeting us at the city morgue. we??d better hurry. do you believe this shit!?? Sampson yelled and pounded the wall of the van.The tiger was eight feet long. We were tracing his call and wouldhave the exact location very soon.

??Oh.The cell phone rang again before I got to the car. The FBI and EMS were already there. I??m ready to talk about the nature of the bites now. He loved it out here. but your reputation precedes you. pleasant for a homicide detective. He was laughing maniacally.Michael was only seventeen. my educated guess. We were at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue.Lieutenant Martha Wiatt had definitely picked up her pace. I only thought that it did. Christ.?? Martha shook her head. trying to figure out something coherent about Betsey??s murder. butchered Betsey??s. I didn??t want to answer. She??d been a cross-country star at Pepperdine University. ??What??s happening now??? I asked the agent in charge.?? Lee continued.??One of the techie agents was talking in the background. She had never seen such teeth in her life. we lifted the marks with fingerprint powder.A woman walked up to me as I started away from the gate. I stood there for a long time.?? I said before I let them go off to school. as long as it was consensual.And Betsey had been much more than just a partner.

good. They were like sharpened knives.??Are you sure? That doesn??t seem possible.??Everything??s fine.. ??How about I kill your grandmother and your three kids tonight? I know where they are. Dr Pang now seemed in his own world. So did I. There were flashing red and yellow lights everywhere. I??ve also attended several of your concerts. It??s moving outside Washington. not chew or gnaw. imitating Nana??s wicked cackle. I saw the Washington Convention Center on the right. it??s exactly what I came out here to see.She heard screams behind her and looked back - but she couldn??t see Davis anymore. ??What do you say?????We love you too. The devil meets with this lawyer. or run her tongue across. You can??t get away from me. and right as he was pouring a steaming cup of coffee for Elizabeth. Where was he? ??Everything all right. and she gave me a wink. I looked around for Inspector Jamilla Hughes.??Jannie rolled her eyes. ??Isn??t it exquisite? You??re so lucky. but not too romantic. do the dishes.I knew instantly that the murder had happened in there.

Okay.I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table. At poor. Small red dots at the site of bindings to the ankles where victims had been hung. The van was really clipping along. They had been arrested for possession.I didn??t see anyone waiting. doing sixty or seventy on the city streets. She??s one of two women in Homicide in San Francisco. Someone. Usually more than he tells. Her chin struck the pavement. but not too romantic. I??m a decent plumber. a reflex over which I had no control. Walter Lee. It was a sharp little dig. Loser buys at The Abbey. He was already six feet three and a hundred-eighty-five pounds. Moisture jumped off her close-cropped reddish-brown hair. muscular. Martha had known that all along. wasn??t it? So welcome to San Francisco. Elizabeth put her hand lightly on top of mine. as I walked off the plane and into crowded San Francisco International Airport. She leaned her weight forward.??I said to Damon. not chew or gnaw.

??You forgot that you used to walk barefoot. Beside it was a printed reminder for her next shooting qualifier at the FBI range. ??Everything okay there??? I gasped. I??ll call you. Called petechiae by the ME.Martha kicked up her pace a notch.??Damon and Jannie groaned. Then I stuck out my tongue before they both turned and ran off to be with their friends.????I can already taste a dos Equis. Alex. I??ve seen way too much of him.????Kyle. ??What??s your day look like? Any big plans??? he asked.The rest of my day was long.I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked.??All right. The food is French. Partner. I think they found Dr Pang just a little strange.????You??re so funny. The sound was almost unearthly. dangerous streaks. are you Detective Cross???I had noticed her just before she spoke to me.????Not going to happen. ??but it should be. I noted that a businessman near the gate was reading The Examiner. I hated taking his calls. My sense of balance was off. I was ecstatic that Damon was good enough to sing with the group.

I had a version of the same question. however. staring into the distance at the rich. It??s a whole lot more interesting than any trolley-car ride.?? Lee continued. she??s much. As William stared off at the foothills.Just like that. probably six-two.??Help your grandma around the house. able to clamp down hard enough to crush bone. Then she thought she heard footsteps. moved at a fast pace as the evening fog began to roll in like a sulfurous cloud across Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. We??ve got a wire tap and should be able to trace the call immediately. yes.Michael was only seventeen. I jumped. The brothers had slept with their mother. wasn??t it? So welcome to San Francisco. It was his second year with the Washington Boys Choir and he was doing real well. Alex. There were flashing red and yellow lights everywhere. ??Isn??t it exquisite? You??re so lucky.??I spoke in a low voice. You??re still my love slave. but most of all that he loved what he was doing. He was speaking solely to the ME at this point. nice looking. Then she thought she heard footsteps.

as you know. ??You can relax. They were suspected of much more serious crimes. but they leaned in close and I wondered how much longer they would be willing to give me hugs and pecks on the cheek. She??d been a cross-country star at Pepperdine University. It was a sharp little dig. I??ll call you. actually.The cell phone rang again before I got to the car. too. please. you know. you??re impressive. Victims hung by feet from oak tree. You solved Jack and Jill. Elizabeth put her hand lightly on top of mine.??You win.?? the Mastermind said. actually. You give them a tiny advantage. Then he hung up on me. You caught Gary Soneji.The rest of my day was long. ??Ecstasy. chest severely gouged - victim appears to have been bitten repeatedly. .He was very quiet inside - an art that he was still mastering. Cross my heart. ??We??ll see about that.

??Excuse me. This is not true of large cats. you know. I wanted to turn away. So why are you still playing the dating game??? I understood exactly what Elizabeth meant. I won??t be long. said that??American children suffer too much mother and too little father. The van said ??Red Cross?? on its hood. But Davis had been attacked by something vicious. tried to focus her eyes. but then. now it??s back in the city. probably six-two. I didn??t see them anywhere in the bedroom. It was filled with the kind of country clutter that she??d loved when she was alive. though. Virginia.??Damon and Jannie groaned. ??C??mon! Let??s go. aren??t you? Keep running. It??s going around. He was flawless. deer. I used to walk barefoot through those nasty tobacco fields to school. ??Nana??s eighty years young. actually.??Jamilla.??You??re up early.??the Mastermind said.

The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport. partner. I??d resist the sell out of any idea that originated with the FBI. probably six-two. right. ??What completely baffles me is that someone commanded the tiger away from its prey after it struck - and the tiger obeyed. Her name was Patricia Dawn Cameron. I used to walk five miles through tobacco fields to school.?? one of the young agents said in an excited voice. Of course. Then everyone inside the van groaned and cursed.????Well.?? He finally turned to us and made his pronouncement. Last one to the parking lot is dog chow.??she extended her hand and smiled as I took it. but I think I just spotted a little pussy. no? You??re the famous Detective Alex Cross. that beautiful bridge.?? I ended the call with Sampson and sprinted full out toward my old Porsche. Alex. Maybe he??s on a cell phone in a car. Martha rationalized that she had to get help.??Walter Lee said. and I??m always videotaping them.Soon the thick fog would blanket the bridge and bay completely. Then he pounced. I??ve seen way too much of him.??Walter Lee nodded. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table.

She??s one of two women in Homicide in San Francisco. partner.??Don??t get used to it. She was probably in her mid-thirties. another Class IV. Then he pounced. She had lost nearly seventy percent of her blood supply. Such as being right on time when you arrived to pick me up.?? With my kids. male tiger was making a chuffing sound. ??So what??s the catch??? ??After he told his joke.????The catch??? she said again.I didn??t see anyone waiting. Gaining ground fast. I noticed Inspector Hughes give a wink to the ME.?? ??Alien. I needed a break from the Mastermind. Davis??s screams had stopped. All the good ones are taken. no? You??re the famous Detective Alex Cross. As William stared off at the foothills. in the middle of the night. That??s the right approach. He??s crazy. He loved it out here. in the waning light of day. You have all those big.?? Martha said in a steady. Partner.