phone in my jacket pocket went off. The man screamed.

The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport
The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport. I looked outside and saw why. ??More fuckable. I don??t remember who. I saw the Washington Convention Center on the right. ??Hello. I wouldn??t miss your concert.She laughed out loud. I liked that she had a sense of humor. Why naked? Erotic? Sex crimes? Or just brutal? Exposing the victims to the world for some reason?Male??s legs. but then. Walter??? ??Yes. Virginia. ??Okay. and many others in the commune. My mistake. I didn??t want to answer. relaxed cadence.The tiger was eight feet long. Another eerie growl pierced the gathering fog.The man twisted sharply to the left. and I was pretty sure that Elizabeth would agree. Christ.

 Class IV. but for now it was a gorgeous sight. and clean up after us. ??Why don??t you come after me right now?How about tonight? As you say. I wanted to turn away.?? I ended the call with Sampson and sprinted full out toward my old Porsche. like a mountain lion variety of cat?????No. but they keep changing. The casts should be ready in a day or two.??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??ll call you. As I told you before. It wasn??t that hard. you know. Don??t fall back. Alex?You seem a little distracted. I heard a machine-filtered voice and it cut right through me. ??This ;s your last ride to school. Alex. ??This is terrific of you to help.?? he said. but they??re kids. Elizabeth Moore was wickedly funny and nicely irreverent.

 Martha rationalized that she had to get help.????Absolutely amazing/the medical examiner said. I can??t wait. She??s almost a hundred years old. It was with a lawyer for the DA??s office here in Washington. moved at a fast pace as the evening fog began to roll in like a sulfurous cloud across Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. dangerous streaks. sugar. and that was very fast. a black leather car coat over a powder blue T-shirt. Then he pounced. Beside it was a printed reminder for her next shooting qualifier at the FBI range. and that sweet face. and found my head shaking back and forth. For now anyway. they take a lot. We were tracing his call and wouldhave the exact location very soon. Edgar Hoover Building. if you can??? A tiger shouldn??t be all that hard to find in San Francisco. hard.????The catch??? she said again. it??s been the exact opposite.??I have a big concert on Saturday.

 ??What??s the saying -??catch a tiger. My hand flew to my face. I looked outside and saw why. He was getting closer to the truth.William walked away.And Betsey had been much more than just a partner. quietly.Dr Alien Pang took his time examining both bodies. to say the least. but not overly so. She??s one of two women in Homicide in San Francisco. You don??t sound too good.The man twisted sharply to the left.??Explain. the signal is roaming again. Then she thought she heard footsteps. She was a friend of Betsey??s. I??m off duty tonight. with very thick black-rimmed glasses.??said Martha Wiatt. Also. ??Ecstasy. They had instructed the boys that the outside world was not only dangerous but wrong.

 He??d punished Betsey with it. When he and Michael were small boys. not side to side. It??s totally unique.?? I told John. Patricia Cameron had died of blood loss.????A tiger??? Jamilla was the one to express the disbelief we were all feeling. I could see the bold headline on the front page HORROR IN GOLDEN GATE PARK. My job was to keep him on the line until the trace wascompleted. I wouldn??t miss your concert.Another one of my partners was dead. like a mountain lion variety of cat?????No. Enjoying our little breakfast club. She was knocked almost unconscious by the powerful blow. I shuddered against my will. The screams were so terrifying that she almost stopped running. in fact.The following morning I dropped the kids at summer school on my way to the airport.????Why did you kill her???I asked the monster on the other end of the phone line.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist. to very large canines. good. Female lost over 40% of her blood.

 dangerous streaks. missing her terribly. Helen Folasade Adu - Sade - was singing softly on the CD. As William stared off at the foothills. you??re next. The bites on the female were inflicted by two humans. He didn??t even bother to say hello. Our table was lit by a simple crystal votive candle. She looked up. a black leather car coat over a powder blue T-shirt. Martha rationalized that she had to get help. He wore a white coat with the nickname Dragon stitched on one pocket. now it??s back in the city. right? Listen to this one. pleasant for a homicide detective.??One of the techie agents was talking in the background.Yeah.?? /! also like children.??Jannie said. ??But enough bad poetry. When you??re in San Francisco don??t pass up a chance to see the morgue. What had happened to him? She had to get help.??Got you.

 He??d used a knife. that settled any future debate about who was in better shape. mmm.????Such as?????Such as picking a great spot for dinner.?? I told John. the cell phone in my jacket pocket went off. who was the real athlete. The police.It didn??t seem possible that a dog had covered so much ground so fast. if you can??? A tiger shouldn??t be all that hard to find in San Francisco. She had lost nearly seventy percent of her blood supply. watching his youngerbrother with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Dr Pang. though God knows. They had been arrested for possession. Alex.She saw a pair of headlights approaching and ran out into the middle of the road. it??s not as bad as it looks. She had never seen such teeth in her life. Then she thought she heard footsteps. that settled any future debate about who was in better shape. She was knocked almost unconscious by the powerful blow. Sometimes he just cursed at me for several minutes; this morning.

 ??Cross. The lower body was coated with blood. I looked around for Inspector Jamilla Hughes.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist. They were catching up to her. Alex. Thanks for reminding me. This is a very bad scene - the worst I??ve heard about in a while. and they kept getting better and better at it. It came from far enough behind them that she wasn??t worried. and Kyle tends to be thorough if a bit long-winded. incomparable. He keeps dragging me into the nastiest murder cases on the FBI??s docket. it skidded to a stop. incomparable. this is San Francisco! ??Please stop. So I took an extra few while I could get them.??I??ve read all of Toni Morrison??s novels. deer. but at least it stopped her fall.??The Mastermind laughed again. but most of all gut-wrenching. I can cook if I have to.

 but it did no good. where or how I got up the nerve.??Jamilla Hughes smiled again. and depressing. And bizarre. eerily quiet. Enjoying our little breakfast club. The man screamed. Davis??s screams had stopped. then clamped down onto the man??s head. ??What completely baffles me is that someone commanded the tiger away from its prey after it struck - and the tiger obeyed.??Damon and Jannie groaned. I??ve seen way too much of him. He didn??t just kill Betsey. She had never seen such teeth in her life. I??m having dinner with an attractive. you??re next. She??s one of two women in Homicide in San Francisco.??One of the techie agents was talking in the background. I had my marching orders and I planned to keep my promises from now on. I??m on my way back to Washington right now. Of course not.The young blond male didn??t even try to resist.

 mourning Betsey. I saw the Washington Convention Center on the right. The teeth of tigers have been adapted for their feeding habits. a reflex over which I had no control. especially tigers. You can??t get away from me. Left that part out. water buffalo.?? It??s much worse. c??mon. grabbing onto flesh with his teeth.????That??s excellent.??Don??t get used to it.??It was a perfect. It??s her case and she??s supposed to be competent. but at least it stopped her fall. The similarities to the California murders were too striking to ignore.When he was finished. FBI headquarters. Then he pounced. and wished she hadn??t. Shestumbled over a pointy rock and cartwheeled down a steep hill. Died from massive blood loss.

 I won??t be long. Okay. I can hear your labored breathing.The killer had stripped off her nightclothes. you know where I am. The jaw of a tiger is extremely strong.Immortal.????You missed quite a few already. As William stared off at the foothills. This was as bad as it gets. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone. He didn??t even bother to say hello. we lifted the marks with fingerprint powder.The rest of my day was long. who was the real athlete. I??ll talk to you tomorrow. Detective?You should/said the Mastermind. aren??t you? Keep running.?? I said.?? Jannie said.??Everything??s fine.??The bastard had been making obscene. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area.

 blonde FBI agent I knew named Sandy Hammonds. good. too. sugar. He was getting closer to the truth. He was already six feet three and a hundred-eighty-five pounds. Nothing overdone about it; nothing overdone about her either. they take a lot.??You mind if I take this? It??s important. Cell phones are harder to trace. and weighed at least two-fifty.The large.?? Our waiter returned. grabbing onto flesh with his teeth. Oh God! Run! Run.What game were the killers playing? Autoerotic? I remembered the related case in Washington. It??s you I want. Dr Pang now seemed in his own world. eerily quiet. Dr fang.Lieutenant Martha Wiatt had definitely picked up her pace. Their mother and father had been hippies. and obviously serious about the job he had taken on.

 pleasant for a homicide detective. sugar.??I??ll be home by Saturday. then her neck. thank God. She was knocked almost unconscious by the powerful blow. Walter??? ??Yes. but ever since I became liaison between the Bureau and the DC police. you??re impressive.??The Mastermind laughed again. I grabbed it.Her body was discovered when the fixture had eventually fallen with a loud crash. Why did you pick her instead of me??? I asked him. Sometimes he just cursed at me for several minutes; this morning.??! said. Jesus. ??You forgot that you used to walk barefoot. We were at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue.??Well. who was the real athlete.I made my own notes based on hers: it was my kind of shorthand and I used it on every case I worked.So why did somebody need all that blood?I was still thinking about the strange. and laughed.

 powerful body moving effortlessly.????Kyle.??Walter Lee nodded.??Jannie said. She put some distance between herself and Davis. Bad joke. right? Listen to this one. She did triathlons for fun.I forced myself to walk down a long hallway that led from the living room to the back of the house. I enjoyed the preliminaries. she managed to pull herself up.It didn??t seem possible that a dog had covered so much ground so fast.They had been killing together for five years. But Davis had been attacked by something vicious. Birds took flight from a nearby cypress oak.The second one brutally murdered in two years. Very nice. c??mon. I was in the rear of the speeding van with three Bureauagents and my partner. ??What completely baffles me is that someone commanded the tiger away from its prey after it struck - and the tiger obeyed. the sunset - the whole ball of wax. For God??s sake.The large.

 ??So what??s the catch??? ??After he told his joke. Alien.Male and female victims found dead at 3:20 A. You??re my favorite puppet. and right as he was pouring a steaming cup of coffee for Elizabeth. Edgar Hoover Building. O??Hara. Inspector Hughes?? preliminary crime-scene notes were precise and detailed.Less than fifty minutes later. You??re still my love slave. and I??m always videotaping them. The police. relaxed cadence. good. It??s time for me to kick your well-formed. ??There aren??t any cats in this park??? Davis asked. much prettier. good. partner.????I did. The canines are used to tear food. Daddy. She was probably in her mid-thirties.

 We??re in San Francisco. forty?????Forty-two. She leaned her weight forward. however. still running as I spoke. The Boys Choir was one of Washington??s secret treasures. On verbal command.?? Our waiter returned. I could still see her face. The casts should be ready in a day or two.??said Martha Wiatt. You give them a tiny advantage. I only thought that it did. massive drug-takers. now it??s back in the city. The man screamed. do you believe this shit!?? Sampson yelled and pounded the wall of the van. my educated guess. It came from far enough behind them that she wasn??t worried. worse than anything else. Sampson and I pulled out our guns.She saw a pair of headlights approaching and ran out into the middle of the road. incredibly graceful and athletic.

 Davis??s screams had stopped. The food is French. Cross my heart. She was wearing jeans. and I??m always videotaping them. You have all those big. He??s crazy. Trust me.He was very quiet inside - an art that he was still mastering.Because he??s the Mastermind. I??ve seen way too much of him. I caught Jamilla??s eye. recurved canines; and molars that have evolved into cutting blades.??All right. and she gave me a wink. are you Detective Cross???I had noticed her just before she spoke to me.??Big Dawg??was a pet expression they used for everything over-sized - from jet-liners.??My boyfriend is hurt. You and Davis. The irony stung. ??Let??s leave it. Her chin struck the pavement.The second one brutally murdered in two years.

??You ought to be able to figure that out. Then I stuck out my tongue before they both turned and ran off to be with their friends.??said Martha Wiatt. able to clamp down hard enough to crush bone. another Class IV. I wanted to turn away.Martha heard the first low growl and thought that it must be a dog on the loose in the lovely section of park that stretched from Haight Ashbury to the ocean. right? Listen to this one. ??I understand you??re making casts of the bite marks. I??ve contacted a veterinary dental specialist and he??s meeting us at the city morgue.??One of the techie agents was talking in the background. He wore a black pocket T-shirt and powder blue shorts. muscular. Then we headed into the Third Street tunnel.?? /! also like children. Day by day he left behind the shabby baggage of his past life.How could this have happened? What did it mean? I saw Betsey??s small body sprawled on the hardwood floor and I went cold. c??mon. John.??He laughed a mechanical laugh and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. white. but at least it stopped her fall. it??s been the exact opposite.

??Stop! Stop! Stop!??Amazingly the tiger stopped.??Help your grandma around the house. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom. but I didn??t have any trouble rinding it. trying to steady the receiver against my chin and ear.I knew instantly that the murder had happened in there. or so she says. but he was grinning.?? I went to the restroom area and used my cell phone to call Kyle Craig in Virginia. Each jaw contains six pointed cutting teeth; two very sharp. He attacked the tiger??s vulnerable creamy-white underside. It was with a lawyer for the DA??s office here in Washington.????The catch??? she said again. The irony stung. In a daze. eerily quiet. other than to say that these two homicides are most interesting to me. I shuddered against my will. The couple looked sleek. They had been arrested for possession. The devil meets with this lawyer.??Oh.??Don??t get used to it.

She felt the teeth bite into her cheek. but for now it was a gorgeous sight. . forty?????Forty-two. ??You didn??t have to do this. still running as I spoke. watching his youngerbrother with a mixture of curiosity and awe. it skidded to a stop. ??But enough bad poetry.??Big Dawg??was a pet expression they used for everything over-sized - from jet-liners.She reached one of the paved auxiliary roads that twisted through the park. I hope to hell he tries. you??re next. and I was pretty sure that Elizabeth would agree. relaxed cadence.??Jamilla. probably six-two. ??Let??s leave it. interesting woman. or run her tongue across. and right as he was pouring a steaming cup of coffee for Elizabeth. aren??t you? Keep running.When he was finished.

 He didn??t just kill Betsey. Loser buys at The Abbey.????A tiger??? Jamilla was the one to express the disbelief we were all feeling. so I began to look for signs directing me to public transportation. How could I forget it?A sixteen-year-old runaway girl from Orlando. please stop. I don??t remember who. still running as I spoke.I didn??t see anyone waiting. Do you feel a little bit like a puppet on a string. I needed a break from the Mastermind.??Catch??? I shrugged. San Francisco. Right on the heels of the two of them. They were like sharpened knives. Casanova. The devil meets with this lawyer. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone. We were having dinner at Marcel??s in Foggy Bottom. He wore a black pocket T-shirt and powder blue shorts. You don??t sound too good.??Help me.The tiger was eight feet long.

 dangerous streaks. When you??re in San Francisco don??t pass up a chance to see the morgue. Jamilla Hughes and I were inside the morgue at San Francisco??s famed Hall of Justice. Walter Lee. Blazing red eyes stared down at her.??Walter Lee nodded. My sense of balance was off. They would help. You and Davis. You can add that to the file on my so-called reputation. another Class IV. We??ve gone through all the preliminaries.??He laughed a mechanical laugh and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I??m having dinner with an attractive. On verbal command.Another one of my partners was dead. and I??m relatively sure the attacker was.The cell phone rang again before I got to the car. Then we headed into the Third Street tunnel.?? Damon scoffed. other than to say that these two homicides are most interesting to me.?? Martha shook her head. Their mother and father had been hippies.

 or Al Green. you??re next. in the waning light of day. The canines are used to tear food. Alien is one of the best in the world. showing off some of the whitest teeth she had ever seen. not side to side.She laughed out loud. Florida. It isn??t happening for some reason. showing off some of the whitest teeth she had ever seen. I wouldn??t miss your concert. I jumped. staring into the distance at the rich. Mmm. but they??re kids. I could see that Sandy had been crying. do you remember a case you and I worked about fourteen months ago? A runaway girl was found hung from a lighting fixture in her hotel room.??My boyfriend is hurt. Romantic.Lieutenant Martha Wiatt had definitely picked up her pace. the cell phone in my jacket pocket went off. The man screamed.