her case and she??s supposed to be competent.

 Then he said
 Then he said.?? ??Why the hell not???Sampson asked and moved closer to the agents.?? Things went from bad to worse. you know where I am. in the waning light of day. Her name was Patricia Dawn Cameron. We never got anywhere with the murder of Patricia Cameron. but they leaned in close and I wondered how much longer they would be willing to give me hugs and pecks on the cheek. ??Get the hell out of here!?? Adrenaline charged through her. She had never seen such teeth in her life.??Stop! Stop! Stop!??Amazingly the tiger stopped. had been found dead and severely mutilated in a hotel room downtown. but my insides were already tied up in knots. well.?? ??Well.?? I answered.?? I said before I let them go off to school.??She truly does. Why naked? Erotic? Sex crimes? Or just brutal? Exposing the victims to the world for some reason?Male??s legs. The beauty and the solitude.?? Damon scoffed.????You??re so funny. The sucking noise came from deep inside its wide throat.

 I can cook if I have to. Hey! Hey! Hey!?? She waved her good arm and shouted at the top of her voice. My mistake. When I was a little boy in North Carolina.?? she said. ??It??s perfectly all right. she managed to pull herself up. She??s almost a hundred years old. it just skipped out of the country. The master bedroom was situated at the end of the hall. I was planning to catch him. Two mouths.????Not going to happen. of course. They had instructed the boys that the outside world was not only dangerous but wrong. Sometimes he just cursed at me for several minutes; this morning.?? ??Why the hell not???Sampson asked and moved closer to the agents. Then everyone inside the van groaned and cursed. ??It??s perfectly all right. When you??re in San Francisco don??t pass up a chance to see the morgue.?? With my kids. He didn??t even bother to say hello. or ethics.

 able to clamp down hard enough to crush bone. right? Listen to this one. They would help. He didn??t just kill Betsey. It??s time for me to kick your well-formed. You??re my favorite puppet. and she stuck out her tongue.The large. strong beyond belief.Actually.??I hung up and sprinted out of the house in Woodbridge.??Jamilla.??Jamilla Hughes smiled again. but most of all that he loved what he was doing. so I began to look for signs directing me to public transportation. Their mother and father had been hippies.??Got you. Shestumbled over a pointy rock and cartwheeled down a steep hill. I don??t remember who.Immortal. Before Martha realized what was happening. Then we headed into the Third Street tunnel. incredibly graceful and athletic.

 His movements were almost as quick and effortless as the cat??s. ??C??mon. A runner and a large dog???Let??s get out of these woods. For God??s sake. Virginia. I don??t remember who. I wondered what else he knew. Cell phones are harder to trace. almost under his breath. The screams were so terrifying that she almost stopped running. Both of them were.How could this have happened? What did it mean? I saw Betsey??s small body sprawled on the hardwood floor and I went cold. and Dr Rang continued.????The catch??? she said again. humans are heterodonts; that is. You give them a tiny advantage.??I spoke in a low voice. Where the hell was the Mastermind calling from???I think we have a fix on him. tried to focus her eyes. All the good ones are taken. Kyle. Class IV. but then hesitated.

??He laughed a mechanical laugh and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area. Two men jumped out and ran to her.I knew instantly that the murder had happened in there. but then. I jumped.?? Things went from bad to worse.?? Inspector Hughes said. The cat??s jaws were strong enough to pulverize bone. You were chosen out of all the beautiful people in San Francisco.??Damon and Jannie groaned. He was a tall man. On verbal command. Then everyone inside the van groaned and cursed.????The catch??? she said again.Suddenly the FBI van stopped; it was chaos inside. ??You forgot that you used to walk barefoot. Okay. Maybe he??s on a cell phone in a car. ??Alex. almost under his breath. He??d punished Betsey with it. please.

 ??Kisses. Alex. right? Listen to this one. ??How about I kill your grandmother and your three kids tonight? I know where they are. He wore a white coat with the nickname Dragon stitched on one pocket.?? the Mastermind said. Detective?You should/said the Mastermind. Kyle. right? Listen to this one.Please be careful. So why are you still playing the dating game??? I understood exactly what Elizabeth meant. I shook my head in disgust.????I don??t know why this is so goddamn hard. O??Hara. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area. Loser buys at The Abbey. O??Hara. San Francisco. . We??ve got a wire tap and should be able to trace the call immediately.?? It??s much worse. Her name was Patricia Dawn Cameron. white.

 Now what had happened?Kyle knew who was calling back. We had joined the chief medical examiner. Detective. too. He reiterated that he believed this case was as important as it was terrifying. the J. More than anything. She didn??t particularly look like a homicide detective. The bites on the female were inflicted by two humans. he sounded positively civil. but not too romantic. ??but it should be.Because he??s the Mastermind. He keeps dragging me into the nastiest murder cases on the FBI??s docket.7 she said.After the waiter left with our orders for dessert and coffee. The irony stung.??I??m not exactly sure where to start. ??He??s a veterinary dental expert from the Animal Medical Center in Berkeley. not side to side. wouldn??t mind having more/I added. completely bald. He??s crazy.

 but it did no good. down-to-earth. We passed the Renaissance Hotel. and I was pretty sure that Elizabeth would agree. How??s that for showing you the sights of San Francisco???I shook my head and grinned.??he said. They??re really good kids. ??It??s perfectly all right. I had my marching orders and I planned to keep my promises from now on. massive drug-takers. ??Honestly. Mmm. It??s totally unique. She was a large woman with a really sweet smile that made me smile. Under ordinary circumstances its prey would have been pigs and piglets.?? he grunted. ??More fuckable. and all that blood.Dr Alien Pang took his time examining both bodies. ??I was just thinking about the murder in DC/I told her. Birds took flight from a nearby cypress oak. ??And that sounds like the beginnings of a gracious loser??s speech/she said. Oh God! Run! Run.

??You ought to be able to figure that out. important cases notched on your belt.????Yeah.??Nothing ever starts where we think it does.?? I joined in with the hallelujah chorus of praise. quietly. ??But enough bad poetry. She stretched out her head in front of her body as if she were trying for an invisible finish line.?? one of the young agents said in an excited voice. It??s a whole lot more interesting than any trolley-car ride. Of course.How could this have happened? What did it mean? I saw Betsey??s small body sprawled on the hardwood floor and I went cold. recurved canines; and molars that have evolved into cutting blades. Enjoying our little breakfast club. Sometimes he just cursed at me for several minutes; this morning.?? I ended the call with Sampson and sprinted full out toward my old Porsche. ??I hear you. then her neck. they have teeth of different sizes and shapes.?? Damon scoffed. Then he said.Michael was only seventeen. Let??s move it.

?? ??Why the hell not???Sampson asked and moved closer to the agents. This is the new and improved Alex. MarthaV Davis shouted. ??You??re what - thirty-nine. Mmm. you??ve got to make them last. she??s much.????I can already taste a dos Equis. Christ. I know that from experience. that beautiful bridge.??The Big Dawg!?? she kidded Davis as they jogged up a steep hill that held a stellar view of the stunning suspension bridge connecting San Francisco to Marin County. ??How about I kill your grandmother and your three kids tonight? I know where they are.??Walter Lee nodded. ??It??s perfectly all right. a muted. other than to say that these two homicides are most interesting to me. water buffalo. c??mon. actually. massive drug-takers.????Yeah. and weighed just over five hundred and eighty pounds.

?? the blond man laughed and patted the animal.William walked away. Died from massive blood loss.She felt the teeth bite into her cheek.????Absolutely amazing/the medical examiner said. Alex. Walter??? ??Yes. Alien. She had been hung by her feet from a hotel room lighting fixture. and we??re lucky to have him on this case. This is getting a little spooky. The van said ??Red Cross?? on its hood. though God knows. Alex. Elizabeth Moore was wickedly funny and nicely irreverent.Her boyfriend??s screams were ringing in her ears and she wasrunning in total panic. and Dr Rang continued. No problems here. On verbal command.??I know who this is and I even know where you are. but I think I just spotted a little pussy. ??So what??s the catch??? ??After he told his joke. and they kept getting better and better at it.

I swallowed hard.??She truly does. We??re picking up different locations. if you can??? A tiger shouldn??t be all that hard to find in San Francisco. experimenters.She reached one of the paved auxiliary roads that twisted through the park. we??d better hurry. Happened last night in Golden Gate Park. though. ??You didn??t have to do this. well. so I began to look for signs directing me to public transportation. I looked around for Inspector Jamilla Hughes.??Lee said in a soft. said that??American children suffer too much mother and too little father.??Martha said.?? ??Well. I was ecstatic that Damon was good enough to sing with the group.I took a deep breath and walked inside. ??I was just thinking about the murder in DC/I told her. Trust me. Davis??s screams had stopped. When you??re in San Francisco don??t pass up a chance to see the morgue.

 She was wearing jeans.????The catch??? she said again. especially tigers.??I love this run. ??Ecstasy. He worked behind a desk. but they saw nothing. then clamped down onto the man??s head. It isn??t happening for some reason. The devil meets with this lawyer. powerful body moving effortlessly.????Well. His movements were almost as quick and effortless as the cat??s. I??ve also attended several of your concerts. I enjoyed the preliminaries. and we??re lucky to have him on this case. Partner.????I don??t know about big cats around these parts.?? With my kids. ??It??s perfectly all right. Alex.??The bastard had been making obscene. but it did no good.

 I remembered her laugh. I wouldn??t miss your concert. I hope to hell he tries.??He laughed a mechanical laugh and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.??I??ll be home by Saturday. Says he can make the lawyer a senior partner.??My boyfriend is hurt.??Stop! I need help!?? The white van sped straight for her. she ran forward in a clumsy stumble. He was laughing maniacally. won??t we. We??re picking up different locations. as I walked off the plane and into crowded San Francisco International Airport. When I was a little boy in North Carolina. Like they were a pack. The police.?? Martha shook her head. I can??t wait. was a good thing. Romantic. She??s almost a hundred years old. Nothing overdone about it; nothing overdone about her either. not the middle of Montana.

 ??Nana already told me. ??I hear you.????A tiger??? Jamilla was the one to express the disbelief we were all feeling. Don??t fall back. Lieutenant Martha. I wondered what else he knew. in the middle of the night. ??Honestly. TWO MURDERED. ??Cross. How could that be? They tore into her and Martha screamed until her throat was raw.The killer had stripped off her nightclothes.????Be careful. humans are heterodonts; that is. ??There aren??t any cats in this park??? Davis asked.And Betsey had been much more than just a partner.??Walter Lee nodded. Dr fang. ??Where the hell is he?????Shit. Enjoying our little breakfast club. Both of them were growling. imitating Nana??s wicked cackle. There were flashing red and yellow lights everywhere.

The tiger was eight feet long. pal. Did you miss me? I missed you. please. I wouldn??t miss your concert. c??mon. actually. running as fast as she could. down-to-earth. She didn??t particularly look like a homicide detective.?? Inspector Hughes said. but thanks.What game were the killers playing? Autoerotic? I remembered the related case in Washington. The lawyer stares at the devil and asks. How could I forget it?A sixteen-year-old runaway girl from Orlando. the signal is roaming again. backward whistle. that beautiful bridge.?? he grunted. ??C??mon.????Yeah. with a Flemish flair. Partner.

 I won??t be long. He??s crazy.I swallowed hard.?? ??Thank you for your time. It??s you I want. doing sixty or seventy on the city streets. I don??t remember who. He loved it out here. Of course. doing sixty or seventy on the city streets. or any of the other bullshit inhibitions taught in the civilized world. They??re usually good to be around. good. they take a lot. The FBI and EMS were already there. the one that preceded me. massive drug-takers. and the dental expert. He keeps dragging me into the nastiest murder cases on the FBI??s docket. massive drug-takers. and that was very fast. Such as being right on time when you arrived to pick me up. Christ.

 He was laughing maniacally. they take a lot. aren??t you? Keep running.?? one of them whispered against Martha??s ear. Elizabeth put her hand lightly on top of mine.??All right. ??Alex. In a daze. but ever since I became liaison between the Bureau and the DC police. He attacked the tiger??s vulnerable creamy-white underside. ??Why don??t you come after me right now?How about tonight? As you say. mourning Betsey. How??s that for showing you the sights of San Francisco???I shook my head and grinned. very dignified voice.??Jamilla. He??d punished Betsey with it. and she stuck out her tongue. Small red dots at the site of bindings to the ankles where victims had been hung. A mouth was open wide. mourning Betsey. Dr Cross. She was probably in her mid-thirties.Your date??s a lawyer.

 Somebody. like a mountain lion variety of cat?????No. male tiger was making a chuffing sound. Her grip was strong. we??d better hurry. had been found dead and severely mutilated in a hotel room downtown. More than anything. but your reputation precedes you. Where the hell was the Mastermind calling from???I think we have a fix on him. Walter Lee.Dr Alien Pang took his time examining both bodies. bouncing like a wet ball. running as fast as she could. I??m ready to state my piece. Two men jumped out and ran to her. to sexual apparatus.?? /! also like children.Just like that. and that was very fast.It was him again.??You passed every test I could possibly throw at you . The agent said. but most of all that he loved what he was doing.

 even beautiful.??Help your grandma around the house. Beside it was a printed reminder for her next shooting qualifier at the FBI range. the one that preceded me. ??He??s living up to his name. Walter??? ??Yes. I thought so. Helen Folasade Adu - Sade - was singing softly on the CD. Our table was lit by a simple crystal votive candle.Because he??s the Mastermind. But you won??t be fast enough. and clean up after us. or so she says.Busted!I looked across the table at her - and I blinked. Martha rationalized that she had to get help.??Nothing ever starts where we think it does. pleasant for a homicide detective. The canines are used to tear food.?? Martha said in a steady. I can??t wait. The food is French. I was ecstatic that Damon was good enough to sing with the group. I recognize the number the FBI in Quantico.

 We??re in San Francisco. It was closer. but it was aggravated assault that put the brothers behind bars. but then hesitated. Patricia Cameron? There have been two murders in San Francisco that match up. you big baby! You lose. You can add that to the file on my so-called reputation. The police. I??m not exactly sure when. and many others in the commune. She was a little afraid now. ??This ;s your last ride to school. I??m not exactly sure when. It was a sharp little dig. missing her terribly. now it??s back in the city.?? Kyle laughed. it just skipped out of the country.??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. moved at a fast pace as the evening fog began to roll in like a sulfurous cloud across Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. worse than anything else. The sounds of the next growl and the heavy footsteps crushing leaves were really close.Busted!I looked across the table at her - and I blinked.

 I didn??t want to answer. ??Jesus Christ.She felt the teeth bite into her cheek. in Golden Gate Park. She put some distance between herself and Davis. white.??My boyfriend is hurt. Jannie is eight; Damon just turned ten. ??In contrast to humans. right. I??m a decent plumber. quietly. Our table was lit by a simple crystal votive candle. That??s the right approach. I??m on my way back to Washington right now. wasn??t it? So welcome to San Francisco. in the waning light of day. He attacked the tiger??s vulnerable creamy-white underside. Why there? Visit park if possible. to say the least. I went back to join Elizabeth at our table. For now anyway. She put some distance between herself and Davis.

 She did triathlons for fun. missing her terribly. I think I read about it in one of the tour books. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area. and I??m always videotaping them. His movements were almost as quick and effortless as the cat??s. a good spot for this kind of thing. or so she says.Because he??s the Mastermind. It??s going around. experimenters. where or how I got up the nerve. the freedom to do anything he wanted to do. Maybe there were a couple of??Big Dawgs??loose in the area. I??m ready to state my piece.????Absolutely amazing/the medical examiner said. Patricia Cameron? There have been two murders in San Francisco that match up. ??He??s living up to his name. sugar. but the lawyer has to give him his soul and the soul of everybody in hisfamily.?? he grunted. I was definitely the first one to blink. It??s her case and she??s supposed to be competent.