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he hadn't been aware of, something sleeping within him had stirred.
    Then he realized what these sheets meant.
    "Oh, hell!"
    The prof had promised no copies, but obviously he hadn't kept his word. Bad enough. But what had he done with the damn book?
    Or had somebody stolen it?
    He checked the prof again and found no sign of injury. But no sign of the book either.
    Jack folded and pocketed the sheets, then waited for the EMTs to show.
    What had happened here?

8

    He hung around until the prof had been wheeled away. When everyone else followed the stretcher down the hall, Jack stayed behind and searched the office, opening every drawer and checking all the shelves. A book that size would be hard to hide and, with its metallic cover, even harder to miss. But he came up empty. No Compendium of Srem .
    Out in the hall he drew one of the secretaries aside. She was young with black-dyed hair, dark mascara, and pale makeup.
    "I brought in a book for Doctor Buhmann earlier. He was going to look it over and then, um, give me his opinion on it."
    "I'm afraid I can't let you take anything from his office."
    Jack had seen that coming, but it was a moot point at the moment.
    "I can understand that, but the problem is, I don't see the book anywhere."
    "What did it look like?"
    "Not like any other book you've ever seen. You'd remember if you saw it."
    She shook her head. "I did see him bring a book to the copier, but I didn't get a look at it. And I know he didn't leave it there because I used the copier right after him. I saw him go straight back to his office. So it has to be there."
    "It's not. Trust me."
    She frowned. "Are you saying it was stolen?"
    "I left him reading it at his desk. I come back and find him out cold and the book gone. What would you think?"
    She made no reply, but something in her eyes…
    He said, "Have you had other things go missing lately?"
    "Maybe you'd better talk to Security."
    Just about the last thing Jack wanted to do, but he didn't see that he had much choice.

9

    Dark had fallen by the time Jack made it back to Gia's. No sign of the watcher—not that he'd expected any. But inside he found Gia sitting in the library with a familiar-looking woman—slight with fine pale features and glossy black hair.
    Alicia Clayton, M.D., medical director of the St. Vincent's Center for Children with AIDS. The sight of her banished thoughts of men in homburgs and stroked-out professors.
    Smiling, she rose and hugged him.
    "Long time, Jack."
    True. Well over a year since she'd hired him to retrieve some Christmas toys stolen from the center, then again for a more personal problem echoing from the horrors of her childhood.
    "How're things at the center?"
    She shrugged. "You know how it is: Never good, but not as bad as it could be."
    Jack nodded. When dealing day after day with kids with AIDS… maybe that was the best you could hope for.
    "What brings you uptown?"
    "Me." Gia rose from her chair and stepped toward them. She looked tired. "She wants me to go back to volunteering at the center."
    Gia used to be a regular down there, holding and rocking and feeding the AIDS infants. She'd stopped with the pregnancy. But now…
    "How do you feel about that?"
    Gia shrugged. "I don't know if I'm ready."
    "Well, only you can decide that," Alicia said. "But your visits brightened many a little life."
    Gia bit her lip. "Yes, well…"
    Alicia slipped her arms around her. "When you're ready for us, we're ready for you."
    Gia returned the hug without speaking. Alicia broke it off.
    "Gotta go. I'm dragging Will to a fund-raiser for the center."
    "Will the cop?" Jack said. She was still going out with Detective Will Matthews?
    Alicia laughed. "Don't worry. I've never mentioned you."
    Gia was lifting the tea tray from the table.
    "I'll put this away and get your coat."
    As soon as she was out of sight Alicia grabbed his arm.
    "She's changed, Jack."
    "You should have seen her two months ago."
    "I can imagine. But inside and out—she's