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out of him for talking to his girl. Right now, that boy is happy, Mr.Karpov, just look at how happy, but all that is gonna end just as soon as he realizes all those hopes and dreams he has ain’t never gonna work.”
    John slowly let his eyes drift to the tube.
    “You could save that poor child all that grief, Mr. Karpov. Somewhere very close to us there is a device. I have built that device, and placed it carefully, and you now control it.”
    Karpov looked at the tube. His expression was as milky as if he were holding a rattlesnake.
    “If you press that little silver button, maybe you can save that child the pain he’s gonna face. I’m not sayin’ the device is over there in that school, but I’m sayin’ maybe. Maybe that whole fuckin’ playground would erupt in a beautiful red firestorm. Maybe those babies would be hit so hard by the pressure wave that all their shoes would just be left scattered on the ground, and the clothes and skin would scorch right off their bones. I ain’t sayin’ that, but there it is right there in that silver button. You can end that boy’s pain. You have the power. You can turn the world to hell, you want, because you have the power right there in that little silver button. I have created it, and now I’ve given it to you. You. Right there in your hand.”
    Karpov stood and thrust the tube at John.
    “I want no part of this. Take it.
Take it
.”
    John slowly took the tube. He fingered the silver button.
    “When I do what you want me to do, Mr. Karpov, people are gonna die. What’s the fuckin’ difference?”
    “The money is all there. Every dollar. All of it.”
    Karpov walked away without another word. He crossed the street, walking so fast that his strides became a kind of hop, as if he expected the world around him to turn to flame.
    John dropped the tube into the nylon bag with the money.
    They never seemed to appreciate the gift he offered.
    John settled back again, stretched his arms along the backrestto enjoy the sun and the sounds of the children playing. It was a beautiful day, and would grow even more beautiful when a second sun had risen.
    After a while he got up and walked away to check the Most Wanted List. Last week he wasn’t on it.
    This week he hoped to be.

2
•   •   •
    The Criminal Conspiracy Section where Starkey worked is housed on the fifth floor of an eight-story office building on Spring Street, just a few blocks from the LAPD’s seat of power, Parker Center. LAPD’s Fugitive Section and Internal Affairs Group are also housed there, on the fourth and sixth floors. The building is known to have the most congested parking of any building in city government, with the detectives on each floor having to wedge their cars together with barely enough room to open their doors. The officers who work there nicknamed the building “Code Three” because, if they had to respond to an actual emergency, they would make better time running out of the building on foot to grab a cab.
    Starkey parked on the third floor after ten minutes of maneuvering, then climbed the steps to the fifth floor. She noticed Marzik watching her as soon as she walked in, and decided to see if Marzik wanted to make something of the Binaca. Starkey went over, stopping in Marzik’s face.
    “What?”
    Marzik met her gaze without looking away.
    “I got those rental apps, like you wanted. I figure most of those people will go home today, and we can talk to them first. If anyone doesn’t show, we can use the apps to find them.”
    “Is there anything else?”
    “Like what?”
    “Like whatever you need to say?”
    “I’m fine.”
    Starkey let it go. If Marzik confronted her about the drinking, she didn’t know what she could do except lie.
    “Okay. I’ve got the 911 call. Is Hooker in?”
    “Yeah. I saw him.”
    “Let’s listen to the tape, then I want to get over to Glendale. Chen’s gonna have the chrom, and I want to see how they’re coming with the