She felt so frustrated she could scream.

The big dumb jerk just had too much pride, she thought.

Midmorning traffic moved through the downtown are like heavy syrup.

Impatience hummed through Graham.

He jockeyed for position, maneuvering the sedan into any decent opening

that presented itself.

For once he was gratefu he wasn't driving his Caddie.

There was too much to do today to relax.

He'd spent exactly fifteen minutes with his son before h had to be on

his way again.

It was all the time that he had t spare.

Usually the heat didn't bother him.

Today it did, annoying him as it wafted under his skin.

Surrendering, he turn on the air-conditioning and tried to loosen up.

He succeeded marginally.

In the past couple of days it had felt as if he had one foot in the

stirrup, trying to mount a horse that was running down the path at a

full gallop.

Everywhere he turned the was something urgently calling for his attention, demanding to be placed first.

He had to be in criminal court at ten to testify on an arrest he'd made two months ago.

There was a meetin scheduled with his lawyer about Jake at one

o'clock.

Jeffers had told him just before he left Caitlin's shop that the DMV had come up with a name on the license plate he'd called in yesterday.

And Caitlin was playing along the planes of his mind like a wind song

across the desert.

The car in front of his pulled up short and Graham jammed on his brakes, narrowly avoiding locking bumpers.

He let out a shaky breath, combing his hand through his dark hair.

He had to stop letting his thoughts distract him like this.

Graham sighed as he pulled into the police department's parking lot,

leaving the sedan parked beside his own pink Cadillac.

In all the excitement, he hadn't had time to bring it home.

Maybe tomorrow.

He had his priorities, but there just didn't seem to be enough of him

to go around.

One thing at a time, Redhawk, one thing at a time.

Yes, but which one thing?

The minutes seemed to be trickling by as he hurried up the steps to the

squad room on the second floor.

Graham glanced at his watch.

Eight-fifty.

He had less than an hour to see if anyone had come up with any

information on Caitlin's would-be kidnapper.

He pushed open the door to the squad room.

It was already teeming with activity.

Detectives were taking statements from suspects, from victims ' hing

papers around.

PUS Patrolmen mingled with plainclothesmen.

He wondered if crime ever took a holiday.

There was nothing filled in after Chambers's name on the sign-out board.

That meant he was in.

Graham scanned the room, looking for the older detective.

Jeffers had said the captain had assigned Chambers to track down the

license plate number and see where the trail led.

Chambers wasn't hard to spot, even in this milling crowd.

He was at his desk on the far side of the room.

Graham cut through the press of passing bodies and crossed to him.

A greasy white-and-red wrapper was spread open on one corner of

Chambers's desk, sharing space with three opened files, a magazine on recreational vehicles and a map of New Mexico that from the creases on it had eternally elud proper refolding.

The breakfast burrito that had come in t wrapper was on its way to being history.

Andy Chambers had blond hair the color of bleach wheat left out in the sun.

It served to make his red face loo all the more flushed.

His blood pressure had made the be ting pool.

There was nothing Chambers liked better that eating, unless it was

solving a case.

He was embroiled i both at the moment.

He looked up when Graham sat next to his desk.

"What up?"

The question was muffled as he swallowed the last the burrito.

Graham pushed toward Chambers the paper napkin that was peering out from

beneath the wrapper.

The man a sently wiped his mouth, already thinking about his n meal.

"Jeffers said you might have something for me."

Chambers threw the napkin into his overflowing was paper basket and sent the wrapper in after it.

The grin on h face was broad and genuine as he looked at Graham.

And Chambers loved his work and it showed.

He nodded.