Hardy looked at Glitsky. "What new position?"

"He just got named head ofsecurity for Bayshore Auto-tow. Marcel called me this morning and thought I'd want to know. Cuneo's out of the department with a big raise and great benefits."

"How did that happen?" Hardy asked.

"Well, you might not be surprised to hear that his stock in homicide fell a bit after Hanover, Diz. He felt that people were starting to look over his shoulder when he picked up new cases. They even made him take a new partner whose main job seemed to be to keep him in line. I guess he saw the writing on the wall."

"Yeah, but I'd heard he was up for the Tow/Hold gig way back when, not Bayshore."

"Right, but it's the same job. If he's qualified for one, he can do it for anybody."

"It's the qualified thing I'm thinking about. If he was known to be in such low standing in homicide…"

Glitsky's face was a mask. "I heard Harlan Fisk might have put in a good word to Bayshore on his behalf."

"But Harlan…"

"Kathy West's nephew Harlan, remember." "Okay, but why would he…?" Hardy asked. Treya jumped in. "You can't blame Cuneo for wanting out of homicide. They obviously didn't want him anymore. Now this new job gets him off the force and everybody's happy."

"So it's over," Hardy said.

Glitsky nodded. "He was essentially through when you finished with him in court, Diz. But now he's not just through. He's really, truly gone."

"That really does call for a toast," Frannie said.

But Hardy had a last question. "I'm just wondering how it happened. I can see Kathy passing the information along to Harlan, but how would she have heard about an opening like that?"

A glint showed in Glitsky's eyes. He shrugged with an exaggerated nonchalance. "Somebody must have told her," he said. Without further ado, he raised his glass. "Well, dear and true friends, here's to life. L'chaim!"

Acknowledgments

This book was born in fire.

I knew it would begin with a blaze in a San Francisco residence. I also knew next to nothing about the workings of fire departments or arson inspectors. So I asked my friend Josh Marone, a Santa Rosa fireman, if he could introduce me to some of his colleagues, which he was kind enough to do-thank you, Josh, for getting the ball rolling. Also in Santa Rosa, thanks to Paul Lowenthal and to Mark Pedroia, senior fire inspector, and especially to Charles J. Hanley, division chief, Santa Rosa Fire Department. Chas in turn introduced me to Thomas A. Siragusa, assistant deputy chief, San Francisco Fire Department; and Brendan O'Leary, fire investigator, Arson Task Force, San Francisco Fire Department. Thanks to all of these gentlemen for the fun and informative sessions.

Other technical advice came from forensic odontolo-gist James Wood, DDS; from Curtis Ripley, for the critical ceramics instruction that too many of us neglect; on banking matters, from Kelly Binger and John DiMichele of Yolo Community Bank in Woodland, California; on general legal and other really cool stuff, from Peter J. Diedrich. Additionally, Peter S. Dietrich, MD, MPH, provided some very fine libations over the course of the past year and still found the time and energy to correct medical errors in the first draft. Thank you to one and all. If any of the technical details in this book are wrong, it's entirely the fault of the author.

Throughout this entire series of San Francisco books, and this one is no exception, my collaborator, Al Gi-annini, has been a terrific source and inspiration on all matters related to criminal law and the justice system. His judgment and expertise in these areas are second to none, and I'm blessed to count him among my closest friends.

At Dutton, Carole Baron continues to set the standard for great publishers/editors. Her wonderful personality, intelligence, sensitivity and taste make her an absolute pleasure to work with, and my great hope is that I continue to write books that she considers worthy of her time and commitment. On a more day-to-day level, Mitch Hoffman is a talented editor who endures regular doses of author angst without apparent ill effects. A careful and disciplined reader, Mitch brings a clear focus and passion to the editing process, and this finished book is vastly superior to its first draft in large part because of his insight and suggestions. I'd also like to acknowledge some of the terrific backstage folks at Dutton: the publicity team of Lisa Johnson, Kathleen Matthews-Schmidt and Betsy DeJesu; webmaster Robert Kempe; and Richard Hasselberger for another great book jacket.

Out in the real world, many friends and colleagues play more or less continuing roles in my career and my life. My incredible assistant, Anita Boone, goes a long way toward making every workday productive, efficient and fun. She's also a mind reader (which helps, believe me), an unparalleled genius of an organizer and a tireless and cheerful detail person, who bears no resemblance whatever to Dismas Hardy's Phyllis, and that is high praise indeed. My great friend, the talented novelist Max Byrd, is a much-cherished regular source of both inspiration and motivation. Don Matheson, perennial best man, remains just that. Frank Seidl, besides keeping me up on my wine knowledge, has a knack for joy that is infectious and much appreciated. Karen Hlavacek is a fantastic proofreader whom I can't thank enough. On general principles, I'd just like to acknowledge my brothers, Michael and Emmett; Kathryn and Mark Detzer; Rick Montgomery; Glenn Nedwin; Andy Jalakas; Tom Hedtke; Tom Stienstra ("Men love him. Fish fear him."); and Bob Zaro.

Several characters in this book owe their names (although no physical or personality traits, which are all fictional) to individuals whose contributions to various charities have been especially generous. These people (and their respective charities) include Lisa Ravel (Sutter Medical Center Foundation); Mary Monroe-Rodman (Court Appointed Special Advocates-"CASA"-ofYolo County); and Jan Saunders (Monterey County Library Foundation).

My children, Justine and Jack, inform and enrich every moment of my life and my writing with their great selves. I love you both immensely.

Last, but by no means least, I'd like to thank my agent, Barney Karpfinger, for all of his continuing efforts on my behalf. I am forever in your debt, my friend, and remain delighted to work with you every day.

John Lescroart

John Lescroart is the author of seventeen previous novels, including The Hunt Club, The Motive, The Second Chair, The First Law, The Oath, The Hearing, and Nothing But the Truth. He lives with his wife and two children in Northern California.