Chapter 19

TWO WOMEN WERE SITTING in Interrogation Room 1 when I got back. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs, Cappy informed me. "A Nanny Is Love!"

"We called in when we heard about what happened," Linda Cliborne, in a pink cashmere sweater, explained to me. "We placed Wendy Raymore in that job."

"She seemed perfect for it," her partner, Judith Hertan, jumped in. Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. Inside was a filled-out A Nanny Is Love! application form, a couple of letters of recommendation, a Cal-Berkeley student ID with a photo on it.

"The Lightowers adored her," Linda said.

I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face. She was blond with high cheekbones, a wide, blossoming smile. I scrolled¹ back to the mental image I had before the blast: the girl in the overalls² leaving the scene. This could be her.

"We carefully screen all of our girls. Wendy seemed like a gem³. She was cheerful and attractive, a totally likable kid."

"And the Lightowers said their little baby had taken to her like honey," her partner added. "We always check."

"These recommendations... you checked them, too?"

Judith Hertan hesitated. "We may not have followed up on all of them. I did check with the school, made sure she was in good standing⁴. We had her college ID, of course."

I fixed⁵ on the address: 17 Pelican⁶ Drive. Across the bay in Berkeley.

"I think she said she lived off-campus," Linda Cliborne said. "We mailed her confirmation⁷ to a post office box."

I took Cappy and Jacobi outside the room. "I'll alert the Berkeley PD. And Tracchio."

"How do you want to handle it?" Cappy looked at me. What he meant was, What kind of force should we use to pick her up?

I stared at the photo.

"Use everything," I said.

1 scrolled   

adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕

参考例句：

• Wherever the drop target can possibly be scrolled offscreen, the program needs to auto-scroll. 无论拖放的目标对象是否在屏幕之外，程序都需要自动滚动。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• If It'still is then you've not scrolled up enough lines. 如果还在说明你向上滚动的行数不够。 来自互联网

2 overalls   

n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣

参考例句：

• He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
• He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

3 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 pelican   

n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟

参考例句：

• The pelican has a very useful beak.鹈鹕有一张非常有用的嘴。
• This pelican is expected to fully recover.这只鹈鹕不久就能痊愈。

7 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。