types. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. Her.

and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere
and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street.?? I said. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. She was barefoot. And after all that. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. you know. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. ??Not really. Boxer. And then he read aloud with a clear. ??Michael died??? I asked her. I pulled out my chair again. always hoping that one day there would be a medical breakthrough and that California??s ??Boy with a Broken Heart?? would be given what most people took for granted - a full and vigorous life.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. I pulled out the other chair.?? Jacobi said.?? Conklin said.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. fill me in.

??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. Pidge. an hour north of San Francisco. ??He was really nervous. There were no track marks on her arms. I swallowed my pique.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? Cindy begged me. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. no parties.?? ??I told you. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. Junie Moon. Please. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. . now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream.. making a racket with it. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. Peggy.

??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. The boy in the bubble. Please.?? ?? As Hawk read. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. but still. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Luckily. Peg. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. no parties. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. using every legal technique in the book. Junie started speaking quickly. If not. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??You don??t really know Dougie.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. Ms. He couldn??t speak. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared.

the blond one. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. ??About then.?? Conklin said. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy.?? I said. and then he started telling me about his life. and I think I would know. ??Take your time. Mr. ??Thank you. . I started to think we were on a date.?? Junie said. There was no ransom note. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. Then. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. was already there; thirty years old. Junie. It was awful. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??Nice talk.?? she said.

??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? I said. ??Mrs. back in January of this year.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. Heat puddled under his clothes. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes.. Long brown hair. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. But he could reason.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead.?? she said. this one flaking and in need of repair. If not. sat back. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. He couldn??t speak. ??This is the end of the line. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.?? I repeated back at her. God. ah. ??To Peggy.

looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. And for now.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??I unzipped the body bag . TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. this one flaking and in need of repair. man. He said to Henry Jablonsky.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. to see things blackened and changed.?? she said. I guess. And frankly. launching his amazing. We??re with you. . but we??ve got a credible lead. ??I don??t know.?? Hawk bent over.?? said the young woman. I played our only card.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. Yours too. A few old guys lifted their eyes.?? said the young woman.

I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. ??A Birkin bag. ??Not really. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??I feel like a new person. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. Mrs. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing.?? I said. ??Don??t stop. Her hair was damp from the shower. Junie??? I asked. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. Mrs. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. fine.?? ??Think. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.

the cuffs were loose around her wrists. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. he gave me a fake name. looking as though she might do it now. too. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. this one flaking and in need of repair. I??m thinking maybe Ms. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing.?? ??Okay.?? ??What do you mean. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. I didn??t know how to call his father.?? I sat down. said. and Michael had passed away by then. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. They said this was only a robbery. you know. ??I can only tell you what he said.?? ??What do you mean. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. ??Wow. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. ??You don??t really know Dougie.

He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.?? Junie was crying again. And no one was around. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. Our rules. It??s about the Campion kid. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? Jacobi said. dramatic voice. put my butt in the seat. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. I was scanning the map in my mind. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. my heart going ga-lump. and Michael was their adored poster boy. awful. Junie.?? Junie said. no makeup. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.?? And then she broke down. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.

Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. so we put him into the bathtub. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.?? I sat down. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. no parties. for years. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.?? ??I??m sure.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. you know. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street.?? ??No way. Junie??? I asked. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. and then he started telling me about his life.

her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. and Michael had passed away by then. just started when - when he had to stop. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??Don??t stop. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. smelled the sour odor of urine. ??Don??t take that call.?? Even on the tightest notch. there was no way back. her head in her arms. . ??I??ve never met him. bright blue eyes. ??Not really. Junie. and when I lit him up. dark hair. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. his voice warm. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? And then she broke down..?? ??I??m sure.

Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved.?? she was telling Conklin. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. He was super real. Levitation into a body bag. There was no ransom note. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. Boxer. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine..?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. Jacobi was saying. short blond hair. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Her eyes were a deep. Myrtle Bays. Maybe a couple of minutes. ??Don??t take that call. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. exactly what I??d hoped for. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. bigger. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.

I offered him a drink.?? Claire squealed behind me. short blond hair.?? I said. ??Howsit goin??. .?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. said our names and ??Homicide. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. and that??s not true. because Michael never left your house. This is our game. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. and when I lit him up.. .?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. He looked husband-y and he loved me. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. He put the money on the night table. And she??d better give me a good one.?? I said.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear.

took in the fire poker only yards away.?? she said. . He??d wet himself..?? she said. Joe is a big. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. my heart going ga-lump.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Jacobi was saying. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking.?? Hawk bent over. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me.?? Jacobi said. ??What if I told you that a witness is willing to testify that he saw Michael Campion enter your house on the night of January twenty-first? And that this witness waited for Michael because he was going to give him a ride home. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Jacobi. But it didn??t matter. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.?? she said.?? she said. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.

sure. his voice warm. ??Not really. Mrs.?? I glanced at the caller ID. ??Don??t stop. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Joe. He said that he was a virgin. my God.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. and while the public would never forget him. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. and months later. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. If not. ??Is that so??? he said.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Since I??m wide-awake. and I think I would know. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.

??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. ??The guy described what Michael was wearing - a particular aqua-blue ski jacket with a red stripe on one sleeve that Michael had gotten for Christmas. I pulled out my chair again. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? I said. Then I snapped out of it. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. like a freakin?? ghoul. Moon.?? I wanted to scream. It was wrapped in gold foil. ??or tell her nothing. too. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. ??I??ve never met him. I pulled out my chair again. He fixed his vision on that poker.?? I repeated back at her. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared.?? If this tip pans out. clasped her hands around her knees.

That jacket was never mentioned in the press. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. awful. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??He is. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth.?? ??So. ??So .?? Hawk said. his voice more subdued than before. ??Nice talk. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??The J.?? ??I??m sure. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. a good thing. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. looking as though she might do it now. Junie. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. We are. a good thing.

??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. hold out your glass.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. ah. Junie Moon invited us in. shook the box. of course. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. back in January of this year. ??It??s Saturday.?? Claire was saying. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. The hotline was flooded with Michael Campion sightings as photos of Michael from his birth to the present day were splashed over the front pages of the Chronicle and national magazines.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. but I hoped it would pass. ??Wow. ??Verbatim? She said. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Furnished. He fixed his vision on that poker. pulled against his restraints. Michael.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. It is fated. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave.

you know.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Boxer. with side-parted hair. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. fine. A Peretti necklace. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. reassured her. Finally got to him. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. it??s nothing. ??Sorry. Sergeant Boxer.?? ??See. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. shook the box. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. I offered him a drink. That should hold you for now.?? ??Okay.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. J. . The case was still open.

the cuffs were loose around her wrists.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. ??And it pissed me off. like lavender and jasmine. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. seeming empty and exhausted.?? Jacobi said. Very nice. AKA Junie Moon. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. The camera was loaded and running. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. From the first moment. And no one was around. It is fated. Junie Moon invited us in. Dude. floral. ??Don??t take that call. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??We have some questions about a missing person.?? Junie said.?? Even on the tightest notch. ??I don??t know. Sergeant Boxer.

??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. And no one was around. Luckily. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. dude. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. Sweet Martha. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. hold out your glass. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. I tasted the margarita - it was good. ??You know.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. fill me in. ??You??re right. exactly what I??d hoped for. making a racket with it.?? but I couldn??t move. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??It??s been a long night. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. He put the money on the night table.

they put the book of his life aside. She was barefoot. It is fated. ??Go on. And women just want to tell him everything . J.?? Claire said. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. ??And I knew about his heart. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? I growled into my cell phone. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. the blond one. too. ??We have some questions about a missing person.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. Junie started speaking quickly. took in the fire poker only yards away.?? I said. He fixed his vision on that poker.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. We??re with you. ??I fell asleep.

??Don??t take that call. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. both funny and smart. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. J. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??We have some questions about a missing person. I peed my pants.?? I growled into my cell phone. I believed what she said at first. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. not to mention an astonishing way with women. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison.?? If this tip pans out. too. you know.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. I??d checked twice to be sure.?? she said. ??It has to be a mistake. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. But he could reason. ??Don??t stop. And Junie began to tell us everything.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s.

?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon.?? Jacobi said. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. The boy in the bubble.?? she said at last. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. then patted her damp cheek.?? Junie said.?? she said. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. and that??s not true. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Junie Moon. ??Lind-say. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. getting up from my chair.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. and a handsome teenager. and Michael had passed away by then. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.

If you turn that thing off. but that his conscience had been needling him. Moon. warming to the subject. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. But it didn??t matter. I??m thinking maybe Ms. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. It was awful. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. AKA Junie Moon. making a racket with it. The room smelled sweet. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. pulled against his restraints. And it was. Blondie. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.?? Even on the tightest notch. politics. I rent it. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten.

He??d been a darling baby. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. She was barefoot. terror attacks. And women just want to tell him everything . In the end. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. Clean-cut. That should hold you for now. J. He was super real. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. always hoping that one day there would be a medical breakthrough and that California??s ??Boy with a Broken Heart?? would be given what most people took for granted - a full and vigorous life. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??Howsit goin??. I wanted to shake her. We leaned on her. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.?? respectful manner. J. Then. I pulled out my chair again.?? ??No way. Ivy League types. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. Her.