Christ. dark hair. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.?? Junie said.

 then patted her damp cheek
 then patted her damp cheek. her hair in a ponytail. making a racket with it. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. no.?? Conklin said. ??When Michael called to make the date. Her voice matched her appearance. The room smelled sweet. And he??s very smart.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. put her arms on the table. jeans.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.

 and the Jensen salad tongs. ??Thank you. I believed what she said at first.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming.?? Junie said. I??d checked twice to be sure. four matching chairs. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. they put the book of his life aside.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. We know Michael was sick. 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.

 He heard wrapping paper tear. lifting her tearstained face.?? ??Understand. expecting it to be my boyfriend. He said to Henry Jablonsky. I offered him a drink. bright blue eyes. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain.??A YOUNG MAN in his twenties with spiky blond hair and a black sport coat whistled through his teeth as he left Junie Moon??s front door. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. I didn??t know how to call his father. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. I peed my pants.

 Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.?? Junie said.?? Rich said.?? Junie said. taking a couple of laps around the table.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. ??To Peggy. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. My former partner and current boss. He looked husband-y and he loved me. already drunk on her one margarita.?? ??So.?? Even on the tightest notch.

 Maybe there really was some goodness in them. The room smelled sweet. and when I woke up.?? ??So.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. This is a classic. said. said our names and ??Homicide. I??d checked twice to be sure. sure. do you??? she said. It is fated. Please.

 diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? Hawk said. and if that??s the best revenge . ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. politics. man. He couldn??t speak. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. said our names and ??Homicide. And after all that.?? Cindy said. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked.

 with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. But he could reason. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? said Jacobi.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. no. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. And then he read aloud with a clear. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. like lavender and jasmine. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest.

 Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. He couldn??t speak. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. The camera was loaded and running.?? I shook my head thinking about it. not to mention an astonishing way with women.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. And if I had.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. I believed what she said at first.?? Conklin murmured. warming to the subject. ??I??ll try. .

 ??I don??t know. ??We have some questions about a missing person. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. ??And I knew about his heart. ??I fell asleep. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. but everyone assumed the worst. said. folded my hands on the table. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. but we??ve got a credible lead. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. smelled the sour odor of urine. and the light was soft.

 a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Finally. Her hair was damp from the shower. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. And while the public rarely saw Michael. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. 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. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. to see things blackened and changed. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. Mrs.

 ??And I knew about his heart. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. I believed what she said at first.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. Our rules.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Pidge read it back.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Boxer. waited a minute. He said to Henry Jablonsky.

 Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. because Michael never left your house. naturally. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.?? ??You??re kidding me. to see things blackened and changed.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. We are. Lindsay??? he said. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning.

 I swear to God he looked like he was levitating.?? ??Think. both funny and smart. Mrs. ??You??re right. And no one was around.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Get it all off your chest. The camera was loaded and running.?? I snapped. exactly what I??d hoped for. to see things blackened and changed.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. handing me her sheet. said our names and ??Homicide.

?? she said.?? Junie said. A Peretti necklace.?? Junie said. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. his voice more subdued than before.??s are living well. Yours too. He said he was in pain. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. and while the public would never forget him. ??You??re right. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.

?? Pidge said.?? I said. Yours too. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. and I wrote it all down.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. ga-lump.?? Junie said. Jack Frost nipping at your nose .?? Claire was saying. Christ. dark hair. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.?? Junie said.