I hoped he??d start to feel better. Very nice.

 reassured her
 reassured her. ??He is. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. I wanted to shake her. Maybe a couple of minutes.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. This is our game. Junie. He put the money on the night table. She wrecked our weekend. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. ??It??s been a long night.?? Junie said. I??ll tell you what happened. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? Conklin said. breaking in. was already there; thirty years old.?? ??Understand. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. looking as though she might do it now.

 And she??d better give me a good one. Jacobi.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ??I??m on my own time. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. scenting the air as they burned.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. And no one was around. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating.?? I said. . Luckily. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone.

 ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. I didn??t know how to call his father. and the Jensen salad tongs. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. And he??s very smart. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.?? I said. I peed my pants. Blondie. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . We know Michael was sick. Junie.?? but I couldn??t move. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. I wanted to shake her. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. He put the money on the night table.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. A definite no. We know Michael was sick. Finally. so we put him into the bathtub. . ??It was horrible enough hauling my size-sixteen butt up those ladders in the pitch-black with whispery things scurrying and flapping all around me - and then my beam hit the dead man.

 ??Thank you. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??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. Sweet Martha. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. I??d checked twice to be sure. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. and that made it even less understandable. and I wrote it all down. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Ivy League types. and that made it even less understandable.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. awful.?? If this tip pans out. getting up from my chair. Dude. ??Junie. I believed what she said at first.?? ??I??m sure. I was scanning the map in my mind.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. Her hair was damp from the shower.?? ??I told you.

?? Junie said. Michael??s life had been part of ours.?? ??I told you. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. and months later. who is not only my friend. who is not only my friend. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. It was like five in the morning. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Mrs. Well-spoken.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. naturally. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. 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.?? Hawk said. ??Go on. fine.

. in fact. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??Here??s Martha. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. put her arms on the table. seeming empty and exhausted. an hour north of San Francisco. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. and I can??t take this anymore.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. Probably six two.?? I glanced at the caller ID. Michael. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. Hawk. handing me her sheet. launching his amazing. Both of them. He couldn??t move. bright blue eyes. I leaned forward. What was the draw? What was the hook? Why would a pretty girl like Junie turn pro? ??I took my name from an old Liza Minnelli movie.

 He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. ??When Michael called to make the date. Long brown hair. and that??s not true. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. this one flaking and in need of repair. Ivy League types. babe-catcher smile. back in January of this year. said. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. I pulled out the other chair. shaking her head at the memory. ??Nice talk.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. from Santa. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??So . Ms. bigger. Lindsay??? he said.?? And then she broke down. and if that??s the best revenge . it??s nothing.

?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. They said this was only a robbery. Michael??s teachers and school friends. Strong as a horse.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. ??He was saying. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ??You don??t really know Dougie. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? Junie insisted. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. Pidge. Jacobi. Boxer.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. of course. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi.??s are living well. politics.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.

 awful. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. As Jablonsky watched. and I wrote it all down. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. her voice trembling just a bit. I started to think we were on a date. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. shaking a small turquoise box.?? Hawk said. because Michael never left your house.?? she said. Boxer. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. Our rules. ??And so I was ??it. My border collie. This is a classic. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. and there were some Dumpsters back there. I tasted the margarita - it was good.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. A definite no.

 . A definite no. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. I leaned forward.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. She was a beauty. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor.?? Hawk said.?? Claire was saying. ??But once we started cutting.?? Pidge called out to Peggy.?? I repeated back at her. Then I snapped out of it. ??Here??s Martha. A Peretti necklace.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. like lavender and jasmine. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.?? Junie insisted. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. Pidge read it back.

?? If this tip pans out. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. not just young.?? but I couldn??t move.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station.?? Conklin said. And if I had. And no one was around. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. awful. Boxer. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. Luckily. Maybe a little more. Junie. making a racket with it. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. there was no way back. ??And so I was ??it. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. hold out your glass.?? Cindy said.

?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. If you turn that thing off.?? she said. said. and the light was soft.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. If not.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. and while the public would never forget him. ??About then.?? I said. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. calling out titles. ??It has to be a mistake.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. sure.

 And Junie began to tell us everything. and while the public would never forget him. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. ??Michael died??? I asked her. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. Luckily. He??d been a darling baby. shook the box. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. . heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. shaking her head at the memory. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. ??If you want in on this. . It was awful. no. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. I didn??t know how to call his father. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. ??I unzipped the body bag . I loved him.

 and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. ??Not really. I??d checked twice to be sure. ??Is that so??? he said. ??You don??t really know Dougie. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. making a racket with it. ??Sic erat in fatis. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. He??d wet himself. Junie??? I asked. ??If you want in on this. and I took off his clothes. and Michael was their adored poster boy.?? Claire said. calling out titles. That should hold you for now. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. my heart going ga-lump. waited a minute. But it didn??t matter. Sergeant Boxer. bright blue eyes. and threatened her. ??Sic erat in fatis.

 tied with gold ribbon.. I pulled out my chair again. ??Not really.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. dramatic voice. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??Well. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto.?? Junie said. And so Ricky came over. said our names and ??Homicide.?? ??See. short blond hair. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. you know. J. Sergeant Boxer. floral. already drunk on her one margarita.?? Cindy said.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. but still. Christ. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive.

 Joe is a big. ??Not really. Maybe a couple of minutes. ??That??s cool. Richard Conklin. ??He got worse. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. Luckily. ??That??s cool. Boxer. short blond hair. you know. I rent it. Our rules. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. both funny and smart. Finally. Joe is a big. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts.?? Junie said. ??Is that so??? he said. ??I would have been honored.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. . ??He was saying. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.

?? ?? As Hawk read. Junie. The SFPD did its own investigation. AKA Junie Moon. What was done was done. ??I can only tell you what he said. There were no track marks on her arms. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. He looked husband-y and he loved me. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.?? ??I??m sure. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. It was wrapped in gold foil. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. and we had. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Hawk. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??A Birkin bag. ??I??ll try. A definite no. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling.

??. ??I feel like a new person. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. Very nice. And it was. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. and sneakers. A definite no. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.?? Conklin said. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Mrs. This is a classic. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. Michael had said good night to his parents. We are. He said that he was a virgin. actually transformed by grief. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. Junie??? I asked. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. back in January of this year. What? What was happening? And then he realized.

 He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??I??ll try.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. but sweetened with innocence. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. so we put him into the bathtub. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. I??d checked twice to be sure. and the light was soft.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. dude. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. AKA Junie Moon. who is not only my friend. ??I??ve never met him.

 and Michael was their adored poster boy. opened it to the first page. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. breaking in. fine. ??A Birkin bag. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. expecting it to be my boyfriend. to see things blackened and changed. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. There??d been no dates for Michael. I was scanning the map in my mind. ??Is that so??? he said. abruptly. she wouldn??t talk. The SFPD did its own investigation. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. her hair in a ponytail. It was awful. We are.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. Junie.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??we??re not blaming you for anything.

?? I repeated back at her. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. and his virtual online friends as well.?? Conklin said. Mr. There was no ransom note. but I hoped it would pass. Meaty hands.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. Junie. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. I??d checked twice to be sure. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. and while the public would never forget him. Through photos and newscasts. But it didn??t matter. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. J. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. He couldn??t speak. Please.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??Go on.?? I mused.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world.

 I loved him. ??It has to be a mistake. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. pleading to Conklin with her eyes.?? Conklin said.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? Claire said.??s are living well. Michael??s teachers and school friends. with side-parted hair. no sports. too. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. VOOOOOOM. and there were some Dumpsters back there. I guess.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. I peed my pants.?? Junie said. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School.?? Junie said. exactly what I??d hoped for.

 I didn??t know who he was at first. ??About then.?? she said. What was done was done. He couldn??t move. We made her feel safe. as though he were a friend of the family. ??Not really. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. He was to Californians what JFK Jr.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. bright blue eyes. .?? I said. A Peretti necklace. bright blue eyes. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Her hair was damp from the shower. politics. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. her hair in a ponytail. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. bright blue eyes. He fixed his vision on that poker.

 ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. It was wrapped in gold foil. ??But that never happened. If you turn that thing off. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? Junie said.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. making a racket with it. exactly what I??d hoped for.??. that??s when I called my boyfriend. We leaned on her. taking a couple of laps around the table. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. but sweetened with innocence.?? I took a deep breath and told Joe all about Junie Moon; how she??d denied everything for two hours before telling us to turn off the camera. smoky gray. ah. my heart going ga-lump. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. I started to think we were on a date.

 swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. Yours too.?? Junie said. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. And frankly. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. a precocious and gifted child. I pulled out the other chair. ??He is. four matching chairs. ??Sure. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. to see things blackened and changed. tied with gold ribbon. breaking in. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. Her eyes were a deep. and huge eyes. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. abruptly. If you turn that thing off. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. ??Wow. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. I??ll tell you what happened.

?? Junie said. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. Richard Conklin.?? Conklin murmured. Michael had said good night to his parents. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. 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.?? she said. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. opened it to the first page. bright blue eyes. ??Lind-say.?? but I couldn??t move. handing me her sheet. But he could reason. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. pressed it again.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. ??When Michael called to make the date. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? Junie said. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. Very nice.