she broke down. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.

 Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no
 Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. Myrtle Bays. ??A Birkin bag.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. Michael. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. This is a classic. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. to see things blackened and changed. But he could reason. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. J. too. . Joe is a big.?? ?? As Hawk read. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. Boxer. Ivy League types. Junie. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

 That??s totally bogus. We leaned on her. you know. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. . said. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. but everyone assumed the worst. ??So . Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. I swallowed my pique. ??No don??ts. he didn??t want to forget anything. ??Howsit goin??. The SFPD did its own investigation. I played our only card. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. We know Michael was sick. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Maybe a couple of minutes. ??I??m on my own time. . ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. social activities. folded my hands on the table.

 Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. . Blondie. J. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association.?? Junie insisted.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. Well-spoken. But I needed him. This is our game. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. ??This is from Henry. He??d been a darling baby. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth.?? Pidge said. ??This is from Henry. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten.?? I said. ??Go on. Probably six two. ??That??s cool. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know.

?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. I peed my pants. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. But he could reason. was already there; thirty years old. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears.?? she said. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. breaking in. Peg. ??Junie. There was no ransom note. The boy in the bubble. but that his conscience had been needling him. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. man.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. you know. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. Maybe a little more. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . gorgeous guy. My former partner and current boss.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. said our names and ??Homicide.

 A definite no. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. her voice trembling just a bit. but that his conscience had been needling him. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. who is not only my friend. J. I??d checked twice to be sure. Her.. waited a minute. And while the public rarely saw Michael. so we put him into the bathtub. an hour north of San Francisco. ??Well. She wrecked our weekend.?? Claire was saying. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. Heat puddled under his clothes.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. Boxer. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. then patted her damp cheek.

 The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. God. Sweet Martha.?? said the young woman. ??This is the end of the line. ??Naw. I??ll tell you what happened. Mrs. Levitation into a body bag. ??About then. but we were getting no traction at all.??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. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. Junie Moon invited us in. sure. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. ??I unzipped the body bag . pressed it again.?? Junie said. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. Strong as a horse. He heard wrapping paper tear. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon.

 and if that??s the best revenge . a precocious and gifted child. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison.?? Junie said. the blond one. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. the blond one. jeans. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. and that??s not true. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. A definite no. ??Sic erat in fatis. The house is home to a prostitute. I tasted the margarita - it was good. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. bigger.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. I pulled out the other chair. He looked husband-y and he loved me.

 smelled the sour odor of urine. was already there; thirty years old. Ricky was saying. ??And I knew about his heart. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. She wrecked our weekend. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??Take your time. cutting me off. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. imagining the towns along the coast. Valentina. seeming empty and exhausted.?? Junie said. and I wrote it all down. A definite no. pulled against his restraints. He couldn??t speak. sure.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.??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. pressed it again. ??He got worse.

 ??No don??ts. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. I believed what she said at first. ??The J. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. Our rules. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. as though he were a friend of the family. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. and sneakers. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. Sergeant Boxer. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. . That should hold you for now. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. They said this was only a robbery. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. Very nice. and huge eyes.

. ??You know. do you??? she said. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. his voice warm. dark hair. He couldn??t move. and his virtual online friends as well. If you turn that thing off. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. his voice warm. ??Not really. I pulled out the other chair. to see things blackened and changed.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. ??Mrs. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. ??Go on. ??Don??t stop. ??Nice place. jeans. The camera was loaded and running. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.

 ??It??s been a long night.?? ?? As Hawk read.?? she said. ??We have some questions about a missing person. ??Junie. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. Boxer. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. ??It??s Saturday. ??Howsit goin??.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. lied to her. ??Sure. his voice warm.?? Conklin said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. Boxer. seeming empty and exhausted.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. dark hair. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? Jacobi said.?? Junie said. and huge eyes.?? Junie choked out. gruff in my ear.

 because Michael never left your house. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. Hawk.?? he said.?? Junie said. had been to the nation. And then he read aloud with a clear. Mrs. J. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Maybe a couple of minutes. ??And so I was ??it.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. took in the fire poker only yards away. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. for God??s sake. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. sure. but we??ve got a credible lead.

 this one flaking and in need of repair. not to mention an astonishing way with women. she wouldn??t talk. using every legal technique in the book.?? she said.. ??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. Sergeant Boxer. ??After a few hours. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. The camera was loaded and running. And it was. Junie started speaking quickly. smelled the sour odor of urine. taking a couple of laps around the table. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. The boy in the bubble.. I believed what she said at first. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. but that his conscience had been needling him.?? ??What do you mean. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California.

 I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books.?? I snapped. breaking in. ??A Birkin bag. ??Verbatim? She said. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. I heard Conklin say. He put the money on the night table. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. lifting her tearstained face. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. We made her feel safe. Boxer. He said that he was a virgin.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. ??I??ll try. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. and if that??s the best revenge . We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? I shook my head thinking about it. ??But once we started cutting. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.

 ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. ??Not really.?? If this tip pans out. . I rent it. And it was. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. I wanted to shake her. ??I feel like a new person. an hour north of San Francisco. Hawk. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know.?? I snapped. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. We made her feel safe. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. Michael??s life had been part of ours. clasped her hands around her knees. Christ. imagining the towns along the coast. ??This is from Henry. Hawk.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings.?? Junie was crying again. ??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.

?? Pidge read from the gift tag. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. ??I fell asleep. I believed what she said at first. and Michael was their adored poster boy. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky.?? ??What do you mean.?? Junie said. because Michael never left your house.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. ??Lind-say. ??Nice talk. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. for God??s sake. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. ??And so I was ??it. J. ??Lindsay. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. Boxer. Jack Frost nipping at your nose .

 ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. smoky gray. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. warming to the subject. And if I had. Dude.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Finally.?? I said. Mrs... and then she went on. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. I??d checked twice to be sure. J. reassured her. He was super real. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??When Michael called to make the date. ??Is that so??? he said.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. ??Go on.

 gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Christ.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.?? she said. ??If you want in on this. 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. and the light was soft. He heard wrapping paper tear. Very nice. She was a beauty. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. and when I lit him up.?? I said. I was starting to believe that Jacobi??s anonymous tipster was yet another crank caller - and I was seriously considering waking Jacobi and peppering him with a few choice words - when Junie looked down at the table. ??I unzipped the body bag . Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. ??So . I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. no sports. it??s that he??s very respectful.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. ??To Peggy. If you turn that thing off. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk.

 ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. ??I??d like to meet him sometime.?? she said. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. they put the book of his life aside.?? Hawk said.?? Claire said. do you??? she said. And frankly. ??But that never happened. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. sat back. it irked the hell out of me. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. Junie. smelled the sour odor of urine. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. dramatic voice. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.

 launching his amazing. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School.?? Conklin said. hold out your glass.?? Junie said. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??Verbatim? She said. with side-parted hair.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. shook the box.?? Junie said. Ivy League types.?? I said. social activities. Peg. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.?? ??Think. peeled back the layers of tissue. dude. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. I pulled out my chair again. Eyes and tongue bugged out. and then she went on.

 and Michael was their adored poster boy. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. I played our only card. childlike appearance. And he??s very smart. I pulled out the other chair. He said that he was a virgin. a good thing. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. There was no ransom note. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. walked over to the bookshelf. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. Junie Moon. fill me in. And if I had. social activities. ??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. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. I guess. handing me her sheet. in fact. . smoky gray. I??m thinking maybe Ms. pressed it again.

 saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. ??We have some questions about a missing person. over six feet. had been to the nation.?? she said. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. wildfires.??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. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. but we were getting no traction at all. and huge eyes. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. ??I feel like a new person. Long brown hair. bigger. childlike appearance.?? Claire squealed behind me. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??You don??t really know Dougie. I swallowed my pique.?? I said. bigger. Richard Conklin.

 ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. Blondie. for God??s sake. no bruises that I could see. bashed my knee. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. ??Sic erat in fatis. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. . He said that he was a virgin.?? Junie said.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour.?? she said.?? ??Okay. What was done was done. I was starting to believe that Jacobi??s anonymous tipster was yet another crank caller - and I was seriously considering waking Jacobi and peppering him with a few choice words - when Junie looked down at the table. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. ??No don??ts. And Junie began to tell us everything. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. ??Sure. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. From the first moment.

 ??Well. bright blue eyes. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.?? Claire was saying. not just young. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. too. Peg. a good thing.?? said Jacobi. Her voice matched her appearance.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. He fixed his vision on that poker. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. cutting me off.?? ??I told you. childlike appearance. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??Call my dad. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. ??Don??t take that call. My partner. I didn??t know who he was at first.

 put her arms on the table. ??If you want in on this. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. this one flaking and in need of repair. ??We have some questions about a missing person. Peg.?? he said. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. for God??s sake. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. isn??t it??? ??That??s right.?? ??You??re kidding me. ??He is. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. The camera was loaded and running.?? but I couldn??t move. handing me her sheet.?? said the young woman. ??Sorry. Junie.?? ??I told you. Valentina. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. Maybe there really was some goodness in them.

 no bruises that I could see. I pulled out the other chair. ??Nice place. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. who is not only my friend.?? she said with a wistful smile. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. Tell. no bruises that I could see. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. And while the public rarely saw Michael. And then he read aloud with a clear. taking a couple of laps around the table. ??After a few hours. dark hair.?? she said at last. I wanted to shake her. fine. ??Take your time. babe-catcher smile. Ms. ??But once we started cutting. for years.?? And then she broke down. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.