I tasted the margarita - it was good I tasted the margarita - it was good. Long brown hair. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. ??We have some questions about a missing person. imagining the towns along the coast. bright blue eyes. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. and the Jensen salad tongs. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. ??I??ve never met him. And it was. ??We have some questions about a missing person. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. but it just didn??t happen. Sergeant Boxer. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. Peggy. ??But that never happened. As Jablonsky watched. too.?? Conklin said. and the Jensen salad tongs. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ga-lump. Ms. dropped to the table. No sign of foul play. I believed what she said at first. and huge eyes.?? I mused. My border collie.?? said Jacobi. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. The camera was loaded and running. He was super real.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. Then. Junie Moon invited us in. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. . Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. It was wrapped in gold foil. ??Sure. opened it to the first page. God. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.?? Rich said. interviewing family members and retainers. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. ??Lind-say. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. Clean-cut. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. As Jablonsky watched. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. that they were planning to let them go. That should hold you for now. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.?? I wanted to scream. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. ??No don??ts. they cared. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. Since I??m wide-awake. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. He looked husband-y and he loved me. 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. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??Nice talk. gruff in my ear.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. who is not only my friend. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??Michael died??? I asked her. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. she hadn??t been arrested for anything.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. launching his amazing. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. A Peretti necklace. no.?? Claire said. ??It??s Saturday.?? If this tip pans out. I swallowed my pique. I played our only card. In the end. but still. I guess. no makeup. Pidge.?? Yuki laughed. ??You??re right. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. ??Well. Valentina. I??m thinking maybe Ms. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. He looked husband-y and he loved me. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. no sports. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. We??re with you. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. I??m thinking maybe Ms. Yours too. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. Ivy League types. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. A few old guys lifted their eyes. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. A few old guys lifted their eyes. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? she said at last. then patted her damp cheek. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute.?? Junie said.?? I sat down. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. exactly what I??d hoped for. Mrs. It??s about the Campion kid. Her hair was damp from the shower. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. shaking her head at the memory. . I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight. Boxer. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. It is fated.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. We??re with you. bashed my knee. And she??d better give me a good one. ??But he got worse. ??Sorry. And it was.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? I said. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. shaking a small turquoise box. I peed my pants. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. I loved him. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. her voice trembling just a bit. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. Well-spoken. but it just didn??t happen. ??And it pissed me off. but everyone assumed the worst. Maybe a couple of minutes. in fact.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. And it was. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? Junie said. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. for years. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Peg.. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. Her voice matched her appearance. Boxer.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ??I??ll try. ??We have some questions about a missing person. Maybe a couple of minutes. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. my God. you don??t know??? I said. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Boxer. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??Lind-say. 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. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Heat puddled under his clothes. you know. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. who is not only my friend. Hawk. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??Nice place. and the Jensen salad tongs. childlike appearance. using every legal technique in the book. Jacobi was saying. Then I snapped out of it. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. ??I feel like a new person. there was no way back. I started to think we were on a date. Our rules. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. then patted her damp cheek. Joe. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked.?? she said at last. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Peg. I didn??t know who he was at first. said our names and ??Homicide. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.?? Claire squealed behind me. abruptly. childlike appearance. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. Peggy. Pidge.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. but sweetened with innocence. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? ??Think. ??Here??s Martha. actually transformed by grief. The boy in the bubble. God.?? I said. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. J. ??He was saying. ??A Birkin bag. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. the blond one. no. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. no makeup. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.?? Junie insisted. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. ??Verbatim? She said. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.??. J. not to mention an astonishing way with women. I pulled out my chair again. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. I loved him. ??Well. bigger. interviewing family members and retainers. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. ??Here??s Martha. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto.?? ??See. Boxer. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. And she??d better give me a good one. too. Pidge read it back. Boxer. It was awful. Boxer.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. He couldn??t move. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. I started to think we were on a date. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Junie. Very nice. and Michael was their adored poster boy. ??Mrs. I took a notebook out of my handbag. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. Dude. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Blondie.?? Junie said. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? I said. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. We leaned on her. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair.?? Pidge said. From the first moment. and his virtual online friends as well. Then. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.?? ??What do you mean. In English that means ??in the saddle. he gave me a fake name. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??After a few hours. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. ??And it pissed me off. and I took off his clothes. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. In the end. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. the blond one. the Hermès tie. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. We know Michael was sick. . ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. bright blue eyes. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. a good thing. ??He was saying.?? Junie said. Blondie.?? ??See. Michael.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. He said he was in pain.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. She wrecked our weekend. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. Junie. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel.?? Junie choked out. Junie Moon invited us in. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.?? Junie insisted. naturally. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??Lindsay.?? she was telling Conklin. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. imagining the towns along the coast. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. ??No don??ts.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Furnished.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. had been to the nation. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. ?? Even on the tightest notch.?? I said. ??Sure. It was wrapped in gold foil. Get it all off your chest. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. jeans.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. I heard Conklin say.?? she said with a wistful smile. an hour north of San Francisco.?? she said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.?? Claire was saying. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. launching his amazing. but it just didn??t happen.?? I said. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. We??re with you. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. lied to her. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? Claire was saying. She wrecked our weekend. and months later. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? Junie said. The tips had led nowhere. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??Wow. That should hold you for now. Please. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Well-spoken. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Junie. and sneakers. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. getting up from my chair. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Since I??m wide-awake. Ricky was saying. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. taking a couple of laps around the table. ?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. J. ??This is from Henry. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. and the Jensen salad tongs. and huge eyes. it??s nothing.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. What? What was happening? And then he realized. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??So . And for now.?? ??See. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? Conklin murmured. using every legal technique in the book.?? ?? As Hawk read.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??He got worse. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. . Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. for years..?? she said with a wistful smile.?? 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. Her eyes were a deep. If you turn that thing off. no sports. and huge eyes. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. No sign of foul play. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. and I wrote it all down. dude. no. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??If you want in on this. Mr. And women just want to tell him everything . They said this was only a robbery. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. ??Thank you. and a handsome teenager. so we put him into the bathtub. . and I wrote it all down. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. The case was still open. J. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. VOOOOOOM. but everyone assumed the worst. ??The J. Michael??s life had been part of ours.?? Hawk bent over. I??ll tell you what happened. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. ??I feel like a new person. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. for God??s sake.?? I said. Her voice matched her appearance. ??He got worse. What was done was done. But it didn??t matter.?? said Jacobi. Mrs.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. J. I??ll tell you what happened. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. . Jacobi was saying. smoky gray. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. with side-parted hair. opened it to the first page. shaking a small turquoise box. too. dude. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. shaking a small turquoise box. Michael??s life had been part of ours. social activities.?? Rich said. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. like a freakin?? ghoul. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. ?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. as though he were a friend of the family. you know. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.?? Pidge said. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. and I can??t take this anymore. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. 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. Peg. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. you??re right. pressed it again. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book.?? I mused. pulled against his restraints. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??Sic erat in fatis. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. Joe is a big.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. they put the book of his life aside. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. I heard Conklin say. Christ. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. then patted her damp cheek. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. and I took off his clothes. And no one was around. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. there was no way back. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. showing her a photo of Michael Campion.?? Cindy begged me. He??d wet himself. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. that??s when I called my boyfriend.?? Conklin murmured. reassured her. no. And while the public rarely saw Michael.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. as though he were a friend of the family. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. ??But he got worse. and the light was soft. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. over six feet. handing me her sheet. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? Junie said. The tips had led nowhere. Dude. put my butt in the seat.

 I tasted the margarita - it was good
 I tasted the margarita - it was good. Long brown hair. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. ??We have some questions about a missing person. imagining the towns along the coast. bright blue eyes. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. and the Jensen salad tongs. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. ??I??ve never met him. And it was. ??We have some questions about a missing person. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. but it just didn??t happen. Sergeant Boxer. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. Peggy. ??But that never happened. As Jablonsky watched. too.?? Conklin said.

 and the Jensen salad tongs. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ga-lump. Ms. dropped to the table. No sign of foul play. I believed what she said at first. and huge eyes.?? I mused. My border collie.?? said Jacobi. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. The camera was loaded and running. He was super real.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. Then. Junie Moon invited us in. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. . Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh.

 It was wrapped in gold foil. ??Sure. opened it to the first page. God. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.?? Rich said. interviewing family members and retainers. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. ??Lind-say. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. Clean-cut. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. As Jablonsky watched. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. that they were planning to let them go. That should hold you for now. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.?? I wanted to scream. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. ??No don??ts. they cared. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth.

 Since I??m wide-awake. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. He looked husband-y and he loved me. 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. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??Nice talk. gruff in my ear.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. who is not only my friend. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??Michael died??? I asked her. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. she hadn??t been arrested for anything.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. launching his amazing. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. A Peretti necklace. no.?? Claire said. ??It??s Saturday.?? If this tip pans out. I swallowed my pique. I played our only card. In the end.

 but still. I guess. no makeup. Pidge.?? Yuki laughed. ??You??re right. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. ??Well. Valentina. I??m thinking maybe Ms. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. He looked husband-y and he loved me. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. no sports. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. We??re with you. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. I??m thinking maybe Ms. Yours too. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. Ivy League types.

 ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. A few old guys lifted their eyes. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. A few old guys lifted their eyes. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? she said at last. then patted her damp cheek. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute.?? Junie said.?? I sat down. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. exactly what I??d hoped for. Mrs. It??s about the Campion kid. Her hair was damp from the shower. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. shaking her head at the memory.

 . I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight. Boxer. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. It is fated.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. We??re with you. bashed my knee. And she??d better give me a good one. ??But he got worse. ??Sorry. And it was.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? I said. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. shaking a small turquoise box. I peed my pants. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. I loved him. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable.

 her voice trembling just a bit. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. Well-spoken. but it just didn??t happen. ??And it pissed me off. but everyone assumed the worst. Maybe a couple of minutes. in fact.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. And it was. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? Junie said. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. for years. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Peg.. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. Her voice matched her appearance. Boxer.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.

 ??I??ll try. ??We have some questions about a missing person. Maybe a couple of minutes. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. my God. you don??t know??? I said. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Boxer. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??Lind-say. 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. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Heat puddled under his clothes. you know. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. who is not only my friend. Hawk. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??Nice place. and the Jensen salad tongs. childlike appearance. using every legal technique in the book. Jacobi was saying. Then I snapped out of it.

 Jablonsky had reasoned at the time.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. ??I feel like a new person. there was no way back. I started to think we were on a date. Our rules. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. then patted her damp cheek. Joe. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked.?? she said at last. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Peg. I didn??t know who he was at first. said our names and ??Homicide. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.?? Claire squealed behind me. abruptly.

 childlike appearance. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. Peggy. Pidge.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. but sweetened with innocence. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? ??Think. ??Here??s Martha. actually transformed by grief. The boy in the bubble. God.?? I said. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. J. ??He was saying. ??A Birkin bag. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. the blond one. no. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes.

 no makeup. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.?? Junie insisted. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. ??Verbatim? She said. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.??. J. not to mention an astonishing way with women. I pulled out my chair again. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. I loved him. ??Well. bigger. interviewing family members and retainers. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. ??Here??s Martha. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto.?? ??See. Boxer.

 Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. And she??d better give me a good one. too. Pidge read it back. Boxer. It was awful. Boxer.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. He couldn??t move. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. I started to think we were on a date. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Junie. Very nice. and Michael was their adored poster boy. ??Mrs. I took a notebook out of my handbag. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. Dude. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue.

 Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Blondie.?? Junie said. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? I said. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. We leaned on her. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair.?? Pidge said. From the first moment. and his virtual online friends as well. Then. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.?? ??What do you mean. In English that means ??in the saddle. he gave me a fake name. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??After a few hours. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. ??And it pissed me off. and I took off his clothes. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office.

 And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. In the end. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. the blond one. the Hermès tie. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. We know Michael was sick. . ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. bright blue eyes. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. a good thing. ??He was saying.?? Junie said. Blondie.?? ??See. Michael.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. He said he was in pain.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. She wrecked our weekend. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.

 Junie. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel.?? Junie choked out. Junie Moon invited us in. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.?? Junie insisted. naturally. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??Lindsay.?? she was telling Conklin. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. imagining the towns along the coast. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. ??No don??ts.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Furnished.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. had been to the nation. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy.

?? Even on the tightest notch.?? I said. ??Sure. It was wrapped in gold foil. Get it all off your chest. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. jeans.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. I heard Conklin say.?? she said with a wistful smile. an hour north of San Francisco.?? she said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.?? Claire was saying. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. launching his amazing. but it just didn??t happen.?? I said. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. We??re with you. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. lied to her. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? Claire was saying.

 She wrecked our weekend. and months later. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? Junie said. The tips had led nowhere. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??Wow. That should hold you for now. Please. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Well-spoken. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Junie. and sneakers. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. getting up from my chair. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Since I??m wide-awake. Ricky was saying. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. taking a couple of laps around the table.

?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. J. ??This is from Henry. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. and the Jensen salad tongs. and huge eyes. it??s nothing.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. What? What was happening? And then he realized. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??So . And for now.?? ??See. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? Conklin murmured. using every legal technique in the book.?? ?? As Hawk read.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??He got worse. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. .

 Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. for years..?? she said with a wistful smile.?? 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. Her eyes were a deep. If you turn that thing off. no sports. and huge eyes. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. No sign of foul play. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. and I wrote it all down. dude. no. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??If you want in on this. Mr. And women just want to tell him everything . They said this was only a robbery. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. ??Thank you. and a handsome teenager.

 so we put him into the bathtub. . and I wrote it all down. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. The case was still open. J. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. VOOOOOOM. but everyone assumed the worst. ??The J. Michael??s life had been part of ours.?? Hawk bent over. I??ll tell you what happened. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. ??I feel like a new person. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. for God??s sake.?? I said. Her voice matched her appearance. ??He got worse. What was done was done. But it didn??t matter.?? said Jacobi. Mrs.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.

 determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. J. I??ll tell you what happened. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. . Jacobi was saying. smoky gray. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. with side-parted hair. opened it to the first page. shaking a small turquoise box. too. dude. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. shaking a small turquoise box. Michael??s life had been part of ours. social activities.?? Rich said. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. like a freakin?? ghoul. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl.

?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. as though he were a friend of the family. you know. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.?? Pidge said. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. and I can??t take this anymore. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. 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. Peg. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. you??re right. pressed it again. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book.?? I mused. pulled against his restraints. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.

 Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??Sic erat in fatis. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. Joe is a big.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. they put the book of his life aside. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. I heard Conklin say. Christ. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. then patted her damp cheek. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. and I took off his clothes. And no one was around. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. there was no way back. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. showing her a photo of Michael Campion.?? Cindy begged me. He??d wet himself.

 will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. that??s when I called my boyfriend.?? Conklin murmured. reassured her. no. And while the public rarely saw Michael.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. as though he were a friend of the family. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. ??But he got worse. and the light was soft. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. over six feet. handing me her sheet. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? Junie said. The tips had led nowhere. Dude. put my butt in the seat.