windpipe. ??Don??t stop.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.

 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. ??A Birkin bag.?? Jacobi said. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. I took a notebook out of my handbag. ??Junie.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. But he could reason.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. Junie Moon invited us in. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. ??That??s cool. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. He fixed his vision on that poker. calling out titles. scenting the air as they burned. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. ??It has to be a mistake. Michael??s life had been part of ours. Her. ??Go on. and I took off his clothes.

 ??You??re right. He??d wet himself.?? I said.?? she said at last. actually transformed by grief. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. There??d been no dates for Michael. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. they put the book of his life aside.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old.?? said the young woman. She was barefoot. they put the book of his life aside. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. Mr. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. We are.

 He said to Henry Jablonsky. scenting the air as they burned. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. J. I started to think we were on a date. He??d been a darling baby. Sergeant Boxer. Then I snapped out of it. Junie Moon. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.?? ??I??m sure. but sweetened with innocence. He said he was in pain. No sign of foul play. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. my God. ??Go on. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. I believed what she said at first. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. scenting the air as they burned. Jacobi was saying.

?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. imagining the towns along the coast. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. Junie. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. Hawk. .?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. ??I??ll try. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked.?? Junie choked out.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. If you turn that thing off. Heat puddled under his clothes. not just young. an hour north of San Francisco. Long brown hair.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. Hawk. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.

 gruff in my ear. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. Hawk. In English that means ??in the saddle. and that??s not true. wildfires. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. put her arms on the table. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. and I wrote it all down.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. gruff in my ear. And frankly. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??Oh. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. was already there; thirty years old. It was awful..??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. I believed what she said at first. He put the money on the night table.

?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. do you??? she said. Peg. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. it??s that he??s very respectful.?? but I couldn??t move.?? Junie was crying again. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. but I hoped it would pass. VOOOOOOM. ??we??re not blaming you for anything.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. Michael??s teachers and school friends. jeans. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. It is fated. That??s totally bogus. There??d been no dates for Michael. The room smelled sweet. and that made it even less understandable.

 short blond hair. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. folded my hands on the table. He said he was in pain. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. Mrs. he didn??t want to forget anything. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. I swallowed my pique.?? ??You??re kidding me.?? ??What do you mean. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. No sign of foul play. and the Jensen salad tongs. dude. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??A Birkin bag. . ??You??re right. her voice trembling just a bit. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. both funny and smart.

 ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? ??I told you.?? Conklin said. and she told me that since she??d changed her name.?? Jacobi said. Boxer. Peg. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. Mr. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. I guess. He couldn??t speak. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. I??d checked twice to be sure. put her arms on the table. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. We are. He said to Henry Jablonsky. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. Well-spoken. Junie. From the first moment.

 ??Michael died??? I asked her. Mrs. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. ??I??ll try. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis.?? Jacobi said. but sweetened with innocence. I pressed the doorbell. you know. waited a minute. Tell.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. that they were planning to let them go.?? she said.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. He said that he was a virgin. with side-parted hair. Junie Moon invited us in.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating.

 and threatened her. Mr. Through photos and newscasts. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. And women just want to tell him everything . And it was. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.?? Cindy begged me.?? she said. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. I guess. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Through photos and newscasts. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable.?? Conklin said. ??You??re right.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Tell. .?? 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. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. Ms.

 ??He is. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. calling out titles. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. her head in her arms.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.. breaking in. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.?? Claire said.?? I repeated back at her. to see things blackened and changed.?? If this tip pans out.?? Claire was saying. the Hermès tie. ??This is from Henry. launching his amazing. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Boxer. Junie. The camera was loaded and running.

 The tips had led nowhere.?? Jacobi said. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. Lindsay??? he said. He would??ve put me in jail forever.?? I said. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. and the Jensen salad tongs. I rent it. And after all that. said. seeming empty and exhausted. Maybe a little more.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Junie Moon invited us in. no sports.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. We are. ??I unzipped the body bag . said. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. so we put him into the bathtub. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street.

 imagining the towns along the coast. and the Jensen salad tongs.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. no bruises that I could see. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??He is. And Junie began to tell us everything. for God??s sake. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? I mused.?? she said.?? Junie choked out. of course. ??Go on. reassured her. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. ??Thank you very much.?? Junie said.?? Junie said. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. ??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.

 I didn??t know how to call his father. folded my hands on the table. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. Yours too. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. the Hermès tie. ??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. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. ??And so I was ??it. bright blue eyes. ??Wow. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.?? she said.?? she said.?? ??See. ??I??ll try. peeled back the layers of tissue. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. like a freakin?? ghoul. but we were getting no traction at all.

 abruptly. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. my heart going ga-lump. lied to her.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??So what did you do with his body. As Jablonsky watched.?? ??I??m sure. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. and that??s not true.?? respectful manner. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??But once we started cutting.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. tied with gold ribbon. Junie. ??or tell her nothing. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.?? Junie said. it??s that he??s very respectful. Michael??s life had been part of ours.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin.

 He said that he was a virgin. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. ??When Michael called to make the date. Yours too. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. as though he were a friend of the family. ??Wow. the Hermès tie. AKA Junie Moon. politics. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil.?? I said.?? I said. ??But that never happened.?? I said. Boxer. . ??I unzipped the body bag . Blond. He fixed his vision on that poker. put her arms on the table. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. That should hold you for now.

?? Conklin said. already drunk on her one margarita. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. bigger.?? Junie said. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Through photos and newscasts.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. My border collie. I??d checked twice to be sure. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. ??So . But I needed him. gruff in my ear. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. We are. Moon. From the first moment. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. but sweetened with innocence. He put the money on the night table. you??re right.

 ??no big deal. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. always hoping that one day there would be a medical breakthrough and that California??s ??Boy with a Broken Heart?? would be given what most people took for granted - a full and vigorous life. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??Go on. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. shook the box. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. I leaned forward. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. my heart going ga-lump. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. dropped to the table. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. It is fated. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. He would??ve put me in jail forever. and his virtual online friends as well. Finally got to him. it??s that he??s very respectful.

 ??Naw. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. Since I??m wide-awake. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. ??I unzipped the body bag . He said to Henry Jablonsky. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. ??Don??t stop. that they were planning to let them go.. She was a beauty. Peg. took in the fire poker only yards away. A Peretti necklace. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. ??Here??s Martha. As his taillights disappeared around the corner.?? Even on the tightest notch.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. I was scanning the map in my mind. a precocious and gifted child. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth.

 scenting the air as they burned. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. not to mention an astonishing way with women. Then.. Mrs. ??We have some questions about a missing person.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. I swallowed my pique. then patted her damp cheek. Peg. an hour north of San Francisco.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. There were no track marks on her arms. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. childlike appearance.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. tied with gold ribbon. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. and a handsome teenager.

 ??Well. ??I feel like a new person. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. but still. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. He said he was in pain. And frankly. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. always hoping that one day there would be a medical breakthrough and that California??s ??Boy with a Broken Heart?? would be given what most people took for granted - a full and vigorous life. ??I unzipped the body bag .?? Pidge called out to Peggy. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. wildfires.?? Yuki laughed. . no bruises that I could see.. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. social activities. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. I pulled out the other chair. waited a minute.

 My former partner and current boss. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. My former partner and current boss. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. they cared. Moon. ??It??s Saturday. ??Call my dad. as though he were a friend of the family. ??Sure. peeled back the layers of tissue. calling out titles. ??Don??t take that call.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. Jacobi. getting up from my chair. Finally. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. Mr. no. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.

 Mrs. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.?? ??See.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. ??But once we started cutting. and I wrote it all down. 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. ga-lump. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. man. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor.?? she was telling Conklin. . He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. handing me her sheet. Michael??s teachers and school friends. And he??s very smart. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. gorgeous guy. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. fine.

?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. you don??t know??? I said. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. 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. Junie. my heart going ga-lump. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. to see things blackened and changed.?? I said. imagining the towns along the coast. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California.?? I growled into my cell phone. Since I??m wide-awake. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books.?? ??I told you. I pressed the doorbell. ??Lindsay. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.

 Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. There were no track marks on her arms. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. As Jablonsky watched.?? Junie said. getting up from my chair. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me.?? I said. In the end. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. .??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. too. AKA Junie Moon.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. I pulled out the other chair.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. ??Don??t stop.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.