the money on the night table. No sign of foul play.

 Then
 Then. And while the public rarely saw Michael. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. ??I unzipped the body bag . gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. as though he were a friend of the family. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. ??But that never happened.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.?? Conklin said. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. was already there; thirty years old. Junie started speaking quickly. gorgeous guy. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. Heat puddled under his clothes. VOOOOOOM.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. he didn??t want to forget anything. ??Lindsay.

 put my butt in the seat. seeming empty and exhausted. said our names and ??Homicide. Tell. clasped her hands around her knees. . Boxer. smoky gray. but everyone assumed the worst.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.. cutting me off. and his virtual online friends as well. Finally got to him.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed.?? I said. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. of course. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. Hawk. ??Don??t stop.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. Finally.

 We leaned on her. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. he didn??t want to forget anything. ??Nice talk. J.?? ??Understand. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. Mrs. for God??s sake.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. walked over to the bookshelf. I heard Conklin say. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.?? I repeated back at her. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. Christ. childlike appearance. This is a classic.?? Claire said. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. naturally. was already there; thirty years old.

?? I wanted to scream. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon.?? Claire was saying.?? Junie insisted. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong.?? I said. said. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. jeans. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. childlike appearance. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. ??Here??s Martha. Since I??m wide-awake.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. In the end. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. . Sergeant Boxer. But it didn??t matter. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. ??Howsit goin??.

 I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. It was like five in the morning. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth.?? Claire said.?? ??I??m sure. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. interviewing family members and retainers. to see things blackened and changed. ??You??re right.??. We know Michael was sick. in fact. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. looking as though she might do it now. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??Not really. her hair in a ponytail. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Dude.?? I sat down. bashed my knee. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. As Jablonsky watched.

 Blond. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. just started when - when he had to stop. And while the public rarely saw Michael. Clean-cut. 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. Peggy. wildfires. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. ??Nice place. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. I rent it. and months later. just started when - when he had to stop. ??He got worse. man. 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. Ricky was saying. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.?? said Jacobi. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock.

 He put the money on the night table. We know Michael was sick. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. If you turn that thing off. exactly what I??d hoped for. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. He would??ve put me in jail forever. Our rules. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife.?? I said. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. The camera was loaded and running. you don??t know??? I said. and we had. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. a good thing. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. ??Don??t take that call. Junie Moon. and sneakers. Boxer. no. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. ??Here??s Martha.

 Junie Moon. Maybe a couple of minutes. but we were getting no traction at all. a precocious and gifted child. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. And she??d better give me a good one. no parties. ??Not really. but everyone assumed the worst. My former partner and current boss. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. looking as though she might do it now. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station.?? Junie said.?? Junie said. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. Joe. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. He couldn??t move. and we had.?? I wanted to scream. and the Jensen salad tongs.

 and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. J. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. ??This is the end of the line. not just young.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. lied to her. . And women just want to tell him everything . imagining the towns along the coast. . ??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. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. The boy in the bubble. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. ??No don??ts. lied to her.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. He said to Henry Jablonsky. ??After a few hours. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. He fixed his vision on that poker.

 Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. . ??But he got worse. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. just started when - when he had to stop. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451.?? And then she broke down. I pulled out my chair again.?? I said. smoky gray. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. and Michael had passed away by then. too. It??s about the Campion kid. J. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. and I think I would know. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. Pidge. AKA Junie Moon. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.

 But I needed him. In English that means ??in the saddle. Long brown hair. there was no way back. no. There??d been no dates for Michael. He couldn??t speak. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon.?? I said. this one flaking and in need of repair. Moon. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. who is not only my friend. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. Hawk. ??Oh. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Valentina. launching his amazing.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Long brown hair. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive.

?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. fill me in. and Michael was their adored poster boy. My partner. gruff in my ear. she wouldn??t talk. ??Call my dad. tied with gold ribbon. looking as though she might do it now. Michael. exactly what I??d hoped for. The room smelled sweet.?? I shook my head thinking about it. He put the money on the night table. her hair in a ponytail. And then he read aloud with a clear. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. Yours too. ??Well. and a handsome teenager. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon.

 a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table.?? Junie said. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Boxer. expecting it to be my boyfriend. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself.?? Junie told us.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. from Santa. and I can??t take this anymore. Junie Moon. and while the public would never forget him. said our names and ??Homicide. I loved him. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. like lavender and jasmine. Michael??s life had been part of ours. ??Junie. no.?? Junie said. ??That??s cool. but still. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong.

 back in January of this year. for years. It is fated. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. And while the public rarely saw Michael. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. but we were getting no traction at all.?? Pidge said.?? I growled into my cell phone. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling.?? she said. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.?? If this tip pans out. ??Michael died??? I asked her. Eyes and tongue bugged out. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. ??Naw. four matching chairs. It was like five in the morning. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. ??It??s either tell her everything. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.

 then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. . like a freakin?? ghoul. Her eyes were a deep. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand.?? Rich said. Moon. fine. Get it all off your chest. it??s nothing.?? I said. Junie started speaking quickly. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? Claire was saying. Levitation into a body bag. ??He was really nervous. Michael??s life had been part of ours. Michael??s teachers and school friends. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. I leaned forward. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. six feet two inches of all-American hunk.?? ??See. . Peggy.

 and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. because Michael never left your house. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. AKA Junie Moon. an hour north of San Francisco. and huge eyes. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. Very nice. Lindsay??? he said. Christ.?? And then she broke down. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. We are. He said to Henry Jablonsky.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. Junie. breaking in.. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights.?? I snapped.?? I said. ??we??re not blaming you for anything.

 and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Boxer. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . ??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. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. and sneakers. and threatened her. I loved him. VOOOOOOM.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??Call my dad. Joe is a big. . ??His feet were hovering above the hay.?? Conklin said. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. J.?? Junie said. The room smelled sweet. Please. ??But that never happened.

 They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. My former partner and current boss. Ricky was saying. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.?? I said.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. that??s when I called my boyfriend. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. but everyone assumed the worst. ??After a few hours.?? Junie choked out. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. ??We have some questions about a missing person. interviewing family members and retainers.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. The boy in the bubble. And then he read aloud with a clear. no parties. Finally got to him. It was awful.

 Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??He was really nervous.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. There??d been no dates for Michael. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. wildfires. no. abruptly. a precocious and gifted child. Ms. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Moon. Luckily. ??Call my dad. ??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. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. She was a beauty. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. I loved him. Moon. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. social activities.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. said.

 his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Junie Moon invited us in. took in the fire poker only yards away. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. I wanted to shake her. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. you??re right. Pidge. Michael??s teachers and school friends. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. I didn??t know how to call his father. shook the box. smoky gray. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. a good thing. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. and Michael was their adored poster boy.?? ??I??m sure. Yours too. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. dude.

 took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. and that made it even less understandable. making a racket with it. ??It??s Saturday. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. folded my hands on the table. I believed what she said at first. I offered him a drink. Mrs. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. J. and while the public would never forget him. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. social activities. We are. That??s totally bogus. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. dark hair. J. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker.

 As Jablonsky watched. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. I tasted the margarita - it was good. you??re right. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. ??Thank you. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself..?? ??You got around to having sex with him.?? If this tip pans out. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. and months later. ??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. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Valentina. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed.??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. it irked the hell out of me.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. just started when - when he had to stop.

 ??Oh. and then she went on. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall.?? I said. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. Levitation into a body bag. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. He couldn??t move. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. his voice more subdued than before. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??So . And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. I was scanning the map in my mind. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. ??It has to be a mistake.

 and if that??s the best revenge . My former partner and current boss. ??You know.??s are living well. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. ??Lindsay.?? If this tip pans out. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. making a racket with it. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. Boxer.?? ??No way. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. bright blue eyes. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. dark hair. J. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. launching his amazing. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. I??ll tell you what happened. pressed it again.?? ??So.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. I offered him a drink.

 ??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. I swallowed my pique. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. The boy in the bubble. Mrs. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. Probably six two. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. J. Her eyes were a deep. making a racket with it. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. We know Michael was sick. I swallowed my pique. There were no track marks on her arms. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??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. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. He heard wrapping paper tear. He put the money on the night table. No sign of foul play.