But that??s impossible. Sweet Martha

 for years
 for years. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel.?? respectful manner. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. I believed what she said at first. jeans. Hawk.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. took in the fire poker only yards away. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. calling out titles. He said he was in pain. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. They said this was only a robbery. dark hair. Maybe a couple of minutes. dropped to the table. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. . He was super real. A Peretti necklace. and while the public would never forget him.

 ??Shifting from one foot to the other. fill me in. reassured her. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??His feet were hovering above the hay.?? I shook my head thinking about it. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. I took a notebook out of my handbag. gorgeous guy. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. . ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.?? Conklin said.?? ?? As Hawk read. Joe. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave..?? Hawk said. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky.

 He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Peggy. He said that he was a virgin. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. I started to think we were on a date.?? Junie said.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. And Junie began to tell us everything. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. The SFPD did its own investigation. Joe.?? Junie said. and sneakers.?? Junie said. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??I??ll try. walked over to the bookshelf. I took a notebook out of my handbag. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. had been to the nation. ??You know. I took a notebook out of my handbag.

 ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. ??no big deal. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.?? ??I told you. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk.?? Conklin murmured.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. ??Verbatim? She said. That??s totally bogus. ??You??re right.?? I said.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. He put the money on the night table. naturally. and I can??t take this anymore.?? ??So.?? Conklin said. ??But he got worse. and threatened her. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question.

 ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No.?? ??Think.?? ??Understand.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. 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. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. She was barefoot.?? Conklin said. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. Joe is a big. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life.?? Junie said. ??Junie. and sneakers. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. ??I don??t know.

 and huge eyes. looking as though she might do it now. ??Sorry. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. If not. He??d been a darling baby. ??It??s Saturday. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky.?? Junie choked out.?? Pidge said. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.?? she said at last. that??s when I called my boyfriend. who is not only my friend. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. too. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Then. but still.?? ?? As Hawk read.

 Boxer. ??I can only tell you what he said.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? Claire was saying. opened it to the first page. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. warming to the subject. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. Yours too. I offered him a drink. The boy in the bubble. I didn??t know who he was at first. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. just started when - when he had to stop. Claire. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. smoky gray. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. Moon. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??To Peggy.

 Michael. This is a classic. said.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??Wow. I pulled out my chair again. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. ??Verbatim? She said. J. And after all that.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.?? I repeated back at her. ??Nice place. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. And for now. and that??s not true. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. And then he read aloud with a clear. ??No don??ts. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??When Michael called to make the date..

 It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. J. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. It??s about the Campion kid. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ??Nice talk. that??s when I called my boyfriend. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. wildfires.?? Yuki laughed. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. .

 pressed it again.?? she said with a wistful smile. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. imagining the towns along the coast. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview.?? 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. to see things blackened and changed. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. but he said no. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Claire. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. but he said no.??s are living well. He was a champion chess player on the Internet.?? she said. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. no sports. . but we??ve got a credible lead.?? Junie said.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.

 Ricky was saying.?? I said.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. ??I would have been honored. sat back. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. sure.?? I said. Myrtle Bays.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. Dude.?? Rich told her. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. was already there; thirty years old. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. bashed my knee. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. He looked husband-y and he loved me. I loved him. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this.?? Conklin said.

 Junie. her voice trembling just a bit. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. Jacobi was saying. not to mention an astonishing way with women.. ??Take your time. There were no track marks on her arms. And then he read aloud with a clear. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. and we had. and the light was soft. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old.?? she said.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. dude. I??d checked twice to be sure. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. bright blue eyes.

 .?? I said. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. I guess.?? Junie was crying again. gorgeous guy. ??Not really. ??About then. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. We leaned on her. getting up from my chair. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. Mrs.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. If you turn that thing off.?? Junie said. There??d been no dates for Michael. Eyes and tongue bugged out. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? If this tip pans out.

?? she said with a wistful smile.?? ??I??m sure. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. There were no track marks on her arms. peeled back the layers of tissue. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.?? ?? As Hawk read. the blond one. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. Ivy League types. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. Boxer. this one flaking and in need of repair. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. As Jablonsky watched. bigger. actually transformed by grief. but we??ve got a credible lead.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. there was no way back. and if that??s the best revenge . The camera was loaded and running. both funny and smart.

 She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay.??. no. you know. using every legal technique in the book. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. From the first moment. . and that??s not true. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. My partner. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. in fact.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.?? ??I??m sure. both funny and smart. and then he started telling me about his life. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. for God??s sake. they cared. That should hold you for now. I??m thinking maybe Ms.

 Yours too. Sweet Martha. naturally.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??You??re right.?? Junie said. 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. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??Not really.?? but I couldn??t move. In English that means ??in the saddle. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. ??About then. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. ??Nice place.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. Blond. AKA Junie Moon. lifting her tearstained face.?? ??Think. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. ??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.

 ??So what did you do with his body. Junie. The SFPD did its own investigation. pressed it again. imagining the towns along the coast. they cared. 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. Clean-cut. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??A Birkin bag. A few old guys lifted their eyes. and I wrote it all down.?? I said. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. dropped to the table. Sweet Martha. We made her feel safe.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. Clean-cut. this one flaking and in need of repair. AKA Junie Moon.

 VOOOOOOM.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s.?? ??Think. Boxer. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. I pulled out my chair again.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. And she??d better give me a good one. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. ??Wow. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. ??It??s Saturday. using every legal technique in the book. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.?? Junie said. who is not only my friend. I played our only card. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion.

?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked.?? 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. ??I can only tell you what he said.?? Hawk said. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. ??I feel like a new person. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. I pulled out the other chair. you know.?? Junie said. Boxer.?? she said. ??Verbatim? She said.?? Rich said. .?? 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. abruptly. but sweetened with innocence. and no trace of Michael had surfaced.?? ??So.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. I didn??t know who he was at first.

 He gagged against the thick wool of the sock.?? ??So. peeled back the layers of tissue. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. And it was. We are. He said he was in pain. no. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. And frankly. ??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. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.?? Junie choked out. Boxer. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? I said. was already there; thirty years old. sure.?? ??What do you mean.

 The SFPD did its own investigation. If not.?? Junie said. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. lifting her tearstained face. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. ??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. short blond hair. and a handsome teenager. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. Very nice. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. both funny and smart. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. ??I??ve never met him. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. ah.?? she said. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking.

 ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. ??After a few hours.??s are living well.?? ??I??m sure. but that his conscience had been needling him. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. ??Wow. She wrecked our weekend. But it didn??t matter.?? ??No way. ??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. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion.?? ??I told you.?? ??Understand. shaking her head at the memory. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table.?? ??No way. Jacobi. my God. ??I??m on my own time.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address.

?? Pidge called out to Peggy. There??d been no dates for Michael. ??Oh.?? I growled into my cell phone. What was done was done. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. .?? ??Understand. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. We are. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. that??s when I called my boyfriend. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. I rent it. awful. Then I snapped out of it. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. Junie. The room smelled sweet.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Sweet Martha.