necklace. What? What was happening? And then he realized.

?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. gorgeous guy. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. Very nice. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. it??s that he??s very respectful. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. Junie. ah. ??Wow. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. but he said no. In English that means ??in the saddle. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Get it all off your chest.

?? Jacobi said. Moon. he gave me a fake name. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. awful. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. abruptly. scenting the air as they burned. fill me in. actually transformed by grief. Michael had said good night to his parents.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. ??It??s Saturday. he didn??t want to forget anything. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. The boy in the bubble. 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. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. actually transformed by grief. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. I swallowed my pique. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating.?? Junie said. We made her feel safe.?? I said. ??This is the end of the line. ??And it pissed me off. there was no way back. Peg. warming to the subject.

 one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. VOOOOOOM.?? I said. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. I peed my pants. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. And no one was around. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Well-spoken. said. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. There was no ransom note. Maybe a little more. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill.

?? Junie said. jeans. he gave me a fake name. And she??d better give me a good one. my heart going ga-lump. As Jablonsky watched.?? said the young woman. . I didn??t know who he was at first. put my butt in the seat.?? she said. ??To Peggy. tied with gold ribbon. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. and I think I would know. then patted her damp cheek.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead.

 the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. There were no track marks on her arms. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids.?? I said. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. I pressed the doorbell. I??m thinking maybe Ms. and I think I would know. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. He said to Henry Jablonsky. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. put her arms on the table. shaking her head at the memory. He fixed his vision on that poker. his voice more subdued than before.

 saw the john lope across Leavenworth. ??Wow.?? Jacobi said. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. scenting the air as they burned. ??Take your time. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. ??Here??s Martha. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. He couldn??t move.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. for God??s sake. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift.

 ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. And after all that. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. and his virtual online friends as well. I tasted the margarita - it was good. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. and then she went on. they cared. I??d checked twice to be sure. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. He fixed his vision on that poker. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. I heard Conklin say. and that??s not true.

 dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi.?? I said. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. but he said no. shook the box. ??I would have been honored. with side-parted hair. the blond one.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. ??He was saying. Ivy League types. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. In the end.??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. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.

 .?? ??No way. politics. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? I wanted to scream. As Jablonsky watched. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair.?? Junie told us. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? Conklin murmured.?? ??So. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.?? I wanted to scream.

 ??Nice place. floral. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. ??It has to be a mistake. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. saw the john lope across Leavenworth.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. from Santa. We are. Maybe a little more. Pidge.??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. What? What was happening? And then he realized.?? Junie said. ??Lind-say.?? Conklin said.

 ??He got worse. so we put him into the bathtub. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. it??s nothing. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. dude. . Dude. Joe. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. her hair in a ponytail. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. J.?? I said. Dude. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.

 Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. ??Junie. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. back in January of this year. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. And frankly. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. ??So .?? Conklin said. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. Peg. She was a beauty.

 his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. I wanted to shake her. gorgeous guy. Levitation into a body bag. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??Michael died??? I asked her. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. Ricky was saying. ??Here??s Martha.?? she said. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. they put the book of his life aside. 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. smelled the sour odor of urine.

 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.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. I pulled out my chair again. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. then went up in a great exhalation of flame.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled.?? Junie told us. Probably six two. then patted her damp cheek. There were no track marks on her arms. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. There were no track marks on her arms. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. He put the money on the night table.

?? Rich told her. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. social activities.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. They said this was only a robbery. He would??ve put me in jail forever. . The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. ??I??m on my own time. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. he didn??t want to forget anything. too. and the Jensen salad tongs. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??A Birkin bag. And Junie began to tell us everything.

?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. J. and if that??s the best revenge . and sneakers. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. ??No don??ts. God.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. the Hermès tie.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. God. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. The tips had led nowhere. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. A Peretti necklace. What? What was happening? And then he realized.