??You don??t really know Dougie. Meaty hands.?? I said.

 and sobbed as though she??d really cared
 and sobbed as though she??d really cared. But it didn??t matter. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. ??Sic erat in fatis. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. and then he started telling me about his life.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. expecting it to be my boyfriend. Christ. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. J. Her eyes were a deep. Finally. already drunk on her one margarita. And frankly. J. babe-catcher smile. Sweet Martha. And so Ricky came over. ??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. but still.

 Blondie. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. ??Go on. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. shaking a small turquoise box. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office.?? ??I??m sure.?? And then she broke down. Junie??? I asked. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? Claire said. Peggy. Meaty hands. but we were getting no traction at all. A definite no. Tell.

 ??Is that so??? he said. ??Here??s Martha. ??I fell asleep. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. tied with gold ribbon. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Michael??s life had been part of ours. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. gorgeous guy. I leaned forward. you don??t know??? I said. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning.??. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. and if that??s the best revenge .?? Junie choked out. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. looking as though she might do it now. In the end.

 and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.?? I said. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. as though he were a friend of the family. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. I??d checked twice to be sure. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. A Peretti necklace. and there were some Dumpsters back there. and that??s not true. ??Nice talk. Well-spoken. ??Naw. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??Mrs. Tell. bright blue eyes. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. He would??ve put me in jail forever. ??But that never happened. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??Call my dad.

 Junie.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. and sneakers.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. shaking her head at the memory. was already there; thirty years old. And he??s very smart. Junie. said. Then. with side-parted hair. Her. AKA Junie Moon. Levitation into a body bag. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. no. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. a good thing. too. ??Naw. not just young. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. opened it to the first page.

?? Junie said. Well-spoken. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. Meaty hands. like lavender and jasmine. no bruises that I could see. Then. walked over to the bookshelf.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. fill me in. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears.?? Conklin murmured. calling out titles.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??After a few hours. Claire. and I wrote it all down.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. ??no big deal. The house is home to a prostitute. opened it to the first page.

 and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck.?? Junie said. ??Mrs. took in the fire poker only yards away. so we put him into the bathtub. ??It??s Saturday. ??He was saying. because Michael never left your house.?? Junie insisted. And no one was around.?? Junie said. I believed what she said at first. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. . taking a couple of laps around the table. Valentina. ??I??ve never met him. I heard Conklin say.?? Hawk bent over.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. but sweetened with innocence.

 He said that he was a virgin. lifting her tearstained face. and Michael had passed away by then. Finally. exactly what I??d hoped for.?? Claire squealed behind me. and months later.??s are living well. ??Nice talk. man. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. and the Jensen salad tongs. Michael??s life had been part of ours.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. She was a beauty. And so Ricky came over. VOOOOOOM.??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. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??We have some questions about a missing person.

 swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. ??or tell her nothing. There was no ransom note. Hawk.?? Conklin said. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. Junie. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. God.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. folded my hands on the table. fine. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. dramatic voice. pressed it again. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. and his virtual online friends as well. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. I tasted the margarita - it was good.

 I wanted to shake her. and the Jensen salad tongs. no. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. ??Lindsay. Her eyes were a deep. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. but still. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. And it was. ??Nice talk. He was super real. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. Through photos and newscasts. but we were getting no traction at all. and a handsome teenager.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. Jacobi was saying. God. I pulled out the other chair.

?? Junie said.?? she said. Michael.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. a good thing. of course. short blond hair. reassured her. no. A definite no. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. ??Thank you.?? Junie was crying again. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. ??It??s been a long night. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. dude. Her eyes were a deep. ??The J. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway.

 too.?? ??I??m sure.?? Junie said. ??When Michael called to make the date. Michael??s teachers and school friends. ??Is that so??? he said.?? Junie said. Joe.?? ??I??m sure.?? Claire squealed behind me. you know. What was done was done. Mr. for years. no bruises that I could see. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. Mr. It is fated. My border collie. ??Thank you very much.?? I said.

?? Conklin said. said.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers.?? Junie said. shaking her head at the memory.?? Conklin said. The camera was loaded and running. ??You know.?? I said. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. her voice trembling just a bit. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. babe-catcher smile.?? Junie said. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells.

 walked over to the bookshelf. ??The J. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. ??This is from Henry. And then he read aloud with a clear. hold out your glass. jeans. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. warming to the subject. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. shaking her head at the memory. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??Nice talk. Ricky was saying.. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. bright blue eyes. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. Junie started speaking quickly. . Levitation into a body bag. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.

 and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. seeming empty and exhausted. ??Don??t take that call. Eyes and tongue bugged out. Mrs.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil.?? Cindy begged me. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. Christ.?? Conklin said. terror attacks. And women just want to tell him everything . and I took off his clothes. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. and I took off his clothes. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. He fixed his vision on that poker. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. ??Don??t take that call. then patted her damp cheek.

 for God??s sake. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. Jacobi was saying. And no one was around. smelled the sour odor of urine. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. And Junie began to tell us everything. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable.?? Junie said. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Her. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. I didn??t know how to call his father. Maybe a little more. warming to the subject. ??Sorry. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. waited a minute. ??Oh.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.

 ??Don??t take that call. bright blue eyes.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Blondie. ??I??ve never met him. I didn??t know how to call his father. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. expecting it to be my boyfriend. ??No don??ts.?? Claire was saying. We know Michael was sick. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. ??we??re not blaming you for anything.?? respectful manner. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. wildfires. There were no track marks on her arms.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. . touching her chest with the flat of her palm. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe.

 touching her chest with the flat of her palm.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Mr. Mr. ??Sorry. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. We??re with you. Junie. AKA Junie Moon. Hawk. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.?? Pidge said. VOOOOOOM.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. but still.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.?? Junie choked out. ??Nice place. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker.?? Claire was saying. Junie.

 He was super real. Get it all off your chest. Tell. Blond. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. lifting her tearstained face. Meaty hands.?? If this tip pans out. Richard Conklin.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? Junie said.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. ??Sorry. ??Nice talk. but sweetened with innocence. imagining the towns along the coast. breaking in. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth.?? I said. There were no track marks on her arms. 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.

 Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. he didn??t want to forget anything.?? ??Understand. He would??ve put me in jail forever. Our rules. My former partner and current boss. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. Probably six two. Moon. We know Michael was sick. shook the box. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. I was scanning the map in my mind. like a freakin?? ghoul. The boy in the bubble. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.

 ??That??s cool. both funny and smart.?? she said. He was super real. Finally. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. J. opened it to the first page. . He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. clasped her hands around her knees. VOOOOOOM.?? she said. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. . ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. clasped her hands around her knees. making a racket with it. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. ??And I knew about his heart. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity.

 and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. had been to the nation. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. ??Junie. Finally got to him.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. folded my hands on the table. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. A definite no. six feet two inches of all-American hunk.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. expecting it to be my boyfriend.?? Junie said. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. and when I woke up. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. her hair in a ponytail. cutting me off. Pidge.

?? ??What do you mean. the Hermès tie. bright blue eyes.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. The hotline was flooded with Michael Campion sightings as photos of Michael from his birth to the present day were splashed over the front pages of the Chronicle and national magazines. J. She wrecked our weekend.. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. This is a classic. ??When Michael called to make the date. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. Maybe a couple of minutes. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. Her eyes were a deep. Meaty hands.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. Mrs. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband.?? ??See. ??You don??t really know Dougie. Meaty hands.?? I said.