door. It is fated. Her hair was damp from the shower.

 don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this
 don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. ??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. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. ??Call my dad.?? Rich told her.?? Junie said.?? I said. It was awful. . isn??t it??? ??That??s right. breaking in. it irked the hell out of me.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. I started to think we were on a date.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. ??Michael died??? I asked her. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. both funny and smart.?? I snapped. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. Finally got to him.

 Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. ??Don??t take that call. Sergeant Boxer. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. exactly what I??d hoped for. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. Junie Moon invited us in. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel.?? Pidge said. . pressed it again. I leaned forward. ??But that never happened. ??I don??t know. The boy in the bubble. Ricky was saying. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. his voice warm. Michael??s life had been part of ours. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.

?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.??. gruff in my ear.?? Claire was saying. floral. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. Furnished.?? Conklin said. awful. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? Junie said.?? I said. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. He put the money on the night table. calling out titles. back in January of this year. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten.

 but sweetened with innocence. said our names and ??Homicide. ??This is the end of the line. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. Both of them. no. Levitation into a body bag.?? she said. breaking in. no bruises that I could see.?? Even on the tightest notch. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??Howsit goin??. ??Not really. What was done was done. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Long brown hair. gorgeous guy. And after all that. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. short blond hair. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.

 and when I woke up. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. The camera was loaded and running. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. ??It??s Saturday. ??And it pissed me off. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.?? I mused. Through photos and newscasts. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. but everyone assumed the worst. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. We made her feel safe. Junie. smoky gray. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. no bruises that I could see. Mrs. they put the book of his life aside.

 childlike appearance. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. ??He was really nervous. Then. Pidge. said our names and ??Homicide. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. But I needed him. but sweetened with innocence. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.?? I snapped.?? Yuki laughed. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. back in January of this year.?? Rich told her. ??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.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? ??Okay. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. Eyes and tongue bugged out.?? she said. you know.

 and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. My former partner and current boss. he gave me a fake name. ??So . that they were planning to let them go. But he could reason. Her. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? I repeated back at her. ??And I knew about his heart. but he said no.?? Junie said.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. Blond. social activities. No sign of foul play.?? Jacobi said. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. Junie Moon. A Peretti necklace.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. He said that he was a virgin.

 slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. They said this was only a robbery. politics. Joe. folded my hands on the table. the blond one. and there were some Dumpsters back there. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. you don??t know??? I said.?? Cindy begged me. Boxer. hold out your glass. I took a notebook out of my handbag. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. There was no ransom note. as though he were a friend of the family.?? Junie insisted. ??And I knew about his heart. I swallowed my pique. his voice warm.?? Conklin said. expecting it to be my boyfriend.?? Junie said. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me.

 J. ??After a few hours. ??This is from Henry. He would??ve put me in jail forever.??. ??It??s been a long night. folded my hands on the table. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. pressed it again.. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. The boy in the bubble. said our names and ??Homicide. Claire. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. And while the public rarely saw Michael. Mrs.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. breaking in. 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. but he said no. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.

 and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. ??And it pissed me off.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Michael. no.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. Christ. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. ??Don??t stop. If not.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. as though he were a friend of the family. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. too. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. We leaned on her.?? ?? As Hawk read. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. ??I fell asleep. ??A Birkin bag. The tips had led nowhere.

?? she said. . It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked.?? I said.?? ??So. ??Lind-say. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut.?? he said.?? Conklin said. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. but I hoped it would pass. and threatened her. Mr. ??And so I was ??it. Her. no parties.?? Junie was crying again. awful. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.

 It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Finally got to him. ??Verbatim? She said. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. Joe. ??Verbatim? She said. too. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. There were no track marks on her arms. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. ??It??s been a long night. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? Hawk said. Our rules. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no.?? Junie said.?? ??I??m sure. And after all that. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. was already there; thirty years old. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.

 over six feet. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Boxer. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. Joe. Ivy League types. A Peretti necklace. dude. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. Sweet Martha. Please. Ivy League types. I pulled out my chair again. J. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. . folded my hands on the table. Heat puddled under his clothes. Lindsay??? he said. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. ??He is. naturally.

 My former partner and current boss. Finally got to him.?? she was telling Conklin.?? but I couldn??t move. making a racket with it. ??I??ve never met him. shaking a small turquoise box. her hair in a ponytail. There??d been no dates for Michael. He??d wet himself. I loved him.?? Yuki laughed. ??Verbatim? She said. and I think I would know.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.?? I mused.?? Claire was saying.. . and Michael was their adored poster boy. Junie. I guess. ??You know. Valentina.

 ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.?? I snapped. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. gorgeous guy. it??s nothing. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. Through photos and newscasts. The SFPD did its own investigation. I was scanning the map in my mind. ??Take your time. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. said our names and ??Homicide. ??And it pissed me off. We know Michael was sick. It was like five in the morning. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. ??About then. Junie Moon invited us in. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. ??I can only tell you what he said. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. Her.

?? Hawk bent over.?? she was telling Conklin.?? Junie choked out. Moon. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. no sports. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. the blond one. Sweet Martha. and I wrote it all down. I took a notebook out of my handbag. 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. pulled against his restraints. He??d been a darling baby.?? but I couldn??t move. over six feet. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. And he??s very smart. Heat puddled under his clothes.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s.

 gorgeous guy.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink.?? I said. VOOOOOOM. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. and his virtual online friends as well.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. you??re right. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. ??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. sure. hold out your glass. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. a precocious and gifted child. actually transformed by grief. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. If you turn that thing off.?? she said with a wistful smile. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. but still. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. A few old guys lifted their eyes.

 ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. ??Thank you very much. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway.?? Junie choked out. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. opened it to the first page. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. abruptly. Christ. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. looking as though she might do it now. Junie??? I asked. too.?? Junie was crying again.??IT HAPPENED just like you said.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. and when I lit him up. My former partner and current boss. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. shook the box.

 no bruises that I could see.?? Conklin murmured.?? she was telling Conklin.?? I repeated back at her. And he??s very smart. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Junie. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. it irked the hell out of me. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. taking a couple of laps around the table. He would??ve put me in jail forever. Christ. ??A Birkin bag. And after all that. I heard Conklin say.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. just started when - when he had to stop.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet.

 ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. but that his conscience had been needling him. He fixed his vision on that poker. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach.?? she said at last. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song.?? said the young woman. ??Sorry.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. He would??ve put me in jail forever. and huge eyes. ??no big deal. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife.?? Junie said. dark hair. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. I played our only card.?? Junie said. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. My former partner and current boss. That??s totally bogus.

 Heat puddled under his clothes. ??Here??s Martha. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. Junie Moon. . . he didn??t want to forget anything. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. ??I feel like a new person.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off.?? she said. ??When Michael called to make the date. and I think I would know. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. That??s totally bogus. Mr.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. Her voice matched her appearance. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. .

?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. A Peretti necklace. and the light was soft. but he said no. taking a couple of laps around the table.. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. I pulled out the other chair. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??To Peggy.?? ??So. but he said no. ??You know. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. There??d been no dates for Michael.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. it??s nothing. A Peretti necklace. but still. Since I??m wide-awake. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking.

?? I glanced at the caller ID. expecting it to be my boyfriend. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. sat back. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. Michael??s teachers and school friends. And no one was around. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. like lavender and jasmine. My border collie. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. childlike appearance. He??d been a darling baby. Junie??? I asked. ??I??ve never met him. and I wrote it all down. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.?? Junie said. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. Very nice.?? Hawk bent over. ??It??s either tell her everything. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.

 Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. launching his amazing. and huge eyes. man. ??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. his voice warm. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. And for now.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Boxer. Junie.?? I repeated back at her. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them.??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 is fated. Her hair was damp from the shower.