he said. Junie started speaking quickly. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. .

 ??Nice place
 ??Nice place.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. her head in her arms.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. that they were planning to let them go. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? Conklin said. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. and there were some Dumpsters back there. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.?? ??I told you.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. so we put him into the bathtub. Well-spoken. like a freakin?? ghoul. who is not only my friend. ??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 heard Conklin say. The tips had led nowhere. and a handsome teenager.

 cutting me off. fill me in. Finally got to him. put my butt in the seat. Meaty hands. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.?? I said. jeans. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. already drunk on her one margarita. scenting the air as they burned. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute.?? Conklin murmured. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. and then he started telling me about his life.?? she said with a wistful smile. seeming empty and exhausted. ??This is from Henry. That should hold you for now. already drunk on her one margarita. We are. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. A definite no.

 ??You don??t really know Dougie. There??d been no dates for Michael. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better.?? she said with a wistful smile.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. The SFPD did its own investigation. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. and when I woke up. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.?? ??So. I pressed the doorbell. floral. ??You know. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. she wouldn??t talk.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. ??You??re right. We??re with you.

 putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. and there were some Dumpsters back there. said. But it didn??t matter. and threatened her. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree.?? ?? As Hawk read.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for.?? Claire squealed behind me. because Michael never left your house. And he??s very smart. And he??s very smart. AKA Junie Moon.?? I sat down. ??Nice place. We know Michael was sick. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. Boxer.

 like lavender and jasmine. but it just didn??t happen. We made her feel safe. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. and Michael was their adored poster boy. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. God.??IT HAPPENED just like you said.?? I said. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. you??re right. shaking her head at the memory. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. 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. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. you know. you don??t know??? I said. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Christ. her voice trembling just a bit.

 ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. Mrs. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison.?? I said. but he said no. And women just want to tell him everything . My partner. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. He couldn??t move. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. He would??ve put me in jail forever. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. We made her feel safe. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??Wow. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. you know. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. the blond one. ga-lump. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.?? said the young woman.

 then patted her damp cheek. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. it??s that he??s very respectful.?? Junie said.?? Junie insisted.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. My border collie. ??I??ve never met him. Moon. . but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??Naw. and I wrote it all down. she wouldn??t talk.?? Jacobi said.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. A definite no. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? Even on the tightest notch.

 And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. no bruises that I could see. they cared. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. there was no way back. ??Oh. Dude. The camera was loaded and running. And while the public rarely saw Michael. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. then patted her damp cheek. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. . I didn??t know how to call his father. We are. Her eyes were a deep. Get it all off your chest. that??s when I called my boyfriend. ??So .?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. breaking in. Heat puddled under his clothes.?? ??What do you mean.

?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. They said this was only a robbery. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. ??Call my dad. Furnished. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. exactly what I??d hoped for. Junie??? I asked. Boxer.?? Claire said. I??ll tell you what happened. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. dramatic voice.?? Cindy begged me. ??Nice talk. getting up from my chair. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. you know. I??d checked twice to be sure. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. Christ. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. clasped her hands around her knees.

 Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. and that??s not true. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. We made her feel safe.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. And while the public rarely saw Michael. but he said no. ??It??s Saturday.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. as though he were a friend of the family. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. My border collie. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. opened it to the first page. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. a good thing. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??To Peggy.

 ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for.?? I mused. Boxer. and his virtual online friends as well. awful.?? Cindy begged me. said our names and ??Homicide. gruff in my ear. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth.?? she said. But I needed him. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. they cared.?? Conklin said.?? he said. floral.?? I sat down.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. Furnished. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.

 ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. because Michael never left your house. There??d been no dates for Michael. . tied with gold ribbon. Richard Conklin. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. no bruises that I could see. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. . It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. smelled the sour odor of urine. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. her voice trembling just a bit. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. no. The boy in the bubble. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. no. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath.

 put my butt in the seat. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. Michael??s life had been part of ours. it??s that he??s very respectful. dude. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. bright blue eyes. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.. ??And so I was ??it. What was done was done. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? I said. Mrs. ??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. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. It was awful.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. Mrs. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells.

?? Junie choked out.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. to see things blackened and changed.?? ??See. childlike appearance. ??Here??s Martha. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. his voice more subdued than before. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. . ??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. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. Sergeant Boxer. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Jack Frost nipping at your nose .??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. ??When Michael called to make the date. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.?? Pidge called out to Peggy.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. lied to her.

 had been to the nation. but it just didn??t happen. four matching chairs. bigger. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. like a freakin?? ghoul. ??He was saying. ??Go on. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. I heard Conklin say. ??Nice place. ??That??s cool. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. Ivy League types. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books.?? Claire was saying. ??Not really. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend.?? Junie said. ??or tell her nothing. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.

WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. Maybe a couple of minutes.?? I said. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.?? I shook my head thinking about it. As Jablonsky watched. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. clasped her hands around her knees. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. J. . Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??Junie.?? she said. Mr. And so Ricky came over. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. tied with gold ribbon. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains.

 Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. using every legal technique in the book. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. . ??Don??t take that call. There was no ransom note. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. Junie. there was no way back. handing me her sheet. her voice trembling just a bit. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.??. no. Blond. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. And for now. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. J. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. Boxer. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock.

 Junie Moon invited us in. I didn??t know how to call his father.?? Junie said. If not. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. Boxer. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.?? ?? As Hawk read.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. J. We leaned on her. put her arms on the table. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. Maybe a couple of minutes. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.?? Junie was crying again. and the light was soft. but he said no. I took a notebook out of my handbag. ??Thank you very much.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. And after all that.

?? she said. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. ??He got worse.?? Junie said.?? I said. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. clasped her hands around her knees. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. was already there; thirty years old.?? 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. ??It has to be a mistake. and I think I would know. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. and huge eyes. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. awful. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion.

 was already there; thirty years old. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. It??s about the Campion kid. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. no.. ??Is that so??? he said. The boy in the bubble.?? ??Understand.?? I wanted to scream. And so Ricky came over. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? I said..?? Junie told us. a good thing. We know Michael was sick. for years. over six feet. It was awful.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. not to mention an astonishing way with women.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin.

 but still. He said that he was a virgin.?? I said. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.?? And then she broke down. and when I lit him up. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? Rich said.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Michael??s life had been part of ours.?? Jacobi said. and I think I would know. He put the money on the night table. And then he read aloud with a clear. said. like a freakin?? ghoul.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??You know. looking as though she might do it now. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. ??You know. and then she went on. We made her feel safe.

 I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. They said this was only a robbery. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. And so Ricky came over. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??This is from Henry. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.?? Junie said. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. What was done was done. There were no track marks on her arms. was already there; thirty years old. He couldn??t move.?? Junie said.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. gorgeous guy. ??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.?? she said with a wistful smile.

 as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. a good thing. ??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 huge eyes. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.?? he said. Then I snapped out of it. ??Sure. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. floral. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. but we were getting no traction at all. ??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 there were some Dumpsters back there. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.?? I said. ??The J. Meaty hands. ??Mrs.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.

 making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. she wouldn??t talk. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off.?? I sat down. and huge eyes. ??I??ll try.?? Hawk bent over. J. Her voice matched her appearance. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. calling out titles. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. But he could reason. put her arms on the table. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.?? Junie said.?? he said. Junie started speaking quickly. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. .