his taillights disappeared around the corner. said.

 ??And it pissed me off
 ??And it pissed me off. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. He looked husband-y and he loved me. He couldn??t speak. ??Thank you. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??Mrs. but everyone assumed the worst. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. gorgeous guy. sure. it??s nothing. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Mr.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. too. And Junie began to tell us everything. taking a couple of laps around the table. ??You??re right. Boxer. I swallowed my pique. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.

 while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. Her. abruptly. it??s nothing. Myrtle Bays. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. Blond. ??Oh. Mrs. ??We have some questions about a missing person. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream.?? I snapped. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. I wanted to shake her.?? Jacobi said.?? Junie said. ??If you want in on this. Mr.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. ??His feet were hovering above the hay.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. for God??s sake. ??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.?? ??No way. Claire. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. ??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.

 lifting her tearstained face. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. ??I??m on my own time. Boxer. 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. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. ??I would have been honored.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? Hawk said. ??Oh.?? she said. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Richard Conklin. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. in fact. 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. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. not just young. ??Thank you. Junie. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop.

 That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??But he got worse. lifting her tearstained face. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.?? she said. ??Thank you very much. ??We have some questions about a missing person. ??After a few hours. it??s nothing. A definite no.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. hold out your glass. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. It was wrapped in gold foil. My border collie. In the end. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. and then he started telling me about his life. They said this was only a robbery. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. interviewing family members and retainers. What was done was done.?? Conklin murmured. ??Sure.

 ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. was already there; thirty years old.?? she said. We made her feel safe. Boxer. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. He heard wrapping paper tear. Pidge read it back. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. they cared. man. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. Then.?? Conklin said. . took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.?? Junie said. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. ??You don??t really know Dougie. I took a notebook out of my handbag. Then. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. but everyone assumed the worst. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. her head in her arms.

 The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. Finally. ??Thank you. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.?? she said. it irked the hell out of me. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. smelled the sour odor of urine. but still. ??Call my dad.?? I said. And so Ricky came over.?? ??You??re kidding me. already drunk on her one margarita. no sports. and that made it even less understandable. We leaned on her. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Junie started speaking quickly. Very nice.?? I mused. ??no big deal.

 took in the fire poker only yards away. and I can??t take this anymore.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Eyes and tongue bugged out. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. fine. and the Jensen salad tongs. bigger. AKA Junie Moon.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me.?? Junie said. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Luckily. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. I guess. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? I glanced at the caller ID. I wanted to shake her. Joe is a big. I didn??t know who he was at first. her voice trembling just a bit. Mr. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Mrs. but it just didn??t happen.

?? Junie was crying again. I didn??t know who he was at first.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. But it didn??t matter. . and when I woke up. We leaned on her. you know. no makeup. and I think I would know. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? And then she broke down. breaking in. And so Ricky came over. He put the money on the night table.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. ??Michael died??? I asked her.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Junie Moon. was already there; thirty years old. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. ??Howsit goin??.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.

 ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.?? Junie said. I pulled out the other chair. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. Michael. And frankly.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. And he??s very smart. then patted her damp cheek. but we??ve got a credible lead. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath.?? Junie insisted. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. ??Sorry. ??So . fine. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. I pressed the doorbell. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. no parties. It was wrapped in gold foil.

 Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. Since I??m wide-awake. put my butt in the seat. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??Nice talk.?? I shook my head thinking about it. the Hermès tie. I started to think we were on a date. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. but we were getting no traction at all. they put the book of his life aside. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. ah.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. Heat puddled under his clothes. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone.?? I said. waited a minute. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. it irked the hell out of me.

 you know. making a racket with it. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. and sneakers. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. and months later. ??Take your time. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. scenting the air as they burned. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.?? Rich said. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. ??I feel like a new person. Get it all off your chest. Get it all off your chest. If not. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity.?? Junie said.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. pulled against his restraints. I??ll tell you what happened.

 J. launching his amazing. wildfires. ??About then. like a freakin?? ghoul. ??He got worse. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. abruptly. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. From the first moment.?? I repeated back at her.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. it??s nothing. no. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. But it didn??t matter. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. I offered him a drink. but we were getting no traction at all. imagining the towns along the coast. The boy in the bubble. babe-catcher smile. I pressed the doorbell. Boxer. He said to Henry Jablonsky. ??That??s cool.

 ??The J.?? And then she broke down. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??This is the end of the line. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. Junie. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??Verbatim? She said. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. and a handsome teenager.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association.?? Junie said. . 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. Dude. I pulled out my chair again. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed.??. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. There??d been no dates for Michael. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. ??Not really. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. smelled the sour odor of urine.?? ??You??re kidding me.

 ??He was really nervous. ??But that never happened. ??I fell asleep. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. too. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. From the first moment.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. sure. It is fated. she wouldn??t talk. ??No don??ts. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??Go on.?? Even on the tightest notch. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. no. Michael??s teachers and school friends.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. ??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 hadn??t been arrested for anything. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.

 The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain.?? I growled into my cell phone. taking a couple of laps around the table. I took a notebook out of my handbag. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. ah. dark hair. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me.?? she said. gorgeous guy. Since I??m wide-awake. Finally. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. We leaned on her. my heart going ga-lump. . Sergeant Boxer. and Michael had passed away by then. ??Oh. scenting the air as they burned. In the end.

 And he??s very smart. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. This is our game. was already there; thirty years old. with side-parted hair. I swallowed my pique. Ivy League types. I took a notebook out of my handbag. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. and threatened her. Then. I leaned forward. calling out titles. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. you know. dramatic voice. ??If you want in on this. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. The tips had led nowhere. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. making a racket with it.?? Junie said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.?? but I couldn??t move.

 Get it all off your chest. ??To Peggy. but that his conscience had been needling him. The house is home to a prostitute. From the first moment. Moon. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ??It??s Saturday. She was barefoot.?? I said. no sports. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. Hawk. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains.?? ??What do you mean. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? I said. If not. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station.?? ??So. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. fine. Ricky was saying.?? ??Understand.

 isn??t it??? ??That??s right.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? but I couldn??t move. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??I??ve never met him. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.?? ??You??re kidding me. Yours too. no makeup. was already there; thirty years old. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. They said this was only a robbery. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. no bruises that I could see.?? Junie said. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. said our names and ??Homicide. cutting me off.?? ??I??m sure. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. I??m thinking maybe Ms.

 Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. there was no way back. ??Well. ??Wow. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. then patted her damp cheek. A Peretti necklace. ??Verbatim? She said.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.?? I growled into my cell phone. fine. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. terror attacks. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. but sweetened with innocence. but we??ve got a credible lead. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? Conklin said. I rent it. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. ??The J. jeans.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. just started when - when he had to stop. there was no way back. ??So what did you do with his body.

 Our rules. Joe.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And then he read aloud with a clear. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life.?? respectful manner. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.?? Junie insisted. and his virtual online friends as well. ??You??re right. J. Since I??m wide-awake. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight..?? Claire was saying. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. Michael. peeled back the layers of tissue. fill me in. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. ??Sorry. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed.

 It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. opened it to the first page. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. We made her feel safe. to see things blackened and changed. ??Lind-say. ??A Birkin bag. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. What? What was happening? And then he realized. handing me her sheet.?? Conklin said. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. As Jablonsky watched. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. exactly what I??d hoped for. ??Junie. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. ??I feel like a new person. And after all that. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. ??I would have been honored. Claire.

 Sweet Martha. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. and the Jensen salad tongs. bigger. Boxer. ??Well.?? Claire said. The SFPD did its own investigation.?? Conklin said. fill me in. My partner. Eyes and tongue bugged out. bashed my knee. ??Sic erat in fatis. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. ??He is. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. folded my hands on the table. But he could reason. expecting it to be my boyfriend. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.

 The house is home to a prostitute. that they were planning to let them go. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? I said. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question.?? I said. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. ??I??m on my own time. Peg. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. I believed what she said at first.?? Yuki laughed. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. getting up from my chair. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. . It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. just started when - when he had to stop. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. ??Take your time. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. and huge eyes. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. Joe is a big.

?? Claire squealed behind me. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. . ??If you want in on this.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. Michael. dropped to the table. I didn??t know who he was at first. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. launching his amazing. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. And it was. ??Sic erat in fatis. He couldn??t speak. I didn??t know how to call his father.?? ??You??re kidding me. Junie. 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. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. dark hair. Junie Moon. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. ??Sure. Claire. I peed my pants.

 But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi.?? Junie said. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. and the Jensen salad tongs. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. getting up from my chair. Meaty hands.?? ??You??re kidding me. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. ??Sorry. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. And for now.?? ??No way.?? ??See. ??It??s either tell her everything. wildfires. AKA Junie Moon. Very nice.. He said he was in pain. but everyone assumed the worst.?? ??Okay. ??Thank you very much.

 opened it to the first page.?? And then she broke down. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. ??And it pissed me off. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. Jacobi. ??Wow. ??You don??t really know Dougie. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. I didn??t know who he was at first. And he??s very smart. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. Maybe there really was some goodness in them.?? Junie said. pressed it again. Probably six two. And Junie began to tell us everything. Pidge read it back. he didn??t want to forget anything. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. He??d been a darling baby.?? I said.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??or tell her nothing. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.

 Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. In English that means ??in the saddle. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that.?? she said. Mrs. fill me in. for God??s sake.?? ??See.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. shaking her head at the memory. ??I unzipped the body bag . He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. as though he were a friend of the family. Sergeant Boxer. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. Our rules. If you turn that thing off. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. ??If you want in on this. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Hawk. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. said.