I started to think we were on a date.?? Junie choked out.

 put my butt in the seat
 put my butt in the seat. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. bright blue eyes. and then she went on. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. took in the fire poker only yards away.?? respectful manner. abruptly. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. over six feet. using every legal technique in the book. It is fated. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. And Junie began to tell us everything. said our names and ??Homicide. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable.

?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. in fact.?? she said. This is a classic. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. He put the money on the night table. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??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. his voice more subdued than before. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. Probably six two. politics. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil.?? she said.?? Claire was saying. ??Wow. it??s nothing.

 shaking a small turquoise box. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall.?? Conklin murmured. ??Well. Ricky was saying. but I hoped it would pass. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. . That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??Mrs. and we had. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. babe-catcher smile.?? I shook my head thinking about it. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. said. was already there; thirty years old. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.

 you??re right. sat back.?? ??See. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. He??d wet himself.?? ??Understand.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. and when I woke up. ??He is.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. and we had. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? ??Understand. Pidge read it back. and if that??s the best revenge . Then.

 and in the morning his bedroom was empty. Please. Since I??m wide-awake. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. I??d checked twice to be sure. ??Thank you. was already there; thirty years old. that??s when I called my boyfriend. I??d checked twice to be sure.?? Rich said. Levitation into a body bag. If you turn that thing off. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. wildfires. But he could reason. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.

?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. Myrtle Bays. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. Pidge read it back. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong.?? she was telling Conklin. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. No sign of foul play.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. you??re right. you know. He looked husband-y and he loved me. A Peretti necklace. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out.

 ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. and then she went on. ??Sorry. Junie??? I asked.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??If you want in on this.?? I growled into my cell phone. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. ??Not really. it??s nothing. He was super real. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.?? I glanced at the caller ID. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband.?? Rich said. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper.

 showing her a photo of Michael Campion. but still. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. J. this one flaking and in need of repair.?? she said at last. then went up in a great exhalation of flame.?? I shook my head thinking about it.?? Conklin murmured. and his virtual online friends as well.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. Junie. And it was. Moon. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. ??Thank you very much.?? I said.

 tied with gold ribbon. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??Call my dad. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. smelled the sour odor of urine. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Claire. cutting me off. Pidge.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. Our rules. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. I??m thinking maybe Ms. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.

 This is a classic. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. ??Lindsay. They said this was only a robbery. imagining the towns along the coast. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. A definite no. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California.?? said Jacobi. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. He said to Henry Jablonsky. 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. his voice more subdued than before.?? Junie was crying again. do you??? she said. but I hoped it would pass.

 dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Tell. had been to the nation. then patted her damp cheek. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. but he said no. J.?? I shook my head thinking about it. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. dark hair.?? Claire squealed behind me. Lindsay??? he said. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. there was no way back. actually transformed by grief. launching his amazing. fill me in.

 ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. warming to the subject. wildfires. ??This is the end of the line. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. and while the public would never forget him. no sports.?? she said at last.?? she said with a wistful smile. ??Naw. Probably six two. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. just started when - when he had to stop. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. I pressed the doorbell. ??That??s cool. He fixed his vision on that poker.

 and sobbed as though she??d really cared. and a handsome teenager. Boxer. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. I took a notebook out of my handbag. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. ??Don??t take that call. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. But he could reason. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. ??To Peggy. you??re right. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. ??Not really.

 A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that.?? she said at last. Valentina. ??He was saying. I tasted the margarita - it was good. and I wrote it all down. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. just started when - when he had to stop. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. My partner. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. ??The J. And if I had. ??The J. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. The boy in the bubble. Heat puddled under his clothes.

 . And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. ??To Peggy. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. smoky gray. and that??s not true. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. That should hold you for now. He said he was in pain. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. ??Here??s Martha. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. ??No don??ts. exactly what I??d hoped for.?? Junie said. ??Wow. man.

??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. My partner. his voice more subdued than before. J. but we were getting no traction at all. I believed what she said at first. The case was still open. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. He put the money on the night table. What was done was done. Lindsay??? he said. Ricky was saying. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. and the light was soft. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. ??To Peggy.?? ??See. back in January of this year.

?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? Junie insisted. dramatic voice. It was awful.?? Cindy said. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. no parties. ??Junie. you don??t know??? I said. Then. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. Mr. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. The camera was loaded and running. It was awful.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear.

?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. smelled the sour odor of urine. Sergeant Boxer. And no one was around. I tasted the margarita - it was good. I started to think we were on a date. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. Well-spoken. babe-catcher smile. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. ??Is that so??? he said. ??Is that so??? he said. awful. ah. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. I started to think we were on a date.?? Junie choked out.