Even on the tightest notch. She was a beauty.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. fine.

?? Junie insisted
?? Junie insisted. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.?? ??So. VOOOOOOM. no. J.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? Rich told her.?? Conklin said. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. What was done was done. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. but everyone assumed the worst. ??This is the end of the line. I played our only card. ??Naw.?? said the young woman. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. but he said no. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.

?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.. and Michael was their adored poster boy. Ivy League types. four matching chairs. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. dramatic voice. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. sure. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. ga-lump.?? she said.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. He??d been a darling baby. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.

Michael had said good night to his parents. And no one was around. ??A Birkin bag. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. Mr. using every legal technique in the book. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. ??Not really. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. ??About then. The boy in the bubble. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. tied with gold ribbon. Peg. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.?? Junie said. Boxer.

?? she said with a wistful smile.?? Claire said. this one flaking and in need of repair. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. . and the FBI launched a nationwide search. and if that??s the best revenge . and let Conklin keep the ball rolling.?? Claire said. but sweetened with innocence. sat back. and I took off his clothes. ??It??s Saturday. ??This is from Henry. ??After a few hours. bright blue eyes. ??And it pissed me off.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Mr.

please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. It was like five in the morning. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. Valentina. Junie. tied with gold ribbon. a good thing. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. He couldn??t speak.?? she said at last. . . ??Thank you very much. said. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. for years. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. fill me in. ??or tell her nothing. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.

did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. pressed it again. Peggy. short blond hair. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. . Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. ??You know. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.?? he said. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. ??It??s either tell her everything. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? Junie said. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. Michael. I??ll tell you what happened. ??When Michael called to make the date. actually transformed by grief. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life.

bright blue eyes. The case was still open.?? she said.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? I glanced at the caller ID. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Her. he didn??t want to forget anything. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??It??s Saturday.?? Rich said. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. shaking her head at the memory.

?? Junie said.?? Junie insisted. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway.?? ??I??m sure. And it was. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. jeans. then patted her damp cheek. And if I had. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. Mr. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. Jacobi was saying. and a handsome teenager. A Peretti necklace. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. his voice warm. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.

thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. ??It??s either tell her everything.?? she said. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. ??Sic erat in fatis. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. Boxer. VOOOOOOM. ??Say good-bye to Peggy.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. fill me in.?? I said. like lavender and jasmine. Maybe a couple of minutes. There??d been no dates for Michael.?? I glanced at the caller ID. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.

?? I sat down. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. dark hair. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. And for now. no. In the end.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??Thank you very much. Junie. taking a couple of laps around the table. But it didn??t matter. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Levitation into a body bag. launching his amazing. Ms. Boxer. The tips had led nowhere.

??I unzipped the body bag . a good thing. . hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. ??You??re right. over six feet. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. and that??s not true. but I hoped it would pass. and a handsome teenager. . If not.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. but we were getting no traction at all. J. she wouldn??t talk. shaking her head at the memory. And after all that. My former partner and current boss. and I can??t take this anymore.

I didn??t know how to call his father.?? ??No way.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. J. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. He??d been a darling baby. short blond hair.. ??Take your time. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. gorgeous guy. ??But that never happened. both funny and smart. A few old guys lifted their eyes. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. AKA Junie Moon. Maybe a couple of minutes. I played our only card. and Michael had passed away by then.?? I said. I didn??t know how to call his father.

for years. ??He is. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. J. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.?? ??I told you. Christ. ??After a few hours. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. ??After a few hours. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. I pulled out my chair again. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. too. Michael??s life had been part of ours. 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. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved.?? Conklin said. AKA Junie Moon. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.

??Lindsay. ??No don??ts. ??He was really nervous.?? And then she broke down. but still. The tips had led nowhere. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? Junie said. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. ah.?? Jacobi said. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. And no one was around. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. dude. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. Yours too. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. ??And I knew about his heart. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? ??What do you mean.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight.

It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. over six feet.?? I said. looking as though she might do it now. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? Junie said. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. . ??I would have been honored. She wrecked our weekend. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? Junie said. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. ??Sorry. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. like a freakin?? ghoul. and while the public would never forget him. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. He??d been a darling baby. ??It has to be a mistake.

??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. his voice more subdued than before. I offered him a drink. scenting the air as they burned. Joe is a big.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. and while the public would never forget him. I heard Conklin say. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. ??I??ll try. politics. He put the money on the night table. for God??s sake. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. shaking her head at the memory. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. I pulled out the other chair. her voice trembling just a bit. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview.

he gave me a fake name.?? ?? As Hawk read. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. ??Well. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. Pidge read it back.?? Jacobi said. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Jack Frost nipping at your nose .?? 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. ??And so I was ??it. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. but we??ve got a credible lead. Strong as a horse. And after all that. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend.?? Junie said.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.

the Hermès tie. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. From the first moment. And so Ricky came over. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. and I can??t take this anymore. There were no track marks on her arms.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. ga-lump. He??d wet himself.??. Her hair was damp from the shower. smoky gray. but that his conscience had been needling him. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Ricky was saying.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. My former partner and current boss. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands.

?? Yuki laughed. her head in her arms. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. and I think I would know. and if that??s the best revenge . ??You know. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. man. Hawk. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. ??You know. lifting her tearstained face. fine. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. ??So what did you do with his body. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. like lavender and jasmine. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. not just young.

while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. man. he didn??t want to forget anything. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. and then she went on. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. a precocious and gifted child. I swallowed my pique. I pressed the doorbell. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.?? ??I told you. and I took off his clothes. J. Both of them.?? Conklin murmured.?? I repeated back at her. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint.?? Conklin said. and when I woke up.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. peeled back the layers of tissue.

And it was. ??I don??t know.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. bashed my knee. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. I peed my pants. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. Both of them. ??I feel like a new person. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. He fixed his vision on that poker. The house is home to a prostitute. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. naturally. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. ??And it pissed me off.?? I said. they cared. I rent it.?? Junie insisted. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.

?? I said. Junie Moon. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. He??d wet himself. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. If you turn that thing off.?? Conklin said. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? Conklin said. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. ??Take your time. a good thing. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. Please.?? Even on the tightest notch. She was a beauty.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. fine.