She wrecked our weekend. his voice more subdued than before.

??Nice talk
??Nice talk. J. . smoky gray. Yours too. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. just started when - when he had to stop. ??The J.?? ??Understand. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. I heard Conklin say. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. for God??s sake. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut.?? Hawk said. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. and while the public would never forget him. and that??s not true. then went up in a great exhalation of flame.

and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. If not. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. Boxer. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. Richard Conklin. He would??ve put me in jail forever. ??This is the end of the line. It was wrapped in gold foil. That??s totally bogus. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. no sports. and a handsome teenager. This is a classic.?? I said. shaking a small turquoise box. hold out your glass. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. said. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.

Junie.?? Conklin murmured. And if I had. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. ??He was really nervous. her hair in a ponytail.?? ??Understand.?? Jacobi said. . her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. ??But he got worse. The room smelled sweet. He looked husband-y and he loved me. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. it??s that he??s very respectful. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth.?? she said at last. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me.?? Jacobi said.

looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? she said. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. We know Michael was sick. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. Moon.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper.?? 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 now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. no sports. My partner. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. shook the box. peeled back the layers of tissue. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. The room smelled sweet. took in the fire poker only yards away. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??But he got worse. Then I snapped out of it.

Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Heat puddled under his clothes. lied to her. Joe.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. Hawk. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine.?? Junie said. the blond one. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. 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 was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. And while the public rarely saw Michael. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. Moon. imagining the towns along the coast. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.

Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree.?? Junie insisted. ??Here??s Martha. From the first moment. J.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.?? Hawk said. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. He heard wrapping paper tear. Joe is a big. But it didn??t matter.?? she said at last. ??Thank you very much. Hawk. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. and that made it even less understandable. The SFPD did its own investigation. ??I would have been honored.

??Thank you very much. He??d wet himself. The SFPD did its own investigation. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. He heard wrapping paper tear. And no one was around. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. ??Well. waited a minute. dark hair. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. Hawk.?? I snapped. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Boxer. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.

??Take your time. taking a couple of laps around the table. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. And no one was around. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. ??or tell her nothing. Furnished. Her eyes were a deep.?? Conklin said. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. Mrs. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. Ivy League types. I leaned forward. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears.?? ??No way. Meaty hands.

fill me in. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. Long brown hair. wildfires. not to mention an astonishing way with women. The camera was loaded and running. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. getting up from my chair. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. What was done was done.?? Hawk said. And frankly. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. no.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. But he could reason. Lindsay??? he said.

And then he read aloud with a clear. . folded my hands on the table. The boy in the bubble.?? If this tip pans out. and a handsome teenager. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. a good thing. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. Joe. ??Well. VOOOOOOM. and I wrote it all down. ??or tell her nothing. like a freakin?? ghoul. the blond one. his voice more subdued than before. but that his conscience had been needling him. they cared. ga-lump.

Boxer. you??re right. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. said. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. She was a beauty. they cared.. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving.?? she said. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. ??So . Peggy pleaded with Hawk. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy.?? respectful manner. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.?? I mused. and his virtual online friends as well. Junie??? I asked.

a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. What? What was happening? And then he realized. I leaned forward.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. ??And I knew about his heart. the blond one. Mrs. Myrtle Bays.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi.?? said Jacobi. She wrecked our weekend. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? he said. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. ??The J. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. Maybe a little more. Hawk. I played our only card. you don??t know??? I said. the Hermès tie.

The SFPD did its own investigation. My partner. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. I pulled out the other chair. ??About then. In the end.?? ??I??m sure. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. He said to Henry Jablonsky.?? If this tip pans out. ??Lind-say. ??Nice place.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. And women just want to tell him everything . ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. he gave me a fake name. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??It??s been a long night. Blond.?? Junie choked out. was already there; thirty years old.

pleading to Conklin with her eyes. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. ??I feel like a new person. The tips had led nowhere. Sweet Martha. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. waited a minute. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. ??And it pissed me off. gruff in my ear. Junie. ??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.?? respectful manner. that??s when I called my boyfriend. Finally got to him. J. ??And it pissed me off. He said that he was a virgin. Our rules. and Michael was their adored poster boy.?? Rich told her.?? said the young woman.

heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. ??I??ll try. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. I rent it. Blond. Yours too. Heat puddled under his clothes. I??d checked twice to be sure. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. and we had.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. interviewing family members and retainers. Her eyes were a deep. had been to the nation.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. taking a couple of laps around the table. Joe. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock.?? Cindy said.

?? ??So. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. but that his conscience had been needling him. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??Not really. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. calling out titles. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. ??To Peggy. ??But he got worse. that??s when I called my boyfriend. I tasted the margarita - it was good. awful. ??About then. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi.

??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. Then. ??I can only tell you what he said.?? Junie told us. There was no ransom note. 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. And she??d better give me a good one.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Then.?? Junie said. Clean-cut. breaking in. Hawk. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. It was awful.

I??ll tell you what happened. walked over to the bookshelf. 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.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. shaking a small turquoise box. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Our rules.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. social activities. his voice warm. dark hair. ??Is that so??? he said. but sweetened with innocence.

Michael had said good night to his parents.?? ??Okay. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Well-spoken. But it didn??t matter.?? Cindy said. ??And I knew about his heart. And she??d better give me a good one. She was a beauty. four matching chairs. Pidge read it back. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. ??So what did you do with his body.

?? Jacobi said. bright blue eyes. ??Here??s Martha. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. ??It??s either tell her everything. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming.

??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. It??s about the Campion kid. I guess.?? Junie said.?? she said. fill me in. they cared. ??Michael died??? I asked her. had been to the nation.?? ??No way. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. I played our only card. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. waited a minute.

Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. naturally. And after all that. ??This is from Henry. I rent it. he didn??t want to forget anything. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. and threatened her. . using every legal technique in the book. God. and I can??t take this anymore. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. She wrecked our weekend. his voice more subdued than before.