And we appreciate it. And so Ricky came over.

?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin
?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. a good thing. seeming empty and exhausted. Junie. 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 would have been honored. ??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 - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. Ms. He heard wrapping paper tear. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. lifting her tearstained face. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. She was barefoot. and Michael had passed away by then. Blondie. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. 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.

 and months later. had been to the nation. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. And no one was around. like a freakin?? ghoul. I leaned forward. Jacobi was saying. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. J. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. and his virtual online friends as well. ??Lind-say. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.?? but I couldn??t move. J. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. floral. so we put him into the bathtub. politics. He was to Californians what JFK Jr.

 Then. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.??. Michael. That should hold you for now. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. And no one was around. Michael had said good night to his parents. terror attacks. I pulled out my chair again. the blond one. and the Jensen salad tongs. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. ??Nice place. Then. He couldn??t move. cutting me off. Claire. over six feet. Blond. And Junie began to tell us everything.

?? Hawk bent over.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. using every legal technique in the book. tied with gold ribbon.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. I leaned forward. clasped her hands around her knees. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. Junie.?? Pidge said. was already there; thirty years old.?? ??Think.?? Junie said. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? I said. Tell. I peed my pants. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. This is our game.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No.

 ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. It was wrapped in gold foil.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. but we were getting no traction at all.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. folded my hands on the table. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. But I needed him. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. Our rules. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. and that made it even less understandable. and then she went on. awful. She was barefoot. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.

 ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. Dude. Richard Conklin.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. seeming empty and exhausted. I leaned forward. Junie Moon. 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. Michael. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??You??re right. Junie started speaking quickly. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. I leaned forward.?? ??Understand.?? ??So. He fixed his vision on that poker.

 Hawk. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. .?? I said. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. Our rules. and Michael had passed away by then. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. If not. ??Thank you very much.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. ??Take your time. He said he was in pain. and she told me that since she??d changed her name.?? she said. said. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. And she??d better give me a good one.?? I said.

 she hadn??t been arrested for anything. ??You know.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying.?? Even on the tightest notch. I rent it. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. ??Oh. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. her hair in a ponytail. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. We??re with you. handing me her sheet. We leaned on her. ??Thank you. This is our game. Heat puddled under his clothes.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. I heard Conklin say.?? Rich said.

?? ??See. her hair in a ponytail. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? she said.?? she said with a wistful smile.?? ??See. I believed what she said at first. ??Is that so??? he said. was already there; thirty years old. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. the Hermès tie.?? I said. you don??t know??? I said. said. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. She was barefoot. ??Take your time. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. ??I unzipped the body bag . then patted her damp cheek. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. pressed it again.

 they cared. He couldn??t move. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. I started to think we were on a date. Christ. fill me in. I tasted the margarita - it was good. and I wrote it all down. ??Nice talk. and the Jensen salad tongs.?? Claire said. ??And so I was ??it. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. I didn??t know how to call his father. Hawk. her voice trembling just a bit. but I hoped it would pass. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop.

 one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. ??Naw. ??But that never happened. and when I woke up. I wanted to shake her. ??But that never happened. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. a precocious and gifted child. The case was still open. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? she said at last. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. but everyone assumed the worst. And women just want to tell him everything . not just young. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. They said this was only a robbery. took in the fire poker only yards away. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. But he could reason.

 ??You know. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. and threatened her.?? I said. . and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. touching her chest with the flat of her palm.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. cutting me off. The case was still open.. Christ. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. it??s nothing. Both of them. a good thing. ??I fell asleep. Junie.?? Claire said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.

 What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. Luckily. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. awful. it??s nothing. over six feet. peeled back the layers of tissue. Hawk. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. pressed it again. and I wrote it all down. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. terror attacks. ??or tell her nothing.?? I said. like lavender and jasmine. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. and there were some Dumpsters back there.

 The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. then patted her damp cheek.?? said Jacobi.. man. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. and huge eyes.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. ga-lump. ??I??ll try. ??Is that so??? he said. Lindsay??? he said.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. No sign of foul play. He??d wet himself. ??Naw.?? Junie choked out. took in the fire poker only yards away. sure. This is our game.

?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. I??ll tell you what happened.?? ??So. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. He said he was in pain. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. was already there; thirty years old. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. no bruises that I could see. As Jablonsky watched. We made her feel safe. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. But it didn??t matter. my God. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. I peed my pants.?? I wanted to scream. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. I played our only card. Michael??s teachers and school friends.?? Junie insisted.

 ??Sic erat in fatis. J. The case was still open. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. ??Verbatim? She said. He??d been a darling baby.?? I glanced at the caller ID. gruff in my ear.?? ??Okay. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. He was super real. Sergeant Boxer. her head in her arms.?? he said. I rent it. shook the box. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. ??You??re right. ??Wow. He looked husband-y and he loved me. it irked the hell out of me.

 it??s nothing. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. It was awful. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. politics. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. . VOOOOOOM. of course. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. . There??d been no dates for Michael. put my butt in the seat. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. and we had. Dude.

 ??So what did you do with his body. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning.?? Jacobi said. The camera was loaded and running.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. It was wrapped in gold foil. but sweetened with innocence.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. Christ. both funny and smart. as though he were a friend of the family. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. She wrecked our weekend. ??But once we started cutting. I played our only card. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. then patted her damp cheek.?? but I couldn??t move.

 ??Nice talk. The tips had led nowhere. ??To Peggy. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. ??Don??t take that call. ??Thank you. ??Lind-say. He put the money on the night table. ??This is from Henry. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??So what did you do with his body. Valentina. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. like a freakin?? ghoul. took in the fire poker only yards away. And women just want to tell him everything . the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. put her arms on the table. We??re with you. but we were getting no traction at all. AKA Junie Moon.

?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed.. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. no bruises that I could see. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. ??But once we started cutting..??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. I??m thinking maybe Ms. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. and months later. The tips had led nowhere. ??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. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. pulled against his restraints.?? respectful manner. ??The J.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin.

 Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. expecting it to be my boyfriend. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. awful. I loved him. In English that means ??in the saddle.?? And then she broke down.?? ??What do you mean. my God. Peggy pleaded with Hawk.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. and I wrote it all down. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. ??The J. ??Lindsay. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. Mrs. ??It??s Saturday. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. I peed my pants.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.

?? Junie told us. We know Michael was sick.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. Mrs. and threatened her. My former partner and current boss. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. awful. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. I pulled out the other chair. Yours too.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. ??We have some questions about a missing person. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. with side-parted hair. clasped her hands around her knees. gruff in my ear. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. And so Ricky came over.