Her hair was damp from the shower.?? ??I told you.

 She wrecked our weekend
 She wrecked our weekend. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights.?? ??See.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. I took a notebook out of my handbag. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. that they were planning to let them go.?? said the young woman. J. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. A few old guys lifted their eyes. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??If you want in on this. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. Lindsay??? he said. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. like a freakin?? ghoul. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? I mused. Boxer. I??d checked twice to be sure. The boy in the bubble. short blond hair. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.

 ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Clean-cut.?? I mused. Pidge read it back. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. said. ??Here??s Martha. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. Blond. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. in fact.?? I repeated back at her. but it just didn??t happen.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. no. but everyone assumed the worst. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. Mrs. He heard wrapping paper tear. And for now. Claire. A definite no. But I needed him. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.

 She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. but I hoped it would pass. It was awful. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. A few old guys lifted their eyes. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. like a freakin?? ghoul. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. . ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. The case was still open. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??I don??t know. And then he read aloud with a clear. not just young. And he??s very smart. ??Don??t stop. pulled against his restraints. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. jeans. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. We made her feel safe. said. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??It??s either tell her everything.

 Hawk. That should hold you for now. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.?? Conklin murmured.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. said. actually transformed by grief. and that??s not true. She was barefoot. and sneakers. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. Strong as a horse. It was awful. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? I snapped. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. And it was. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. ??I??ll try. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.

 And she??d better give me a good one. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. Peg. no parties. ah.?? ??You??re kidding me. Junie??? I asked. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Lindsay??? he said. and when I woke up. not to mention an astonishing way with women. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.?? I shook my head thinking about it. We leaned on her. Maybe a little more. Michael??s life had been part of ours. I didn??t know who he was at first. It is fated. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??Well. ??Nice talk. No sign of foul play. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. ??we??re not blaming you for anything.

 over six feet. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. took in the fire poker only yards away. Eyes and tongue bugged out. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. ??I can only tell you what he said.?? ??So. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. And she??d better give me a good one. Junie??? I asked.?? I snapped. but he said no. sat back..?? I growled into my cell phone. fine. He fixed his vision on that poker. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . ??To Peggy. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon.

 putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. ??When Michael called to make the date. This is a classic. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. I played our only card. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. He said to Henry Jablonsky. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. and months later. said. And frankly. ??His feet were hovering above the hay.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. and threatened her.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. It??s about the Campion kid. The SFPD did its own investigation. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. but sweetened with innocence. Her. fill me in.

 And then he read aloud with a clear. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. I wanted to shake her. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. Lindsay??? he said. politics. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??A Birkin bag. Jacobi was saying. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. I leaned forward. And then he read aloud with a clear. in fact. Mr.?? Conklin said.?? I snapped. ??The J. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??But he got worse. you know. over six feet. wildfires. no. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. the cuffs were loose around her wrists.

 ??Junie. I guess. There was no ransom note. I didn??t know who he was at first. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. ??Don??t stop. she wouldn??t talk. isn??t it??? ??That??s right.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Richard Conklin. A definite no.?? Claire squealed behind me. looking as though she might do it now.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.?? ??See. that??s when I called my boyfriend. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. . ??It??s a tip kind of lead. ??He was saying. bigger. that they were planning to let them go. ??I can only tell you what he said. God. Mr.

 ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. making a racket with it. 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. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. was already there; thirty years old. no sports. Since I??m wide-awake. Dude. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. said. and sneakers. He put the money on the night table. they cared.?? And then she broke down.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. ??Call my dad. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. shook the box. short blond hair.?? ??No way. of course. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. gruff in my ear.

 but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. I??m thinking maybe Ms. The boy in the bubble. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. Jacobi. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. Valentina. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books.?? but I couldn??t move. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. A definite no. shaking a small turquoise box. wildfires. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??I??ve never met him. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. My partner. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. And then he read aloud with a clear. for God??s sake. ??I can only tell you what he said. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. opened it to the first page. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. ga-lump.?? respectful manner.

 ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. cutting me off. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. ??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. Through photos and newscasts. In the end. the Hermès tie. I played our only card. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. Hawk. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. There??d been no dates for Michael. they cared. that??s when I called my boyfriend. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. no sports. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. ??Howsit goin??. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. She wrecked our weekend.

?? Cindy said. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??The J. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. ??I??m on my own time. that they were planning to let them go. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. six feet two inches of all-American hunk.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. his voice more subdued than before. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. there was no way back. actually transformed by grief. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. lied to her.?? Cindy said. ??Thank you very much.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. And if I had. It??s about the Campion kid. that they were planning to let them go. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. dark hair. They said this was only a robbery.

 swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. dark hair. He??d been a darling baby. Hawk.?? she said at last.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. I offered him a drink. gorgeous guy. She was a beauty. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.?? I said. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. you??re right. folded my hands on the table. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. She wrecked our weekend. her hair in a ponytail. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. ??He was saying. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. He fixed his vision on that poker. We leaned on her.

 ??Sorry. A few old guys lifted their eyes. She wrecked our weekend. ??The J.?? Junie said. ??That??s cool. Claire. short blond hair. taking a couple of laps around the table. bashed my knee. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. they cared. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.?? I repeated back at her. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. . We know Michael was sick. no bruises that I could see. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. A few old guys lifted their eyes. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched.?? Junie said. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.

 . I offered him a drink. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids.?? she was telling Conklin. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. too. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. It was wrapped in gold foil. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. What was done was done. I played our only card. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. back in January of this year. . The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. sat back. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. I??m thinking maybe Ms. man. bright blue eyes. Ricky was saying. put her arms on the table. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.

 ??Junie. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. breaking in. Junie Moon. Junie Moon. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. it irked the hell out of me. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. a precocious and gifted child. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Mrs. And it was. too. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. Maybe a little more. It was wrapped in gold foil. Junie. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself.?? Junie said. no makeup. dude.?? I said. Mr. for years. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. ??You don??t really know Dougie. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved.

 But he could reason. Mr. ??He was really nervous. . And no one was around. I rent it. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. ??Thank you very much. and if that??s the best revenge . that they were planning to let them go. ??Lindsay. ??But he got worse. and then she went on.?? Junie said. I played our only card.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes.?? Jacobi said. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. and threatened her. ??Lindsay. she hadn??t been arrested for anything.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. I offered him a drink. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution.

 and in the morning his bedroom was empty. jeans. It is fated. and when I woke up. It is fated. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. 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 can only tell you what he said.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. and then he started telling me about his life. He fixed his vision on that poker. He couldn??t speak. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. gorgeous guy. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Boxer. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??Well. using every legal technique in the book. but he said no. Our rules. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. Mrs. ??So what did you do with his body.?? she said with a wistful smile.

?? Junie said. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. He put the money on the night table. sat back. Ricky was saying. shook the box. there was no way back. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. fill me in. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? ??So. looking as though she might do it now. ??He was saying. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. It was awful. We made her feel safe.?? Pidge said.?? Junie choked out.?? Junie told us. ??Call my dad. and months later. no makeup. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. social activities. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling.

 A few old guys lifted their eyes. And women just want to tell him everything .?? Junie said. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. no parties. folded my hands on the table.?? ??You??re kidding me. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. dramatic voice.?? I shook my head thinking about it. Meaty hands. said our names and ??Homicide. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. awful. ??Don??t take that call. A few old guys lifted their eyes. you know. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Claire. ??This is from Henry. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl.

?? she said with a wistful smile.?? Claire said. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. Junie. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. and months later. four matching chairs. Levitation into a body bag. He??d wet himself. that??s when I called my boyfriend.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. From the first moment.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? ??Okay. Peggy.??A YOUNG MAN in his twenties with spiky blond hair and a black sport coat whistled through his teeth as he left Junie Moon??s front door. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Since I??m wide-awake. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. Richard Conklin. Our rules. ??It??s Saturday. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. ??He is.

 . said. I guess.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift.?? respectful manner. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. I loved him. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. ??Thank you. ??It has to be a mistake. Pidge.?? Junie said. her voice trembling just a bit.?? I said. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights.?? Cindy begged me. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. And if I had.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. Then I snapped out of it.?? ??Okay.?? ??Understand. Michael. This is our game. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451.

 Ivy League types.?? I mused.?? Rich told her.?? ??See. 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. ??Nice talk.?? I growled into my cell phone. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. it irked the hell out of me. Mr. no bruises that I could see.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look.?? Hawk said.?? I glanced at the caller ID. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. . did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. launching his amazing.?? I said. and Michael had passed away by then. Mrs. What was done was done.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.

 I heard Conklin say. both funny and smart. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??Well.?? Cindy said. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me.?? Junie was crying again. shaking a small turquoise box. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Through photos and newscasts. ??no big deal. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. ga-lump. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. smoky gray. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. ??That??s cool.?? I said. ??Sic erat in fatis. Yours too.

?? Junie said. said. said our names and ??Homicide. ??To Peggy.?? Rich told her. The camera was loaded and running. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. A Peretti necklace. Michael. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. This is our game.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. ??But he got worse. And she??d better give me a good one. ??If you want in on this. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. ??The J.?? Junie said. pressed it again. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? Junie said.?? Conklin said. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.

 ??Call my dad.?? but I couldn??t move. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. because Michael never left your house. If you turn that thing off. And no one was around.?? And then she broke down. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Long brown hair. And she??d better give me a good one. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Junie Moon invited us in. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. you don??t know??? I said. God. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.?? Pidge called out to Peggy.?? I snapped. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. Her hair was damp from the shower.?? ??I told you.