just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.

 lied to her
 lied to her. It??s about the Campion kid. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. Yours too. A definite no. I pulled out the other chair. ??Call my dad. And Junie began to tell us everything. He said that he was a virgin. and Michael was their adored poster boy. and there were some Dumpsters back there. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. ??It??s either tell her everything. J. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. And no one was around. Finally. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. From the first moment. As his taillights disappeared around the corner.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. ??Mrs. Since I??m wide-awake. J. lied to her.?? ??Understand.

 then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. Sergeant Boxer. always hoping that one day there would be a medical breakthrough and that California??s ??Boy with a Broken Heart?? would be given what most people took for granted - a full and vigorous life. I leaned forward. And women just want to tell him everything . . Her eyes were a deep.?? I sat down. Hawk. ??And so I was ??it.?? ??See. Boxer. but sweetened with innocence.?? Junie was crying again. dark hair.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??I fell asleep. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. Her hair was damp from the shower. Maybe a little more. ??It??s been a long night. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. wildfires. and then he started telling me about his life. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??Mrs.

 ??Sorry. ??If you want in on this. from Santa. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. dude. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. you??re right. said. Yours too. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??I unzipped the body bag . ??Sorry. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. dropped to the table. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. No sign of foul play.?? she said. ??I unzipped the body bag .

 J.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. Boxer. Strong as a horse.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. an hour north of San Francisco. like a freakin?? ghoul. It??s about the Campion kid. And women just want to tell him everything . TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. He??d wet himself. I rent it. and months later.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. dropped to the table.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. this one flaking and in need of repair. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation.?? Yuki laughed.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. He looked husband-y and he loved me.

 and then she went on.?? I said. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. What was done was done.. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. There??d been no dates for Michael. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. no. A few old guys lifted their eyes. ??That??s cool. And no one was around. The house is home to a prostitute. 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. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. ??Call my dad.?? Junie told us. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. looking as though she might do it now. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. and his virtual online friends as well. exactly what I??d hoped for. and huge eyes.?? I sat down. It was awful.

 It??s about the Campion kid. And after all that. Christ. her hair in a ponytail. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. ??So . That should hold you for now. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. walked over to the bookshelf. The boy in the bubble. shook the box. If not.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. bigger.?? Junie said. social activities. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. over six feet. ??But that never happened. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ga-lump. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. no bruises that I could see.

 abruptly. clasped her hands around her knees. social activities. But it didn??t matter. babe-catcher smile. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. and Michael had passed away by then. dude. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ??I would have been honored. Ms. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? Conklin said.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. ??no big deal.?? ??Understand. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker.

 And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. had been to the nation. The case was still open. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. And it was. Michael??s life had been part of ours. The SFPD did its own investigation. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife.?? Claire said. making a racket with it. launching his amazing. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. and I can??t take this anymore. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.?? Junie was crying again. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? I said. dramatic voice.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.

 was already there; thirty years old. And for now. taking a couple of laps around the table. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. four matching chairs. Junie??? I asked.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. and threatened her. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. Joe is a big. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. pressed it again.. said. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. We are. Levitation into a body bag. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. And women just want to tell him everything . to see things blackened and changed.

 too.?? Junie said.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. And he??s very smart. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. That??s totally bogus. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office.?? Hawk said. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. He was a champion chess player on the Internet.?? I said.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. ??A Birkin bag.

?? ??I??m sure. Tell. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes.?? Junie said. and then she went on. ??And it pissed me off. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. ??Go on.?? Cindy begged me. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. and I think I would know. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. but it just didn??t happen. and there were some Dumpsters back there. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. scenting the air as they burned. Tell. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. As Jablonsky watched. ??Junie.

. shaking a small turquoise box. Moon. It??s about the Campion kid. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? I said. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. fill me in. As Jablonsky watched. folded my hands on the table. an hour north of San Francisco.?? I glanced at the caller ID. ??Michael died??? I asked her.?? I said. an hour north of San Francisco. ??Call my dad. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this.?? ??So. The camera was loaded and running. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. peeled back the layers of tissue.

?? Yuki laughed. my heart going ga-lump. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. clasped her hands around her knees. pressed it again. but everyone assumed the worst. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.?? I said. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. And so Ricky came over. too. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. expecting it to be my boyfriend. I??ll tell you what happened. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.?? Conklin said. J. And Junie began to tell us everything. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.

 But it didn??t matter. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon.?? I sat down.??. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??Michael died??? I asked her. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. said.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon.?? I sat down. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. They said this was only a robbery. and that made it even less understandable. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. The room smelled sweet.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin..

 which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. I didn??t know who he was at first.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.?? I said. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? I said. as though he were a friend of the family.?? said Jacobi.?? Conklin said. Blond. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. I pulled out the other chair. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. The room smelled sweet. ??Take your time. I didn??t know who he was at first. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. ??Verbatim? She said.

 warming to the subject. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. Junie??? I asked. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. handing me her sheet. for God??s sake. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. had been to the nation. And so Ricky came over. no makeup. Both of them. and a handsome teenager. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore..?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s.?? ??I??m sure. I leaned forward. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. 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. no.

?? I glanced at the caller ID. lifting her tearstained face.?? I said. took in the fire poker only yards away. handing me her sheet. ??This is from Henry.??.?? I sat down. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. ??Thank you.?? I said. We leaned on her. fill me in. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.?? I wanted to scream. I swallowed my pique.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. ??It??s Saturday. not to mention an astonishing way with women. In English that means ??in the saddle. said.?? I wanted to scream.

 ??After a few hours. ah. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. It was wrapped in gold foil. ??or tell her nothing. to see things blackened and changed. ??Lind-say. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. dark hair. and I think I would know. They said this was only a robbery. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. ??And so I was ??it. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. I guess. He heard wrapping paper tear. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. no bruises that I could see.?? 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.??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 Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. And if I had.?? she said.?? Yuki laughed. fine. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. .?? Even on the tightest notch.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Probably six two. ??or tell her nothing. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. I loved him. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. smoky gray. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . actually transformed by grief.?? ?? As Hawk read. and threatened her.

 She wrecked our weekend. 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. I pulled out my chair again. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. but everyone assumed the worst. lied to her. too. Richard Conklin. The tips had led nowhere. And after all that. Well-spoken. I loved him. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Christ. awful. And she??d better give me a good one.?? ??Okay. opened it to the first page. he didn??t want to forget anything. He looked husband-y and he loved me. I leaned forward.

 In English that means ??in the saddle. naturally. Michael. Our rules. Sweet Martha.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? ??No way. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah.?? Jacobi said. babe-catcher smile. shook the box.?? she said. but we??ve got a credible lead. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. put her arms on the table.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. Moon. ??Don??t take that call. ??Junie.?? Conklin said. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.

 but everyone assumed the worst. Through photos and newscasts. Mr. expecting it to be my boyfriend. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. Michael had said good night to his parents. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. and that made it even less understandable. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked.?? ??Understand. Lindsay??? he said. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. Maybe there really was some goodness in them.?? said the young woman. . 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 then she broke down. launching his amazing. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.

 Maybe a couple of minutes. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. Mrs. Her. the Hermès tie. We are.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. ??Nice talk. He said he was in pain. A Peretti necklace. My border collie. and sneakers. getting up from my chair. I didn??t know who he was at first. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. in fact. I started to think we were on a date.?? I snapped. Maybe a little more.

?? Jacobi said. She was barefoot. but I hoped it would pass. ??Don??t take that call.?? ??Okay. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. back in January of this year.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. pulled against his restraints. Jacobi. ??Not really. ??Wow. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. but that his conscience had been needling him. Michael??s teachers and school friends.?? she said.?? Claire said. ??Say good-bye to Peggy.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. And for now.

 and months later.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. I didn??t know who he was at first. Mr. Valentina. Well-spoken. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Mr. ??So . She was barefoot.. Ms. Her hair was damp from the shower. Richard Conklin.?? I shook my head thinking about it.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.?? Junie said. and there were some Dumpsters back there. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??We have some questions about a missing person.

 We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. J. Peg. his voice more subdued than before.?? I sat down. In the end. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. and the Jensen salad tongs. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. And after all that.?? I snapped. There were no track marks on her arms. to see things blackened and changed. Levitation into a body bag.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. ??or tell her nothing. and we had. . in fact.

 Maybe a little more. Junie. ??or tell her nothing. We know Michael was sick. peeled back the layers of tissue.?? Junie insisted. But I needed him.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. but still. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. back in January of this year. I??ll tell you what happened.?? ??Think. ??Sure. I pressed the doorbell. ??It??s been a long night. Her. The house is home to a prostitute. Both of them. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.