transformed by grief. ??About then. She wrecked our weekend. I loved him.

 imagining the towns along the coast
 imagining the towns along the coast. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. to see things blackened and changed.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. dark hair.?? ??Understand. too. his voice warm. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. to see things blackened and changed. And Junie began to tell us everything. pulled against his restraints. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. Pidge.?? she said. He looked husband-y and he loved me. ??Nice talk. And he??s very smart.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. And frankly. dramatic voice.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.

 taking a couple of laps around the table. floral. ??This is from Henry. pulled against his restraints. lifting her tearstained face. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. his voice more subdued than before. ??Well. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. In the end. and there were some Dumpsters back there. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. and the light was soft. but that his conscience had been needling him. she wouldn??t talk. J. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Ms. abruptly. and I wrote it all down. bright blue eyes.?? I glanced at the caller ID.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. We are. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed.

?? she said. J. I loved him. I guess. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.?? Junie insisted. ??When Michael called to make the date. put my butt in the seat.?? ??What do you mean. If you turn that thing off. Both of them. and the light was soft. I pulled out my chair again.?? Even on the tightest notch. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. Her eyes were a deep. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. There was no ransom note. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. they cared. ??I??m on my own time. his voice warm.

 ??Sorry. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? And then she broke down. short blond hair. no.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain.??s are living well. and sneakers. because Michael never left your house. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? he said. ??or tell her nothing. He??d wet himself. Sergeant Boxer.?? I said. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.

 . . Our rules. Jacobi was saying. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. Myrtle Bays. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. Luckily. I tasted the margarita - it was good. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. and when I lit him up. launching his amazing. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis.?? Junie said.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. that??s when I called my boyfriend. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. I heard Conklin say. making a racket with it. his voice warm. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. A definite no.?? Junie said. no.

 his voice warm. and then she went on. And it was. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. ??When Michael called to make the date. Probably six two. Through photos and newscasts. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. AKA Junie Moon. walked over to the bookshelf. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.?? Junie said. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. and while the public would never forget him. pressed it again. And it was. ??I??ve never met him. ??I would have been honored. pressed it again. had been to the nation. Yours too. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Michael??s life had been part of ours.

?? Junie said. And he??s very smart. warming to the subject. was already there; thirty years old. ??Take your time. Levitation into a body bag.?? Junie said. J.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. pulled against his restraints. ??Here??s Martha. bright blue eyes. Peggy.?? I said. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. shaking her head at the memory. you don??t know??? I said. jeans. I heard Conklin say. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. God. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. As Jablonsky watched.

 opened it to the first page.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. shaking her head at the memory. Junie Moon. bashed my knee. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . Maybe there really was some goodness in them. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. an hour north of San Francisco. 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. ??You don??t really know Dougie. ??Mrs. my God. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. ??Nice talk. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. handing me her sheet. seeming empty and exhausted. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. he didn??t want to forget anything. pulled against his restraints. Peggy. and I think I would know. We know Michael was sick.

 And she??d better give me a good one. I offered him a drink. Boxer. I swallowed my pique. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??He was really nervous. but still. no makeup. do you??? she said. ??I??ve never met him. like lavender and jasmine. Through photos and newscasts. Junie??? I asked. Maybe a little more. not just young. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. I swallowed my pique. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??He was saying. I pressed the doorbell. ??And so I was ??it.??s are living well. Myrtle Bays. said our names and ??Homicide. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview.

 she hadn??t been arrested for anything. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. I didn??t know who he was at first. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. ??I fell asleep. like a freakin?? ghoul. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. his voice more subdued than before. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. no bruises that I could see. He couldn??t move. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Get it all off your chest. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. ??Lind-say. seeming empty and exhausted. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. Maybe a little more. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. We??re with you.?? I said.

 but I hoped it would pass. Junie.?? Conklin murmured. and while the public would never forget him. I pulled out my chair again. lied to her. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . ??Is that so??? he said. and I wrote it all down. said.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. We know Michael was sick. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. 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. Boxer. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. a good thing. Christ. expecting it to be my boyfriend. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. bashed my knee. ??I unzipped the body bag .

 In English that means ??in the saddle. dramatic voice. ??About then. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. I leaned forward. her voice trembling just a bit. Ms.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. and we had. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street.?? Junie said. exactly what I??d hoped for. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. and when I lit him up. That??s totally bogus. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? I said. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. warming to the subject. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. I pulled out my chair again. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. from Santa. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.

 and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. put her arms on the table. It was awful. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. her head in her arms. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. Then I snapped out of it. He??d wet himself. social activities.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. Our rules. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. then patted her damp cheek. Junie Moon invited us in. ??Take your time.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ah.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi.?? I snapped. Junie started speaking quickly. I leaned forward. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this.

 Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. exactly what I??d hoped for.?? Hawk bent over. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. This is a classic.?? I shook my head thinking about it. My former partner and current boss. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that.?? Rich told her. ??Michael died??? I asked her. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. I didn??t know how to call his father.?? I said. abruptly. Blondie. four matching chairs. gorgeous guy.. Peggy pleaded with Hawk.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. shook the box. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. no sports.

 ??When Michael called to make the date. and I took off his clothes. said. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. ??When Michael called to make the date. Pidge. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. but we were getting no traction at all. ??Oh. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? I said. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . put my butt in the seat. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. Pidge.?? respectful manner. that??s when I called my boyfriend. And it was.?? respectful manner. Both of them.?? I sat down.

 I??d checked twice to be sure. I was scanning the map in my mind. but everyone assumed the worst. not to mention an astonishing way with women.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. in fact. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves.?? Rich said. AKA Junie Moon. making a racket with it. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. ??Michael died??? I asked her. abruptly.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. childlike appearance. an hour north of San Francisco. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. That jacket was never mentioned in the press.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. shook the box. that??s when I called my boyfriend. said our names and ??Homicide. Peggy.

 TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. no parties.?? said the young woman. fill me in. Junie. seeming empty and exhausted. Junie??? I asked. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. Peg. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. AKA Junie Moon. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Strong as a horse.?? I said. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. it??s nothing.?? ??I??m sure. ??He was saying. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. He said to Henry Jablonsky. He was super real.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. imagining the towns along the coast. Junie Moon invited us in. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. ??It??s Saturday.

 ??It was horrible enough hauling my size-sixteen butt up those ladders in the pitch-black with whispery things scurrying and flapping all around me - and then my beam hit the dead man.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. taking a couple of laps around the table. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. J. Maybe a little more. but everyone assumed the worst. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. No sign of foul play. Long brown hair. and I think I would know.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. It was wrapped in gold foil. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. ??Not really. gorgeous guy. childlike appearance.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Blond. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten.

 He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. was already there; thirty years old. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. man. Hawk. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. not just young. fine. and while the public would never forget him. ??Call my dad. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. warming to the subject. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. ??Take your time. cutting me off. you know. Joe is a big.??s are living well. interviewing family members and retainers. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. And frankly. and the light was soft. Boxer. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.

?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. ??Sic erat in fatis. she wouldn??t talk. We leaned on her. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. ??It??s Saturday.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Jacobi. just started when - when he had to stop.?? I said. warming to the subject. shaking a small turquoise box. a good thing. A Peretti necklace.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. said.?? ??Understand. Since I??m wide-awake. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.

 He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. sat back. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. with side-parted hair. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. and I wrote it all down. The house is home to a prostitute.?? she was telling Conklin. that??s when I called my boyfriend. I didn??t know how to call his father. dude. Maybe a little more. ??Naw. . shaking a small turquoise box. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. but he said no. We leaned on her. Then. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. Hawk. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.

 My border collie. with side-parted hair. sat back. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. Pidge read it back. Boxer. It was awful. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. ??Thank you very much. And for now. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. who is not only my friend. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??Naw. calling out titles. Strong as a horse.?? I growled into my cell phone. said. He would??ve put me in jail forever. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. calling out titles. that??s when I called my boyfriend.

 ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. sat back. expecting it to be my boyfriend. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. no. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. I played our only card. Her voice matched her appearance. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. Ricky was saying. opened it to the first page. and I wrote it all down. a precocious and gifted child. J. . God. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her.?? said Jacobi. There was no ransom note. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Peggy. and Michael had passed away by then. The room smelled sweet.?? Junie said. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.

 Probably six two. it??s that he??s very respectful. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. And Junie began to tell us everything. Junie Moon. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??Verbatim? She said. smoky gray. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. imagining the towns along the coast. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? Cindy begged me. . naturally. She was a beauty. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. Michael had said good night to his parents. I was scanning the map in my mind.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.

 ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. . I pulled out the other chair.?? Claire was saying. and huge eyes. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??About then. looking as though she might do it now.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. that they were planning to let them go.. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. Meaty hands. .?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. I heard Conklin say.?? Jacobi said.?? ??Understand. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. tied with gold ribbon. Jacobi. you know.?? ??So. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo.

 sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. ??No don??ts. ??no big deal. gruff in my ear. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. ??Verbatim? She said. said. He fixed his vision on that poker. warming to the subject. interviewing family members and retainers.?? she said. This is our game. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. Jacobi. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. Sweet Martha.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. Mrs. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. dude. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. was already there; thirty years old. Heat puddled under his clothes. too. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.

 dramatic voice. 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. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. The case was still open. said. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. said. expecting it to be my boyfriend. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. wildfires. If you turn that thing off. and I wrote it all down. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. That should hold you for now. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. The case was still open.?? Junie said. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. actually transformed by grief. ??About then. She wrecked our weekend. I loved him.