Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair.

 handing me her sheet
 handing me her sheet. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that.?? Junie said. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. Her eyes were a deep. And then he read aloud with a clear. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.?? I mused.?? And then she broke down. She was a beauty. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. ??no big deal. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? Claire squealed behind me. Please.?? Jacobi said. Michael??s teachers and school friends.

 that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. for years. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. In English that means ??in the saddle. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. and the Jensen salad tongs. ??The J. ??So . said. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. Junie. I was scanning the map in my mind. . Yours too.?? Junie said. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.

 He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. and I think I would know. awful.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. no makeup. already drunk on her one margarita. And while the public rarely saw Michael. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. but we were getting no traction at all. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. and sneakers. ??I??ve never met him. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. childlike appearance. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. ??It??s Saturday. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. He looked husband-y and he loved me.

?? ??I told you. ??Is that so??? he said. this one flaking and in need of repair. ??We have some questions about a missing person. ??Sorry. shaking her head at the memory. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. dude. Myrtle Bays. getting up from my chair. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. expecting it to be my boyfriend. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??You don??t really know Dougie.?? ??So. had been to the nation. ??Thank you. ??It??s been a long night.?? she said. Mrs. ??His feet were hovering above the hay.

 Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach.?? Conklin said. and Michael had passed away by then. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. ??If you want in on this. Peggy. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. ??Oh. was already there; thirty years old. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. but still. no sports. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. Moon. Furnished. four matching chairs.?? Junie said. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??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.

 waited a minute. he didn??t want to forget anything. there was no way back. He couldn??t speak. She wrecked our weekend.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. ??It??s either tell her everything. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. he gave me a fake name. back in January of this year. fine. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. If not. so we put him into the bathtub.

 In English that means ??in the saddle. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. it??s nothing. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off.. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. I didn??t know how to call his father. The SFPD did its own investigation. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. and we had. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? Rich said. Michael??s life had been part of ours.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??But he got worse. 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 I wrote it all down. ??I??m on my own time.

 ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. his voice more subdued than before. not to mention an astonishing way with women. If not. And she??d better give me a good one. ??Sure. ??Lind-say. If not. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. Tell. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. ??Thank you very much. folded my hands on the table. her head in her arms. Very nice. My former partner and current boss. Richard Conklin.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.

 He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.?? I said. jeans. A definite no. Get it all off your chest. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. And while the public rarely saw Michael. Valentina. He would??ve put me in jail forever. and Michael was their adored poster boy. In the end. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. you know. If not. with side-parted hair. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. She was barefoot. J.?? said the young woman.

 Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. . and huge eyes. ??Call my dad. Boxer. but still. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. Michael had said good night to his parents.?? ??What do you mean. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay.?? If this tip pans out.?? she said. jeans. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. He said he was in pain.?? Junie insisted.?? Claire said. Boxer. said. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. This is our game.

 Conklin and I watched from our squad car. The house is home to a prostitute. . Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved.?? ??No way. and a handsome teenager. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. A few old guys lifted their eyes. that they were planning to let them go.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. politics. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. Peggy. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. My partner. Michael had said good night to his parents. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.

?? I growled into my cell phone. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Junie Moon. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. ??The J.?? I said. Claire. dark hair. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??I fell asleep. ??Is that so??? he said. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.?? I mused. ??no big deal.?? ??I??m sure. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. and if that??s the best revenge . Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.

 It was awful.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? I wanted to scream. ??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. And it was. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. ??A Birkin bag. I leaned forward.?? Rich said. I didn??t know how to call his father.?? Junie was crying again. peeled back the layers of tissue. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Blond. had been to the nation. I??ll tell you what happened. but it just didn??t happen.?? Claire said. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. Michael.

 knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. just started when - when he had to stop.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. What was done was done. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Clean-cut. short blond hair. Blond. Claire.?? If this tip pans out. ??And I knew about his heart. and I took off his clothes. no makeup. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion.?? Rich said. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. too. Mrs.

?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. and huge eyes.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. My border collie. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? Hawk bent over. and his virtual online friends as well. no bruises that I could 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. the Hermès tie. said. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. And she??d better give me a good one. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. He looked husband-y and he loved me. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.

 . but that his conscience had been needling him. J. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. like lavender and jasmine. It was wrapped in gold foil. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. Mrs. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. I guess.?? 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. ??So .?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. It is fated. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. gorgeous guy.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. over six feet. ??It??s Saturday. It was like five in the morning. Michael??s teachers and school friends.

 There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. and I took off his clothes. that??s when I called my boyfriend.?? I said.?? I said. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. She wrecked our weekend.?? Claire said. wildfires.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? Cindy said. ??Verbatim? She said. ??To Peggy. not just young. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. isn??t it??? ??That??s right.

 Sweet Martha.?? I shook my head thinking about it.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. there was no way back. We??re with you. ??Take your time. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. I??ll tell you what happened. and I wrote it all down. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. but everyone assumed the worst. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. fine. I guess. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??Not really.?? Claire said. ??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.

 What was done was done. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. He said that he was a virgin. And while the public rarely saw Michael. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? Junie insisted. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. . 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. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??Lind-say. ??Thank you very much. walked over to the bookshelf. ??Nice talk. ??But he got worse. interviewing family members and retainers.

 And for now.?? ?? As Hawk read. The camera was loaded and running. but it just didn??t happen. and I think I would know. Mr. ??Naw. Junie started speaking quickly. Her. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. warming to the subject. took in the fire poker only yards away. you don??t know??? I said. and then he started telling me about his life. Michael. said. And then he read aloud with a clear. Then I snapped out of it. ??It??s been a long night. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??It??s a tip kind of lead.

 his voice warm. and I think I would know. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. As Jablonsky watched. I peed my pants. Jacobi was saying.?? Claire said. seeming empty and exhausted. He??d wet himself. I was scanning the map in my mind. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. and I can??t take this anymore. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. I??m thinking maybe Ms.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. ??So what did you do with his body. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. man. J. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair.