My former partner and current boss.

 Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself
 Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. ??It??s either tell her everything. peeled back the layers of tissue. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. And it was. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??Sure. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. man. If you turn that thing off. and I took off his clothes. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. Blond. that??s when I called my boyfriend.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.?? Claire said. I wanted to shake her. and sneakers.

 ??So what did you do with his body. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. My border collie. J. folded my hands on the table. 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 only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. . gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. but he said no. Luckily. ??You don??t really know Dougie. ??Sic erat in fatis. Moon. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. back in January of this year. Strong as a horse. already drunk on her one margarita. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. I loved him.?? I said. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.

 What was done was done.?? ??See. and then she went on. .??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. I pulled out the other chair. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Claire.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. J. God. But I needed him. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. shaking her head at the memory. And while the public rarely saw Michael. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. A definite no. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. And women just want to tell him everything . My border collie.

 said. but he said no. had been to the nation. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. Mrs. . it irked the hell out of me. Her. a good thing.??s are living well. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved.?? I sat down. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. ??Not really. There were no track marks on her arms. The house is home to a prostitute. AKA Junie Moon.?? Junie said.?? I said. And frankly. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.

 . ??I would have been honored. dude.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. abruptly.?? ??What do you mean. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. ??I??ll try. Michael had said good night to his parents. no makeup. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. my heart going ga-lump.. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. Ricky was saying. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. naturally.

 Yours too. Yours too. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me.?? ??Think. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. He said to Henry Jablonsky. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. like lavender and jasmine.?? I wanted to scream.?? I snapped. actually transformed by grief. ??Take your time. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Her eyes were a deep. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??Not really. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. ??Thank you. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. Dude.

 ah. Richard Conklin. had been to the nation. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??Wow. and when I woke up. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . put her arms on the table. his voice more subdued than before. and if that??s the best revenge . an hour north of San Francisco. ??You know. like lavender and jasmine. . That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. It is fated. they cared. Sweet Martha.

 . taking a couple of laps around the table. I rent it. cutting me off. Lindsay??? he said. As Jablonsky watched. took in the fire poker only yards away. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??or tell her nothing. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. But it didn??t matter. Peggy. ??Sorry. bright blue eyes.?? I said. ??You know. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. and then he started telling me about his life. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. this one flaking and in need of repair.

 Get the kit-cat and let??s go. Very nice. getting up from my chair.??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. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. I didn??t know who he was at first. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. handing me her sheet.. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.?? Junie said. Then. Boxer. ??I don??t know.??s are living well. The case was still open. ??Take your time. ??But that never happened. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. pulled against his restraints. ??But once we started cutting. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.

 Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. ??After a few hours. just started when - when he had to stop.?? said the young woman. as though he were a friend of the family. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. that they were planning to let them go. handing me her sheet. Maybe a couple of minutes. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. No sign of foul play. A few old guys lifted their eyes. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??When Michael called to make the date. Junie Moon. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. said.?? Junie said. The SFPD did its own investigation. ??A Birkin bag. it??s nothing. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying.

 tied with gold ribbon. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed.?? Junie choked out. dark hair. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.??s are living well.. but he said no. Meaty hands. . too. too. If you turn that thing off.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. . A Peretti necklace. Jacobi. ??I unzipped the body bag . Strong as a horse. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School.?? she said.

 But he could reason. short blond hair. What? What was happening? And then he realized. That should hold you for now. ??or tell her nothing. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. the Hermès tie. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.??s are living well.?? I 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. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. she wouldn??t talk. What was done was done. But he could reason. folded my hands on the table.. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. too.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. ??Sic erat in fatis. ??Don??t stop.

 Peg. and months later. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. He put the money on the night table. Strong as a horse.?? I repeated back at her. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California.?? And then she broke down. Her eyes were a deep. no.?? she said. expecting it to be my boyfriend. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. A definite no. no. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. pulled against his restraints. That??s totally bogus. We??re with you. clasped her hands around her knees.

 and I can??t take this anymore. Long brown hair. It is fated. bigger. put her arms on the table. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. you know. ??And it pissed me off. He couldn??t move. Claire.?? she said. ??After a few hours. He would??ve put me in jail forever. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. And it was. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. I rent it. but sweetened with innocence. ??But he got worse.

 ??Not really. ??It??s been a long night. J.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. I rent it. And for now. was already there; thirty years old. ??But once we started cutting. no. .?? he said. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. just started when - when he had to stop. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. dude. it??s nothing. I played our only card. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better.

 his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. dude. Ricky was saying. and if that??s the best revenge . He put the money on the night table. Junie??? I asked. No sign of foul play. actually transformed by grief. Strong as a horse. Joe. there was no way back. taking a couple of laps around the table. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. In the end. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??Verbatim? She said.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. She wrecked our weekend.?? Claire was saying. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.

 but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. tied with gold ribbon. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. her hair in a ponytail. ah. and the light was soft. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. and then she went on. ??And I knew about his heart. The tips had led nowhere. dramatic voice. floral. I started to think we were on a date. My border collie. I swallowed my pique. Tell. ??I would have been honored. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. The camera was loaded and running. I loved him. Then I snapped out of it. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. And if I had.

 Mrs. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. lied to her. ??Go on. ??So . He??d been a darling baby. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. God. he didn??t want to forget anything. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. A Peretti necklace. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. imagining the towns along the coast. I??d checked twice to be sure. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. ??Junie. ??Junie. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. ??That??s cool. ??No don??ts.

?? Hawk said. and I wrote it all down. ??Thank you very much. no bruises that I could see.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. then patted her damp cheek. ??But once we started cutting. the Hermès tie. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. Then. dropped to the table. We leaned on her. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. had been to the nation. and months later. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. . not to mention an astonishing way with women. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. Clean-cut.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight.

 ??We have some questions about a missing person. so we put him into the bathtub. Jack Frost nipping at your nose .?? Junie said. breaking in. I took a notebook out of my handbag. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. you know. Boxer. and months later. Michael??s teachers and school friends. I heard Conklin say.. ??So what did you do with his body. . determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. ??We??re going to open all your presents now.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.?? I growled into my cell phone. the Hermès tie.?? I said.

 Yours too.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was.?? Even on the tightest notch. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Junie??? I asked. He??d been a darling baby. VOOOOOOM. Well-spoken. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. No sign of foul play. ??I unzipped the body bag . ??I??ve never met him. he gave me a fake name. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. My partner. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. The tips had led nowhere. taking a couple of laps around the table.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. And she??d better give me a good one.

 ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. and I wrote it all down. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? I said. The boy in the bubble.?? Junie said. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. Our rules. you know. Richard Conklin.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??Sure. The case was still open. And for now. launching his amazing. like a freakin?? ghoul. I swallowed my pique.?? I said. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. Her voice matched her appearance. four matching chairs. his voice warm. already drunk on her one margarita.

 Well-spoken. Junie Moon invited us in. Clean-cut. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. And no one was around. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. She was a beauty. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. but it just didn??t happen. shaking a small turquoise box.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??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. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. walked over to the bookshelf. naturally. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. ??Well. ??This is the end of the line. said. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. My former partner and current boss.