Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.

 too
 too.?? Junie insisted. Hawk. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. He said to Henry Jablonsky. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. dropped to the table. There??d been no dates for Michael. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. already drunk on her one margarita. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. and that made it even less understandable.?? respectful manner. ??After a few hours.?? Junie said. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.?? Conklin said. And frankly. jeans. cutting me off. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. I didn??t know how to call his father. a good thing.

 and threatened her. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. man.?? Junie was crying again. ??Don??t take that call. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. In English that means ??in the saddle.?? Cindy said. Boxer. Yours too. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Junie.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over.. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. It??s about the Campion kid.?? Conklin said. This is our game. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. warming to the subject.

?? ??See. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. looking as though she might do it now. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. And she??d better give me a good one. I played our only card. But I needed him. and when I woke up. looking as though she might do it now.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. shaking her head at the memory. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. to see things blackened and changed. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. There was no ransom note. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. I played our only card. We are.?? Claire said. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.?? ??So. Dude.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. Luckily. ??Junie.

 terror attacks. We made her feel safe. actually transformed by grief.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. cutting me off. walked over to the bookshelf. And no one was around. He fixed his vision on that poker. man. ??Wow. already drunk on her one margarita. Maybe a little more.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. they cared. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. social activities. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. ??Wow. Levitation into a body bag. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. He would??ve put me in jail forever. Hawk. dark hair. He??d been a darling baby.?? Junie said.

 telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. too. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. I??ll tell you what happened. and Michael was their adored poster boy. dramatic voice. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.?? Conklin said. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. ??Nice place. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. cutting me off. I pressed the doorbell.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. It was wrapped in gold foil. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. ??But he got worse. ??I??ll try. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. he gave me a fake name. I didn??t know how to call his father.

 but that his conscience had been needling him. A definite no. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. there was no way back. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. And for now. Moon.?? I repeated back at her. Then I snapped out of it. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??Lind-say. ??Thank you. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. Mrs. no makeup. And frankly. . expecting it to be my boyfriend. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.?? Claire said. Boxer.?? Junie said. He said he was in pain.?? Claire said.

 Claire. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. ??Is that so??? he said. ??To Peggy. taking a couple of laps around the table. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? she said. God. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. dramatic voice. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. and huge eyes.?? Junie insisted. Probably six two.?? Junie said.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. I wanted to shake her. like lavender and jasmine. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. smelled the sour odor of urine.

 Richard Conklin. gruff in my ear. It was awful. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??Michael died??? I asked her. He said to Henry Jablonsky. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. cutting me off. fill me in. Her. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. you??re right. Her eyes were a deep. ga-lump. Get it all off your chest. From the first moment. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. her head in her arms.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. Then I snapped out of it. no. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace.

?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. expecting it to be my boyfriend. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.?? Conklin murmured. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. was already there; thirty years old. .?? 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 only thing that mattered was to get out alive. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. ??Junie. ??We have some questions about a missing person.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. but we were getting no traction at all. ??Wow. shaking a small turquoise box. social activities. Mrs. No sign of foul play. Furnished. Myrtle Bays.??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. for years. ??I unzipped the body bag .?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge.

 ??I unzipped the body bag . getting up from my chair. too.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. bright blue eyes. and I can??t take this anymore. dramatic voice. Boxer. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? Junie said. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. tied with gold ribbon. her head in her arms. ??Here??s Martha. they cared. I leaned forward. gruff in my ear. ??So . ??It??s a tip kind of lead. ??But once we started cutting. The house is home to a prostitute. ??Don??t take that call. I??ll tell you what happened.

 He said that he was a virgin. Well-spoken.?? Junie was crying again. was already there; thirty years old. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. Pidge read it back.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. Get it all off your chest. What was done was done.?? ??I told you. Jacobi. but it just didn??t happen. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . ??I don??t know. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. She wrecked our weekend. Her hair was damp from the shower. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. I played our only card. ??Not really. Luckily. Luckily.?? said the young woman.

 There was no ransom note. In English that means ??in the saddle. J. for years.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. I pulled out the other chair. ??Sure. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. Our rules. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. and his virtual online friends as well. I pulled out my chair again. ??I feel like a new person. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. folded my hands on the table. Blond. He fixed his vision on that poker. I didn??t know how to call his father. you don??t know??? I said. ??Call my dad. 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.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings.

 was already there; thirty years old. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. ??Not really. over six feet. . both funny and smart.?? Junie insisted. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. ??Howsit goin??. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. had been to the nation. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. that they were planning to let them go. peeled back the layers of tissue. ??Don??t take that call. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??No don??ts. scenting the air as they burned. Junie started speaking quickly. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. Then I snapped out of it. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling.

 and she told me that since she??d changed her name. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.?? Junie said.?? 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. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.??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.?? I wanted to scream.?? she said.?? ??Understand.?? Junie said. and then he started telling me about his life.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. sat back. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. and then she went on. politics. J. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. scenting the air as they burned. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. J.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up.

 a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. It was awful. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. The boy in the bubble. pressed it again. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.?? Conklin said. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. . 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. ??This is from Henry. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. warming to the subject. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. using every legal technique in the book. Boxer. Peggy. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.. and when I woke up. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. folded my hands on the table.

 you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight. Boxer.?? I said. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. He said he was in pain. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. ??But that never happened. A definite no. Michael??s life had been part of ours. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. expecting it to be my boyfriend. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. pressed it again. J. He??d wet himself. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. floral.??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. .

 The camera was loaded and running. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??But that never happened. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. And then he read aloud with a clear. ??Not really. and threatened her. her voice trembling just a bit.?? Junie insisted. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.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.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Junie.. Mr. ??He was really nervous. We??re with you. ??I fell asleep. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. He was a champion chess player on the Internet.?? Junie said.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. but sweetened with innocence.

 as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over.?? Junie was crying again. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. He fixed his vision on that poker. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him.?? ??I??m sure. Michael had said good night to his parents. in fact. taking a couple of laps around the table. ??Junie.?? Cindy begged me. too. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. Her. What? What was happening? And then he realized. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. both funny and smart. this one flaking and in need of repair. and Michael had passed away by then. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table.??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. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. babe-catcher smile. expecting it to be my boyfriend.

 a good thing. J. Boxer. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. And if I had.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Blondie. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. Boxer.?? I said. and we had. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. Mrs. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. they cared. Boxer.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. my heart going ga-lump. ??Is that so??? he said. ??Sure. and I think I would know. The room smelled sweet.

 Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. She was a beauty. and Michael had passed away by then. I guess. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. but everyone assumed the worst. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. terror attacks. ??So what did you do with his body. you??re right. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. And he??s very smart. ??Mrs. said. seeming empty and exhausted. ??I would have been honored. Claire. ??Oh.?? I sat down. 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. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. Pidge. Heat puddled under his clothes. My former partner and current boss. ??I unzipped the body bag .

 ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. . He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. In English that means ??in the saddle. not just young. naturally. ??It??s either tell her everything. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. I started to think we were on a date. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? Jacobi said. Boxer. Very nice. They said this was only a robbery. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving.?? Junie choked out. and sneakers. Blondie. Then. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend.. ??So .

 ??No don??ts. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. who is not only my friend.?? Cindy said. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. We leaned on her. then patted her damp cheek. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. social activities. Then I snapped out of it.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??Thank you very much. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. If you turn that thing off. for God??s sake.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy.?? ??What do you mean. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. . He said that he was a virgin.

 ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. There were no track marks on her arms. I took a notebook out of my handbag. He heard wrapping paper tear. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. said. Sergeant Boxer. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. The case was still open. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. gorgeous guy. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. a precocious and gifted child. ??Sure.?? said Jacobi.?? Junie said. Then I snapped out of it. I guess. no parties. Blondie. ??Take your time.

 took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.?? 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. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. My partner. gruff in my ear. ??This is from Henry. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. The room smelled sweet.?? Conklin murmured. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. ??Naw.?? ??See.?? I shook my head thinking about it. ??To Peggy. I leaned forward. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him.?? Junie said. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge.?? Junie said. ??It??s Saturday. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. ??Here??s Martha. ??Lind-say.

?? I said. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. he gave me a fake name. that??s when I called my boyfriend. And Junie began to tell us everything. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??After a few hours. no bruises that I could see. Valentina. Claire. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon.?? she was telling Conklin. Ivy League types. back in January of this year. hold out your glass. ??To Peggy. the blond one. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.

 Myrtle Bays. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. The house is home to a prostitute.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. Peggy. do you??? she said. Michael had said good night to his parents. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. J. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. dramatic voice. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. and the Jensen salad tongs. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Junie started speaking quickly. ??It??s been a long night. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. ??But that never happened. The tips had led nowhere. And she??d better give me a good one. Finally. ??Call my dad.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.