Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared.

 Boxer
 Boxer. We??re with you. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??We have some questions about a missing person. Finally got to him. of course. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. Jacobi was saying.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. and then he started telling me about his life. I guess. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. She wrecked our weekend. like lavender and jasmine. no. naturally.?? but I couldn??t move. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour.?? And then she broke down. Richard Conklin. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??I don??t know.

 ??And it pissed me off. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. ??Thank you very much. Eyes and tongue bugged out.?? Junie said.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? said the young woman. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. and the light was soft. A Peretti necklace. Lindsay??? he said. He would??ve put me in jail forever. it??s that he??s very respectful. smelled the sour odor of urine. politics. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. but that his conscience had been needling him. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Maybe a little more. He couldn??t move. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no.

 Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. using every legal technique in the book. clasped her hands around her knees. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. ??Don??t take that call.?? Junie said. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. And frankly. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. a precocious and gifted child. terror attacks. What was done was done.?? Junie said. I played our only card. over six feet. He looked husband-y and he loved me. warming to the subject. I believed what she said at first. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? ??So.

 ??He got worse. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was.?? Conklin said.?? she said. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. getting up from my chair.?? Claire said. ??And I knew about his heart. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. That??s totally bogus.?? I said. Well-spoken.?? I sat down.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. ??Lind-say.?? I said. Michael.?? I glanced at the caller ID. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth.

 and threatened her. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. and the Jensen salad tongs. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. Finally. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. Boxer. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. folded my hands on the table. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison.?? she was telling Conklin.?? Junie said. . shook the box. ??Go on. sat back.?? Conklin said. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. I didn??t know how to call his father.

 Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.?? Claire squealed behind me. God. 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. ah. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. ??When Michael called to make the date. Boxer. But I needed him. Claire. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. ??I feel like a new person. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. Blond. Maybe a couple of minutes. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.?? Conklin said. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. just started when - when he had to stop. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.

 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.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. floral. the Hermès tie. ??That??s cool. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. ??I??m on my own time. in fact. Yours too. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. . He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.?? ??No way. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. Probably six two. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. AKA Junie Moon. ??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. My former partner and current boss. It was wrapped in gold foil. And Junie began to tell us everything.?? I said. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.?? Pidge called out to Peggy.

 It was awful. Her hair was damp from the shower. Michael. This is our game. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. as though he were a friend of the family. ??So what did you do with his body. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. walked over to the bookshelf. ??Well. an hour north of San Francisco. but it just didn??t happen. and the Jensen salad tongs. Meaty hands. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. sure. ??It??s been a long night.?? Junie said. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. and sneakers. to see things blackened and changed. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. took in the fire poker only yards away.

 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. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. ??I??m on my own time.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. over six feet. Through photos and newscasts. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. and if that??s the best revenge . that??s when I called my boyfriend. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. Joe is a big. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Tell.?? And then she broke down. I didn??t know how to call his father. I took a notebook out of my handbag. it??s nothing.?? And then she broke down.

 with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. and Michael was their adored poster boy. That should hold you for now. with side-parted hair. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. This is a classic. Her.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. ??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. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells.?? she said at last. ??I fell asleep. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. and we had. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. then patted her damp cheek. taking a couple of laps around the table. I started to think we were on a date. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. not just young. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.

 He??d wet himself. .??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. shaking a small turquoise box. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Junie started speaking quickly. calling out titles. her voice trembling just a bit. ??He got worse. ??He was really nervous. But it didn??t matter. and if that??s the best revenge . too.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. and we had. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. dude.??. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. Junie. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. .

?? she said. And so Ricky came over. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared.?? respectful manner. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. But I needed him. ??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. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. said.. but we were getting no traction at all. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. ??Verbatim? She said. There was no ransom note. no. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.

?? ??See. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. My former partner and current boss. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. Please. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? Hawk said. but everyone assumed the worst. had been to the nation. ??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. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Junie Moon. ??I fell asleep.?? she said.?? Claire was saying.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. Finally.?? Junie said. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. ??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.

 Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. Michael??s life had been part of ours. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. Then I snapped out of it.?? ?? As Hawk read. ??He is. and I think I would know. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.. And it was. . ??After a few hours. J. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . ??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. Peg. It was wrapped in gold foil. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Boxer.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten.

 The room smelled sweet.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. Finally got to him. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Lindsay??? he said. there was no way back. no bruises that I could see.?? she was telling Conklin.?? Junie said. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.?? Junie said. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. smelled the sour odor of urine. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. and huge eyes. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend.

 I??m thinking maybe Ms. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky.?? I said. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. you know. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??No don??ts. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. peeled back the layers of tissue. Moon. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. ??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. no.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. but still. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. her voice trembling just a bit. ??It??s either tell her everything.

 like a freakin?? ghoul. not to mention an astonishing way with women. ??And I knew about his heart. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. of course. you know. Get it all off your chest. It??s about the Campion kid. ??Oh. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. And if I had. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??But he got worse. and then she went on. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. four matching chairs. with side-parted hair. And Junie began to tell us everything.?? Junie choked out. and I wrote it all down. ??The J. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.

 dude. I peed my pants. And if I had.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. ??I??m on my own time. peeled back the layers of tissue. but he said no. Clean-cut. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. she wouldn??t talk. I rent it. Lindsay??? he said. lied to her. ??And so I was ??it. ??Here??s Martha. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? I said.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??It??s Saturday. Michael??s life had been part of ours. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. ??It??s Saturday. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.

 pulled against his restraints. they cared. and I took off his clothes. She wrecked our weekend.??. ??Take your time. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. her hair in a ponytail. but sweetened with innocence.?? ??What do you mean. in fact. ??I fell asleep. Junie. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??I??m on my own time.?? Junie said. dramatic voice. . babe-catcher smile. Since I??m wide-awake. Junie started speaking quickly. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. . Junie.

?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??But once we started cutting. I??m thinking maybe Ms. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. and then she went on. Boxer. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. dropped to the table. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut.?? Cindy begged me. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. put my butt in the seat. I tasted the margarita - it was good. Hawk. ??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. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. ??Mrs.

. ??I don??t know. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ??We have some questions about a missing person. She wrecked our weekend. but he said no. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. using every legal technique in the book. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. man.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. walked over to the bookshelf. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. peeled back the layers of tissue. of course. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. the blond one. And frankly. it??s that he??s very respectful. bright blue eyes. peeled back the layers of tissue. Ricky was saying.?? I said.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours.

?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. He would??ve put me in jail forever. Strong as a horse. dark hair. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. dropped to the table.?? Conklin said. ??His feet were hovering above the hay.?? Conklin said. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. A Peretti necklace. Her. Ms. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. ??Here??s Martha. that they were planning to let them go. ??I feel like a new person. politics. I offered him a drink. Please. ??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. ??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.

 then patted her damp cheek. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself.?? I sat down. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. ??To Peggy. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. Luckily. . AKA Junie Moon.?? I glanced at the caller ID. And then he read aloud with a clear. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. Boxer. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. ??So what did you do with his body. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. I started to think we were on a date. That??s totally bogus. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. He heard wrapping paper tear. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells.?? Conklin murmured. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.

 She was barefoot. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. The case was still open. Junie. reassured her. Junie.?? ??See. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??A Birkin bag.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. a good thing. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. Very nice. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. man.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink.?? ??No way. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. But it didn??t matter. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? Junie was crying again. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared.