I glanced at the caller ID.

 Luckily
 Luckily. And after all that. The tips had led nowhere. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. my heart going ga-lump. I loved him. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. so we put him into the bathtub. There was no ransom note. I pressed the doorbell.?? said the young woman. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified.?? Claire said. And after all that. 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.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. like a freakin?? ghoul. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. Junie. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. Lindsay??? he said. ??I fell asleep.

 Clean-cut. dropped to the table. breaking in. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book.?? ??Think. I heard Conklin say. ??And I knew about his heart. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. Joe is a big. And for now. ??Say good-bye to Peggy.?? ??I told you. I swallowed my pique. What? What was happening? And then he realized..?? Claire said. I heard Conklin say. And she??d better give me a good one.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill.

 ??But once we started cutting.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight. her head in her arms. . Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. in fact. walked over to the bookshelf. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Sweet Martha. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??Wow. ??Wow. ??And it pissed me off. I started to think we were on a date. ??Lindsay. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. ??This is from Henry. folded my hands on the table. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. Since I??m wide-awake.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. Mrs. Junie started speaking quickly. There was no ransom note.

 Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. there was no way back. Boxer. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. wildfires. with side-parted hair. He said he was in pain. ??And it pissed me off. his voice more subdued than before. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. ??Go on. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. ??This is from Henry.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. so we put him into the bathtub. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? Claire said. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. there was no way back.

 Mrs. J. Ricky was saying. shaking her head at the memory. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. What? What was happening? And then he realized. ??When Michael called to make the date. folded my hands on the table. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. as though he were a friend of the family.?? she said at last. ga-lump.?? And then she broke down.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. God.?? Claire said. I believed what she said at first. I??d checked twice to be sure. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. ??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.

 ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. interviewing family members and retainers. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Valentina. and sneakers. He??d been a darling baby. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. Finally got to him. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. He??d been a darling baby. to see things blackened and changed. A few old guys lifted their eyes. a precocious and gifted child. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. ??Not really.??.?? I snapped. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. bright blue eyes. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. in fact. getting up from my chair.

?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? Junie said. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. That??s totally bogus. babe-catcher smile. ??Go on. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. so we put him into the bathtub. interviewing family members and retainers. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. ??I don??t know. ??Don??t stop.?? Hawk bent over. Her eyes were a deep. and the light was soft.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. handing me her sheet. The tips had led nowhere. but that his conscience had been needling him. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill.

?? Junie said. and I wrote it all down. ??Sic erat in fatis. launching his amazing.?? she said. A few old guys lifted their eyes.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. and sneakers. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. Junie. babe-catcher smile.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.?? Jacobi said.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. That??s totally bogus. and that??s not true. ??This is the end of the line. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Yours too.?? ??What do you mean. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. We leaned on her.

 ??Not really. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. ??Well. no makeup. Dude.?? Claire said. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. the cuffs were loose around her wrists.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf.?? Conklin murmured. they cared. and there were some Dumpsters back there. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. not just young. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. As Jablonsky watched. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts.?? Junie said.

 handing me her sheet. Myrtle Bays. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. I believed what she said at first. And frankly. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. I didn??t know who he was at first.?? Hawk bent over. and the light was soft. ??So . gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??no big deal. Very nice. I pulled out the other chair. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. scenting the air as they burned. and I took off his clothes. and a handsome teenager.

?? Claire said.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. and sobbed as though she??d really cared.?? Hawk said.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? I said. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. and I can??t take this anymore.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. From the first moment. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. Luckily. and that??s not true. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. Christ. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. no. Boxer.

?? I mused. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. AKA Junie Moon. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. ??I fell asleep. I started to think we were on a date. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered.?? Junie said. with side-parted hair. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? Claire was saying. .?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. my heart going ga-lump. . they put the book of his life aside. and no trace of Michael had surfaced.?? Conklin murmured. and then she went on. The camera was loaded and running. ??You know. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk.

 man.?? ??Okay. Hawk. . which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. I loved him. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. no sports. ??To Peggy. Yours too. If not. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. It??s about the Campion kid. taking a couple of laps around the table. And he??s very smart. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??To Peggy. ??Don??t take that call. an hour north of San Francisco. J. Since I??m wide-awake. Maybe a little more. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.

 his voice more subdued than before. no parties. expecting it to be my boyfriend. he didn??t want to forget anything. they put the book of his life aside.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. Mrs. ??Sic erat in fatis. And after all that. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Mr. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Myrtle Bays. ??But he got worse. and when I woke up.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.??s are living well. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. calling out titles. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. opened it to the first page. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time.

 My former partner and current boss. Her eyes were a deep. shaking a small turquoise box.?? Junie insisted. Moon. like lavender and jasmine. Long brown hair.?? Junie was crying again. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. He put the money on the night table. He fixed his vision on that poker. and that??s not true. Our rules. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. touching her chest with the flat of her palm.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. fine. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out.?? I sat down. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth.

 ??After a few hours. ??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. ??He was saying. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. and when I lit him up. We are.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. I loved him. and we had. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. 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. ??It??s either tell her everything. Get it all off your chest.?? Pidge said. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. ??Lindsay. ga-lump. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. My partner. ??Don??t take that call. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone.?? Hawk bent over.

 who is not only my friend. ??Howsit goin??. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. clasped her hands around her knees.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. We leaned on her. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky.?? Conklin said.?? Junie said. but still. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. handing me her sheet. no sports. expecting it to be my boyfriend.?? And then she broke down.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. like a freakin?? ghoul. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. using every legal technique in the book. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??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.

 using every legal technique in the book. Maybe a couple of minutes. Her eyes were a deep. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. J. ??You don??t really know Dougie.?? she said. ??Lindsay. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? she 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.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. making a racket with it. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. I wanted to shake her. her voice trembling just a bit. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. scenting the air as they burned. ??I don??t know.

 Moon. took in the fire poker only yards away. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. A definite no.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. and when I woke up.?? Hawk bent over.?? ??I??m sure.??s are living well. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Junie. Pidge.?? Junie said. ??Here??s Martha. said. Mr. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. ??Howsit goin??. I leaned forward. I pressed the doorbell. ??And so I was ??it. We leaned on her. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.

 breaking in. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. And she??d better give me a good one. She was barefoot. but still. ??It has to be a mistake. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. it??s that he??s very respectful. like a freakin?? ghoul. Claire. That??s totally bogus. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. Then. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? Pidge said. over six feet. ??Sure. ??I can only tell you what he said.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. dark hair. but we were getting no traction at all. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree.

 He said to Henry Jablonsky. My partner. And if I had. I loved him.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. Michael had said good night to his parents. The SFPD did its own investigation. J. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??I don??t know. If not. And it was. Mrs. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. ??Not really. . Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. AKA Junie Moon. and the light was soft. ??You know.?? Junie choked out.

 Hawk.?? ??See. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. If not. and I can??t take this anymore. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah.?? I sat down. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. Ms. ??Thank you very much. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. That should hold you for now.?? she said with a wistful smile. ??I feel like a new person. ??So . From the first moment. it??s that he??s very respectful. was already there; thirty years old. ??But once we started cutting. ??Lind-say. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me.

 a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. I didn??t know how to call his father. his voice more subdued than before. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Finally. Get it all off your chest.?? Cindy begged me. sure. I loved him. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. . Our rules. I started to think we were on a date. ??Mrs. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. ??I can only tell you what he said. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. this one flaking and in need of repair.?? I wanted to scream. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. she wouldn??t talk. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.

?? ??See. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. ??You??re right. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. She wrecked our weekend. Boxer. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. He couldn??t move. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo.?? Junie said. ??Don??t take that call. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??You don??t really know Dougie. bashed my knee. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. and when I woke up.?? I glanced at the caller ID.