head and tears spilled out of her eyes. short blond hair. man. .

 ??He is
 ??He is. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. ??Howsit goin??. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. Claire. ??no big deal. ??So . He put the money on the night table. He was super real. Peg. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. And Junie began to tell us everything. clasped her hands around her knees. ??Take your time. it??s that he??s very respectful. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Peggy. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. shaking a small turquoise box. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.

 Boxer. interviewing family members and retainers. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. peeled back the layers of tissue. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. said. We know Michael was sick. He heard wrapping paper tear. and Michael had passed away by then. making a racket with it. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. jeans. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. no parties. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??After a few hours. to see things blackened and changed.

 I reached up to the video camera and switched it off.?? I shook my head thinking about it. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. She was barefoot. but it just didn??t happen. he didn??t want to forget anything. over six feet. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. Since I??m wide-awake. and there were some Dumpsters back there. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. ??But he got worse.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. and sneakers. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.?? Hawk said.?? I said. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. no bruises that I could see. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station.

 Claire. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview.?? she said with a wistful smile. ??I would have been honored.?? ??I told you. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. his voice more subdued than before. and we had. ??He got worse. Lindsay??? he said. Joe. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. ??I??m on my own time.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? ??No way.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. This is our game. he gave me a fake name.

 and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. Finally. And he??s very smart. The camera was loaded and running. pressed it again. handing me her sheet. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. Her hair was damp from the shower. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. and I can??t take this anymore. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. terror attacks. and his virtual online friends as well. The camera was loaded and running. a good thing. He was super real. floral. In the end.

 took in the fire poker only yards away.?? Junie said. but we??ve got a credible lead.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ga-lump. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. Meaty hands. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. ??I??d like to meet him sometime.?? Junie choked out. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. The boy in the bubble. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad.?? I glanced at the caller ID.?? Junie said. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. gruff in my ear.?? ??You got around to having sex with him.

?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe.?? he said. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? Cindy begged me. they cared. ??You don??t really know Dougie. ??A Birkin bag. . He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. ??Nice talk. ??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.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. It was like five in the morning. We leaned on her. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains.?? Junie said. short blond hair.

 ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. Furnished. 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. ah.?? Jacobi said.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. fill me in. Meaty hands. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. She was barefoot.?? she was telling Conklin. her voice trembling just a bit. and huge eyes.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.?? I said. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Joe is a big. no bruises that I could see. ??Not really. We??re with you.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.

 will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? Junie told us.?? ??So.?? ??So. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. He was super real.?? ??Think. pulled against his restraints. childlike appearance. and then she went on. a good thing. already drunk on her one margarita. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. they put the book of his life aside. J. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. too. Her. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. she hadn??t been arrested for anything.?? said Jacobi.

 my heart going ga-lump.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. ??Sure. That should hold you for now.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.?? respectful manner.?? I mused. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Meaty hands. dark hair. Mrs. no makeup.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. interviewing family members and retainers. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. And for now. making a racket with it. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. smoky gray.

 will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. Strong as a horse.?? Jacobi said.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours.?? I glanced at the caller ID. ??I feel like a new person. But he could reason. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451.?? Junie was crying again. He said to Henry Jablonsky. to see things blackened and changed. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. launching his amazing. warming to the subject. Clean-cut. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. and I wrote it all down. Her eyes were a deep.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. Heat puddled under his clothes.

 And for now. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. my God. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. and when I lit him up. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. and Michael was their adored poster boy. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. She was barefoot. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.??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. Mrs. ??And I knew about his heart.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. back in January of this year.

?? ??I told you. said. her head in her arms.?? Claire said. and his virtual online friends as well. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. short blond hair. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. but sweetened with innocence. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. no bruises that I could see. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. I played our only card.?? Conklin said. tied with gold ribbon. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client.

 who is not only my friend. social activities.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes.?? I said. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. no. It was like five in the morning. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. Her hair was damp from the shower. launching his amazing. not just young.?? Claire squealed behind me. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. said our names and ??Homicide. was already there; thirty years old. Moon. no parties. Valentina. ??So . Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.

 dude. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.?? ??I??m sure. There were no track marks on her arms. said. already drunk on her one margarita. no parties.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. I offered him a drink. I rent it. She wrecked our weekend. . that they were planning to let them go. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. for years. my heart going ga-lump. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth.

 J. Sergeant Boxer. ??I don??t know.?? Pidge said. Junie. And it was. ??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. A definite no. I leaned forward. Mr. making a racket with it. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.?? And then she broke down.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. If you turn that thing off. ??It??s been a long night.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. taking a couple of laps around the table. exactly what I??d hoped for.

 ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. lifting her tearstained face. with side-parted hair. This is a classic. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. She was a beauty. you don??t know??? I said. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. Heat puddled under his clothes. for years. Jacobi was saying. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. Very nice.?? I said. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. Our rules. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. and Michael was their adored poster boy. A Peretti necklace. ??I??d like to meet him sometime.

 and if that??s the best revenge .?? Claire said. and I think I would know. ??If you want in on this.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. Sergeant Boxer. ??And it pissed me off. in fact. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for.?? ??So. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. ??Nice talk. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. put her arms on the table.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. you know.

 You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn.?? Junie choked out. ??I can only tell you what he said.??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. abruptly. Tell.?? ?? As Hawk read.?? I said. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. and I wrote it all down. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. My former partner and current boss.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. J.

 said. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. like lavender and jasmine. Mrs. walked over to the bookshelf. not to mention an astonishing way with women. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. terror attacks.?? I sat down. both funny and smart. as though he were a friend of the family. We know Michael was sick. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. from Santa. Luckily. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. Mr. 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.?? ??I??m sure.

 Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. she wouldn??t talk.?? she was telling Conklin.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. I offered him a drink. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty.?? said Jacobi. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. J. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. too. ??Don??t stop. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. you??re right. ??Nice place. dark hair.?? respectful manner.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. short blond hair. man. .