house is home to a prostitute. I was scanning the map in my mind.

 heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW
 heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. There was no ransom note. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Hawk. Michael. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. and Michael had passed away by then.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. because Michael never left your house. actually transformed by grief.?? I sat down. It is fated.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. And if I had. ??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. seeming empty and exhausted. I guess. He??d wet himself. walked over to the bookshelf.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. no bruises that I could see.?? I said. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Boxer. My border collie.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. naturally.

 The house is home to a prostitute. from Santa. ??He was saying. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? ??So. ??Say good-bye to Peggy.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. sure. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.?? Junie said. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. ??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. Mrs. ??I would have been honored. Michael had said good night to his parents. like a freakin?? ghoul.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. This is a classic.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. actually transformed by grief. waited a minute. ??After a few hours. said. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. do you??? she said.

 Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? I snapped. J. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? I repeated back at her. And frankly.?? I said.?? Rich told her.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. Sweet Martha. He fixed his vision on that poker. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. fill me in. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable.?? she said. handing me her sheet. ??I would have been honored. . I pulled out my chair again. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. interviewing family members and retainers. interviewing family members and retainers. man. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. and a handsome teenager.

 and months later. ??I??m on my own time. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.?? And then she broke down. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. My partner. My partner. and huge eyes. Meaty hands. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. He put the money on the night table.. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.?? ??You??re kidding me. Mrs. I offered him a drink. four matching chairs. Pidge read it back. ??Lindsay. and there were some Dumpsters back there. Luckily. ??A Birkin bag.

 but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. peeled back the layers of tissue. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. She wrecked our weekend. And no one was around. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. ??Michael died??? I asked her. sat back. There??d been no dates for Michael. and then he started telling me about his life. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. said. so we put him into the bathtub. Myrtle Bays. ??Nice place. I??d checked twice to be sure. no. I??m thinking maybe Ms. and when I lit him up.?? I snapped.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. and that made it even less understandable. it??s that he??s very respectful. but still.?? she said with a wistful smile.

 Boxer.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? Cindy said. clasped her hands around her knees. ??I can only tell you what he said.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. waited a minute. Pidge.?? Cindy begged me.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. But he could reason. man. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. Finally. bright blue eyes. I swallowed my pique. opened it to the first page. . That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. with side-parted hair. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. shaking her head at the memory. reassured her. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.

 four matching chairs. ??I feel like a new person. I rent it. Her voice matched her appearance. He??d wet himself. . We made her feel safe. ??We have some questions about a missing person. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. ??You don??t really know Dougie. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? I said. Jacobi was saying. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.?? Cindy said.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . to see things blackened and changed. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend.?? I said. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. shaking a small turquoise box. He said to Henry Jablonsky.?? she was telling Conklin.

 ??He is.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. launching his amazing. pulled against his restraints. Through photos and newscasts. ??Lind-say. his voice more subdued than before.?? I said. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. Her. too. you don??t know??? I said.?? ??No way. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.?? Claire said. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. ??This is the end of the line. the blond one. pressed it again. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. ??Sic erat in fatis. Hawk.?? Junie said. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. ??Verbatim? She said. not just young.

 ??Junie wasn??t in custody. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. tied with gold ribbon. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. and sneakers. lied to her. but it just didn??t happen. We??re with you. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. looking as though she might do it now. ??He got worse. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. He??d been a darling baby. Get it all off your chest. 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.?? Junie said. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. not just young. pressed it again. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Peggy. But I needed him. of course.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. but sweetened with innocence. ??To Peggy.?? I said. because Michael never left your house.

??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.?? 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. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. handing me her sheet. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. I??m thinking maybe Ms.?? she said with a wistful smile. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. and Michael was their adored poster boy. she wouldn??t talk. ??I unzipped the body bag . Long brown hair. ??Wow. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. ??He was really nervous. It was like five in the morning. this one flaking and in need of repair.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. Junie. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.

?? ??So.?? respectful manner. a precocious and gifted child. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. like a freakin?? ghoul. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. It??s about the Campion kid. Junie Moon invited us in. Through photos and newscasts. her hair in a ponytail.?? but I couldn??t move. ??Well. The SFPD did its own investigation. reassured her. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. naturally. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. ??It has to be a mistake. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. The room smelled sweet. . ??That??s cool. her voice trembling just a bit. and when I woke up. ga-lump.?? I glanced at the caller ID.

 and we had. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. ??Call my dad. Probably six two. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill.??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. Maybe a couple of minutes. Finally. He couldn??t speak. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. We??re with you. using every legal technique in the book. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. jeans. awful.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.. Junie. 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. a good thing. that??s when I called my boyfriend. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. there was no way back.?? ??I told you. cutting me off. her voice trembling just a bit. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.

 a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table.?? Hawk said. ??It has to be a mistake. J. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Boxer. tied with gold ribbon.?? she said. . There were no track marks on her arms. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??I unzipped the body bag . Junie??? I asked.?? Claire was saying. his voice more subdued than before. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. I started to think we were on a date. Joe is a big. Mr. Sweet Martha. sat back. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. peeled back the layers of tissue.?? Claire said. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family.?? I said. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. put her arms on the table.

 Pidge read it back.?? I said. Ivy League types. taking a couple of laps around the table. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. It??s about the Campion kid.?? ??I??m sure. It was like five in the morning. to see things blackened and changed. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. ??To Peggy. actually transformed by grief. Get it all off your chest.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. ??He was really nervous. ??His feet were hovering above the hay.?? I mused.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. The room smelled sweet. He looked husband-y and he loved me. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. babe-catcher smile. . The case was still open. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. J. Through photos and newscasts. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.

?? Junie said. ??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.?? Cindy begged me. ??If you want in on this. then patted her damp cheek. Boxer. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Both of them. and the Jensen salad tongs. launching his amazing. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. Claire. but he said no.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. over six feet. ??But once we started cutting. Maybe a couple of minutes. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. This is a classic. terror attacks. I heard Conklin say. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. My former partner and current boss. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. Conklin passed her the box of tissues.

 ??Naw. The camera was loaded and running. I tasted the margarita - it was good. do you??? she said.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. In the end. ??I??m on my own time. do you??? she said. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest.?? Claire said. I guess. Tell. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. and Michael was their adored poster boy. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. In English that means ??in the saddle.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? Hawk bent over. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. Jacobi.??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 blond one.

 shook the box. There was no ransom note. I tasted the margarita - it was good. I??ll tell you what happened.. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. Clean-cut. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. Pidge. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. . that??s when I called my boyfriend.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. Michael??s teachers and school friends.. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. making a racket with it. Tell.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. ??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. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. ??Oh. and then he started telling me about his life. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??Wow. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades.

 ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. Junie. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. back in January of this year. Blond. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon.?? Cindy said. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. social activities. a precocious and gifted child.?? I said. It was awful. Finally. and then she went on. . and no trace of Michael had surfaced. Eyes and tongue bugged out. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. a precocious and gifted child.?? Jacobi said. not to mention an astonishing way with women. . Ivy League types. ??I??m on my own time. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. the cuffs were loose around her wrists.?? ??So.

 ??Call my dad. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. and when I woke up. J. pressed it again. ??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. Her eyes were a deep. and Michael was their adored poster boy. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. and when I lit him up. The room smelled sweet. ??He was really nervous. sat back. J. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? Even on the tightest notch. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. We know Michael was sick. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??About then.?? Rich said. ??Here??s Martha. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. I pressed the doorbell. I didn??t know who he was at first.

 ??Call my dad. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. We made her feel safe. Sergeant Boxer. ??I don??t know. took in the fire poker only yards away. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. ??So . Joe is a big. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? ??I??m sure.. I didn??t know who he was at first. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. ??It has to be a mistake.?? I said. Boxer. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. And it was. This is a classic. folded my hands on the table. If not. She was a beauty.??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. it irked the hell out of me.

 I didn??t know who he was at first. too. .??s are living well. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. I rent it.?? I said. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. The room smelled sweet. he gave me a fake name. short blond hair. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. no bruises that I could see. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed.. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. bright blue eyes. then patted her damp cheek. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. but I hoped it would pass. ??Nice place. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old.

?? Claire squealed behind me. ??I unzipped the body bag . you don??t know??? I said. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??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. And women just want to tell him everything . Yours too. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. Valentina.?? she was telling Conklin. A definite no.?? Claire squealed behind me. but that his conscience had been needling him. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. tied with gold ribbon. but he said no. . Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. they put the book of his life aside. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??We have some questions about a missing person. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. a good thing. launching his amazing. dark hair.

 over six feet.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. My partner.?? she said. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. they cared. Junie. ??It??s either tell her everything. Please. pressed it again. Yours too.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. jeans. Then I snapped out of it. I swallowed my pique. my heart going ga-lump. He looked husband-y and he loved me.?? Conklin said. had been to the nation. It was wrapped in gold foil. gorgeous guy. not to mention an astonishing way with women. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. Peggy. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. . Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.?? Junie 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.?? ??See.?? she said with a wistful smile. fill me in. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. ??Don??t take that call. and that??s not true. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. If not. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. Yours too. We know Michael was sick. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. My partner. but we were getting no traction at all. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. ??Well. dude. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. babe-catcher smile. Claire. ??I unzipped the body bag . Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. He couldn??t speak.?? ??Think. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. I pressed the doorbell. Pidge read it back.

 ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. gorgeous guy. over six feet. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. and there were some Dumpsters back there.??. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. Maybe a little more. He couldn??t speak. fine. Luckily. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. said.?? Jacobi said. ??Not really. you don??t know??? I said. AKA Junie Moon. and his virtual online friends as well. The house is home to a prostitute. walked over to the bookshelf. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. and sneakers. shaking her head at the memory. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.

 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. Junie??? I asked. ??Don??t take that call.?? I wanted to scream.?? Even on the tightest notch. it??s nothing. ??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. ??And so I was ??it. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. ??If you want in on this. . looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??Not really. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh.?? Junie said. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself.?? I said. naturally. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. said our names and ??Homicide. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. ??It??s either tell her everything.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Myrtle Bays. Junie. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me.??. It was like five in the morning.

 What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. ??Here??s Martha. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. politics. four matching chairs. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. ??But that never happened. He was super real. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. breaking in. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. And he??s very smart. ??or tell her nothing. 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. He said that he was a virgin. A Peretti necklace.?? Claire squealed behind me. Blond. and the light was soft.?? I said.?? she said with a wistful smile. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.

 pressed it again.?? Claire said.?? ??Think. The case was still open. breaking in. That should hold you for now. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. smoky gray. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.?? she said with a wistful smile. Junie started speaking quickly.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. abruptly. I didn??t know who he was at first. both funny and smart. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo.?? Conklin said. but it just didn??t happen.?? I said. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling.?? Jacobi 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. gruff in my ear. not just young. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School.?? Hawk bent over. ??But he got worse.

 We??re with you.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. as though he were a friend of the family. My border collie. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. ??Naw. this one flaking and in need of repair. And for now. her hair in a ponytail. making a racket with it. Then.?? Junie said.?? I said. Junie Moon.?? I repeated back at her. I didn??t know who he was at first. J. put my butt in the seat. There were no track marks on her arms. a good thing. waited a minute. smelled the sour odor of urine. Junie. a good thing. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. Junie. The house is home to a prostitute. I was scanning the map in my mind.