his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.

Clean-cut
Clean-cut. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. The tips had led nowhere. It was wrapped in gold foil. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. tied with gold ribbon. I??m thinking maybe Ms.?? ??I??m sure. Very nice. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? Hawk bent over. Since I??m wide-awake.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. I believed what she said at first. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.?? I said.?? Junie choked out. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??Is that so??? he said. He heard wrapping paper tear.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. We know Michael was sick. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. her head in her arms. but he said no. Her.

I rent it.?? ??I??m sure. gruff in my ear. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. and if that??s the best revenge . Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. pulled against his restraints. He said he was in pain. And for now. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. do you??? she said.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. and that??s not true. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??Call my dad. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. ??It has to be a mistake. ??This is the end of the line. ??Oh.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. The house is home to a prostitute. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor.

??Thank you. God. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. Then. ??A Birkin bag. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked.?? I said.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? Junie said. Levitation into a body bag. But I needed him. This is our game.?? I repeated back at her.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. We??re with you. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor.?? 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. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. ??To Peggy. and Michael was their adored poster boy.

don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. her hair in a ponytail.?? Junie insisted. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. warming to the subject. In English that means ??in the saddle. Ricky was saying.??s are living well. Jacobi was saying. you know. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. ??Call my dad. Blondie. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books.?? she was telling Conklin. A definite no. We??re with you. I??ll tell you what happened. What? What was happening? And then he realized.?? ??Think. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??I feel like a new person. Junie. ??And so I was ??it. It was wrapped in gold foil.

Michael??s teachers and school friends. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. ??After a few hours. .?? I shook my head thinking about it. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. . And for now.?? Junie said. ??I??m on my own time. Luckily. no sports. Jacobi was saying. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. shaking a small turquoise box. . ??But he got worse. I wanted to shake her. and threatened her. Pidge read it back. ??Howsit goin??. There were no track marks on her arms. his voice more subdued than before. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth.?? Rich told her. ??Howsit goin??.

Through photos and newscasts. She was a beauty. Mrs.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. you know. I was scanning the map in my mind. It??s about the Campion kid. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??The J. Long brown hair.?? Junie said.?? Junie said. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. I took a notebook out of my handbag. Her voice matched her appearance. Eyes and tongue bugged out. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. The camera was loaded and running. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay.?? Claire was saying.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. .

Junie. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. Ms. A definite no. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. J. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . Boxer.?? she said. ??Verbatim? She said. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. Please. gorgeous guy. and huge eyes. Christ.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. I pulled out my chair again. dude. it irked the hell out of me. launching his amazing. We are.?? ??I told you. Long brown hair. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers.

?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Ivy League types. Her voice matched her appearance.. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth.?? she said. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. . ??I don??t know.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. Myrtle Bays. to see things blackened and changed.?? Junie said. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.?? 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.?? I wanted to scream. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. and when I lit him up.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. jeans. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.?? I sat down.?? I sat down. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.

touching her chest with the flat of her palm. And while the public rarely saw Michael.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. social activities. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. Meaty hands. ??This is from Henry. the blond one. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. ??He was really nervous. And he??s very smart. I played our only card. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts.?? Junie said. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. ??Take your time. Jacobi. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. 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.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. getting up from my chair. We??re with you.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??Don??t take that call. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut.

Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. too. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. He put the money on the night table. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. no sports.?? I said.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. Michael had said good night to his parents.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. my heart going ga-lump. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??Call my dad. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. seeming empty and exhausted. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. in fact. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Through photos and newscasts.?? ??You??re kidding me.?? ??So.?? ??Okay. as though he were a friend of the family. Richard Conklin. dramatic voice.

??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??So what did you do with his body. ??Well. Our rules. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. He was super real. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. Sweet Martha. Ms. They said this was only a robbery. bright blue eyes. Junie Moon invited us in. . had been to the nation. put her arms on the table.?? Hawk bent over. ??The J. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. then patted her damp cheek. ??Not really. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. What? What was happening? And then he realized.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. tied with gold ribbon. 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. Hawk.?? Cindy begged me.

Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. terror attacks. and the light was soft. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. said. A definite no. put my butt in the seat. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. He said to Henry Jablonsky. both funny and smart.?? Even on the tightest notch. of course. . ??Say good-bye to Peggy. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. In English that means ??in the saddle. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. Maybe a little more. ??He got worse. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah.

?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. He couldn??t move. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. ??So . Peggy pleaded with Hawk. bashed my knee. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. What was done was done. his voice more subdued than before. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.?? If this tip pans out. a precocious and gifted child. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. Junie.?? I said. ??I feel like a new person. put her arms on the table. The camera was loaded and running. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. he didn??t want to forget anything.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. ??About then. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. We know Michael was sick.

it irked the hell out of me. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. Maybe a couple of minutes.?? Junie said. that??s when I called my boyfriend.?? ?? As Hawk read. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. We leaned on her. . short blond hair. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. I took a notebook out of my handbag. reassured her. Mrs. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. ??This is from Henry. He said that he was a virgin. I pulled out the other chair. ??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. like lavender and jasmine. put her arms on the table. Ivy League types.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. gruff in my ear.

tied with gold ribbon. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. And he??s very smart. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. ??Sorry. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. A few old guys lifted their eyes. Moon. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation.?? she said. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. ??So . and huge eyes.?? Yuki laughed. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? ??I told you. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. no sports. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. . ??To Peggy.

?? ??Think. ??When Michael called to make the date. you??re right. ??You know. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. he didn??t want to forget anything. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. It was awful. .?? I shook my head thinking about it. Maybe a couple of minutes. Her hair was damp from the shower. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. I played our only card. ga-lump.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ??You??re right. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. but sweetened with innocence.?? Conklin said. sat back. That jacket was never mentioned in the press.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear.??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. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. had been to the nation.

?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. He would??ve put me in jail forever. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. AKA Junie Moon. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. Tell. Junie started speaking quickly.?? I said. her hair in a ponytail. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. Junie. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. ??So . a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. but that his conscience had been needling him. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. and his virtual online friends as well. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? I snapped. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Christ. back in January of this year. jeans. ??You??re right. this one flaking and in need of repair.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.

it irked the hell out of me. Michael had said good night to his parents. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. There was no ransom note. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. the Hermès tie. . because Michael never left your house.?? she said. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.??. Valentina. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.?? Junie told us. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. Claire. Since I??m wide-awake. If you turn that thing off. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. Mr. It is fated.?? she was telling Conklin. ??It??s either tell her everything. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo.

ah.?? Junie said. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. do you??? she said. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. Joe. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. it??s that he??s very respectful. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??I??d like to meet him sometime.?? Junie said. I offered him a drink. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. Mr. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. AKA Junie Moon. ??Go on. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. ??Thank you. launching his amazing.?? but I couldn??t move.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. ??The J. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.

as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. Then. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. And women just want to tell him everything . Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. Pidge read it back. no sports. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying.?? said Jacobi. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. The room smelled sweet.?? I said. put my butt in the seat. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. I rent it. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. ??I feel like a new person.?? ??Think. Please.?? Junie said. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. But it didn??t matter. The camera was loaded and running.

??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. ??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. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. but still.?? I said. If not.?? I mused. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. Sergeant Boxer. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. but he said no. ??He was really nervous. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. Junie. too. was already there; thirty years old.?? Junie choked out. We are.?? If this tip pans out. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him.

Mrs.?? Junie was crying again. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. If not.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. too. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. but he said no. Meaty hands. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. Strong as a horse. ??Wow. for years. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Maybe a couple of minutes.??.?? Conklin murmured. and months later.

his voice warm. ??It??s Saturday. bright blue eyes. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. but sweetened with innocence. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. Sergeant Boxer.?? Junie said. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. Mr. took in the fire poker only yards away. Ricky was saying. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. Get it all off your chest.?? I said. It was awful. his voice more subdued than before. fine. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. ??You know. no sports. and huge eyes. in fact. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. And women just want to tell him everything .

they cared. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming.?? ??I told you. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. like a freakin?? ghoul. Jacobi was saying.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. who is not only my friend. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. ??Go on. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. . It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. the Hermès tie. with side-parted hair. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. and then he started telling me about his life. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. Blondie. Please.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. Hawk.

?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. And while the public rarely saw Michael. ??Don??t stop. And frankly. ??We have some questions about a missing person. in fact. but still. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. politics. Mrs.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. ??Sic erat in fatis. The boy in the bubble. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. her voice trembling just a bit. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. the Hermès tie. I??ll tell you what happened. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. From the first moment. What was done was done. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. her voice trembling just a bit.?? Hawk bent over. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. smelled the sour odor of urine. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911.

sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. Yours too.?? I said.?? ??So. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.??IT HAPPENED just like you said. Long brown hair. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.?? ??So. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. ??Verbatim? She said. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. But I needed him. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. smelled the sour odor of urine.??. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. I didn??t know how to call his father.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe.?? I wanted to scream.

Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? Junie was crying again. ??He was saying. pressed it again. It is fated. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. It??s about the Campion kid. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? Jacobi said.?? I said. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. and his virtual online friends as well.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. politics.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. 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. no sports. Lindsay??? he said. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. He couldn??t move.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe.?? Junie said. warming to the subject. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt.

too. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. ??Lind-say.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.. and that??s not true. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. but sweetened with innocence. and Michael was their adored poster boy. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it.?? but I couldn??t move. but everyone assumed the worst. but we??ve got a credible lead. We made her feel safe. Then.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. Through photos and newscasts. J. I pressed the doorbell. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. shook the box.?? Junie said. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep.