with side-parted hair.?? Cindy said. breaking in. .

dramatic voice
dramatic voice. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. And so Ricky came over. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. ??Nice talk. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. Blond. ??He was really nervous. But he could reason. Eyes and tongue bugged out. It was like five in the morning. Jacobi was saying.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. the blond one. He said he was in pain. took in the fire poker only yards away. waited a minute. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking.

?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. reassured her. From the first moment. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. ??Call my dad.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Finally got to him. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? ??So.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. Valentina. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. expecting it to be my boyfriend. The SFPD did its own investigation. He would??ve put me in jail forever. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911.

and I can??t take this anymore. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. ??So what did you do with his body.?? 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. ??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. Both of them.?? I said. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. I swallowed my pique. pulled against his restraints. ??I??ll try. A Peretti necklace. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. . His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. her hair in a ponytail. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her.. And no one was around.

said.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. not just young. Mr.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. smoky gray. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Her hair was damp from the shower. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. And so Ricky came over. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. and while the public would never forget him. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk.

??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. and that made it even less understandable.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Probably six two.?? Junie said. Very nice.?? I said. Ivy League types. ??Don??t stop. the Hermès tie. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. making a racket with it. ??I don??t know. for God??s sake. peeled back the layers of tissue. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk.?? I repeated back at her.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight. Through photos and newscasts. Ricky was saying.

her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Pidge. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. ??The J. What? What was happening? And then he realized. He said that he was a virgin. . ??To Peggy. ??Nice talk. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. her head in her arms. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? I snapped. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. Michael??s teachers and school friends. Mr. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine.?? Junie said.

put my butt in the seat. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. And women just want to tell him everything .?? she said. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. to see things blackened and changed. Hawk. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.?? I said. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. wildfires. cutting me off. J. . J. ??Sic erat in fatis.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Michael??s teachers and school friends.?? Junie choked out.

social activities.?? Rich told her.. over six feet.?? And then she broke down. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. ??No don??ts. and we had. he gave me a fake name. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. had been to the nation. you don??t know??? I said. dramatic voice. bashed my knee. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. I played our only card. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. And frankly.?? I said.

dude. If not.?? Hawk bent over. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??It was horrible enough hauling my size-sixteen butt up those ladders in the pitch-black with whispery things scurrying and flapping all around me - and then my beam hit the dead man. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Pidge.?? Junie said. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. terror attacks. And frankly. ??no big deal. He put the money on the night table.?? she said. you know. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. wildfires. Boxer. isn??t it??? ??That??s right.

interviewing family members and retainers. dude. Hawk. I swallowed my pique.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. ??This is from Henry. ??But he got worse. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. And then he read aloud with a clear.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. no parties. and while the public would never forget him. He fixed his vision on that poker. . and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. ??Naw. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. like lavender and jasmine.?? ??Understand. .

Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. but he said no. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. you don??t know??? I said. cutting me off. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. And no one was around. cutting me off. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. ??Here??s Martha. Eyes and tongue bugged out. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??Sure. And he??s very smart. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. touching her chest with the flat of her palm.

?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. ??Don??t take that call.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. wildfires. That should hold you for now. ??no big deal.?? Junie said. as though he were a friend of the family. shaking a small turquoise box. social activities. Blond. ??Oh.?? she said at last.?? Pidge said. in fact.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. A definite no.?? I said. Michael.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed.

He would??ve put me in jail forever. bright blue eyes. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. but everyone assumed the worst. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. It is fated. Maybe a little more. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving. looking as though she might do it now. ??Well. J.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.??s are living well. Tell.. Joe. no parties. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. wildfires. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair.

pressed it again. And women just want to tell him everything . expecting it to be my boyfriend. We know Michael was sick. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. no bruises that I could see. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. Since I??m wide-awake. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. my heart going ga-lump. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. Her eyes were a deep. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. you don??t know??? I said.

Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. ??I feel like a new person. There were no track marks on her arms. ??After a few hours. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. ??Sic erat in fatis. and when I lit him up.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. I wanted to shake her. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. ??He was saying. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. as though he were a friend of the family. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. But it didn??t matter. Levitation into a body bag. who is not only my friend. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for.

??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her.?? ??I??m sure. He said he was in pain. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. she wouldn??t talk. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. ??So what did you do with his body. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. As Jablonsky watched. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. ??Take your time. Finally got to him. ??If you want in on this. And women just want to tell him everything . He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two.

From the first moment. ??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. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. lied to her.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. ??I??m on my own time. naturally.?? ??I??m sure. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. ??He was saying. fill me in. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. Blondie.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.?? 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. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon.

There??d been no dates for Michael. Michael??s life had been part of ours. and sneakers.?? Conklin said.?? Cindy said. I pulled out my chair again. Finally. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Myrtle Bays. This is a classic. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??Junie.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. The house is home to a prostitute. . and I can??t take this anymore. said. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. I leaned forward. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.

??No don??ts. Through photos and newscasts. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. too. A definite no. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. they put the book of his life aside. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. ??Oh. Well-spoken. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. In the end. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel.

?? she said. sure.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. ??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 voice trembling just a bit. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. not to mention an astonishing way with women. Mr.?? Claire said. handing me her sheet. He heard wrapping paper tear. actually transformed by grief. Peg. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. social activities. Tell. smoky gray. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. She was a beauty.

??I don??t know.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. Michael??s teachers and school friends. Clean-cut. ??And it pissed me off. And while the public rarely saw Michael.?? I glanced at the caller ID. ??But he got worse. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. Christ. Well-spoken. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.?? ??What do you mean. What was done was done. ??The J. That??s totally bogus. Hawk. with side-parted hair.?? Cindy said. breaking in. .