I played our only card. Richard Conklin. The case was still open. And frankly.

??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed
??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. abruptly. and that made it even less understandable. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. If not. and when I lit him up. That??s totally bogus. ??He was really nervous.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? Jacobi said. ??After a few hours. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. ??I feel like a new person. and when I woke up. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. I believed what she said at first.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. Boxer.

and the FBI launched a nationwide search. that??s when I called my boyfriend. no makeup. Well-spoken.?? I said. put my butt in the seat. He said that he was a virgin. Our rules. And if I had. ??Sic erat in fatis. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. and then she went on. smoky gray. Sweet Martha. Michael??s teachers and school friends.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. It was wrapped in gold foil. do you??? she said. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.

. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. Myrtle Bays. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. that they were planning to let them go. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. Ivy League types. From the first moment. ??He was saying. Lindsay??? he said. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten.?? If this tip pans out.?? I repeated back at her.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. ??This is from Henry. dark hair.

like lavender and jasmine.?? Junie told us.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. ??Call my dad.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? I shook my head thinking about it. The case was still open. ??If you want in on this.?? she said. I played our only card. this one flaking and in need of repair. a precocious and gifted child. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. but we were getting no traction at all. ??When Michael called to make the date. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better.

tied with gold ribbon. ??When Michael called to make the date. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. so we put him into the bathtub.?? but I couldn??t move. her head in her arms. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Pidge. Sergeant Boxer. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Conklin said. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. ??Don??t stop. . do you??? she said.

?? Junie said. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. In the end. Her.?? Rich said. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. shaking her head at the memory. her head in her arms. Junie. ??Naw. ??Nice talk. but I hoped it would pass. ??He was saying. Both of them. and then she went on. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating.

to see things blackened and changed. Boxer.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. He would??ve put me in jail forever. He was super real. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. ??Mrs. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. pulled against his restraints. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. pleading to Conklin with her eyes.?? And then she broke down. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. ??Sure. in fact.

saw the john lope across Leavenworth. said. I peed my pants. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. The camera was loaded and running. ??He was saying. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. floral. to see things blackened and changed.?? Junie insisted. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. isn??t it??? ??That??s right.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.

Strong as a horse.?? Junie insisted. I peed my pants. and threatened her. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. childlike appearance. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. ??That??s cool.?? Rich told her. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??But once we started cutting. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. and if that??s the best revenge . So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. but I hoped it would pass. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No.

clasped her hands around her knees. dramatic voice. ??Sic erat in fatis. We??re with you. ??It??s been a long night. . and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. Luckily.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. babe-catcher smile. but I hoped it would pass. ??After a few hours. ??Oh. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. said. ??I don??t know. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.

??You don??t really know Dougie.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? Junie insisted. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. hold out your glass. Her.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. ??Sure. Finally got to him. Mr. J. ??Don??t take that call. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. As Jablonsky watched. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. said. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.

??Nice place. pulled against his restraints. seeming empty and exhausted. too. Hawk. and that made it even less understandable. He couldn??t move. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. Her hair was damp from the shower. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. it??s nothing. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. expecting it to be my boyfriend.

?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.?? I wanted to scream. Get the kit-cat and let??s go.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. I tasted the margarita - it was good.?? Junie said. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. hold out your glass. I didn??t know how to call his father. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. he gave me a fake name. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. Finally got to him. Her eyes were a deep.

?? Jacobi said.??s are living well. Blond. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. ??Lindsay. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. Moon. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. The room smelled sweet. He said he was in pain. There was no ransom note. I believed what she said at first. ??Nice place. Hawk. his voice warm. warming to the subject. There was no ransom note.

And after all that. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. Our rules. He put the money on the night table. The camera was loaded and running. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. Then. ??Sorry. Boxer.?? Junie said. and that??s not true. ??Here??s Martha. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. childlike appearance. Finally. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. It is fated.?? Yuki laughed.

He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. ??Naw. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. I wanted to shake her. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. . Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. said our names and ??Homicide. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??He was really nervous. you don??t know??? I said.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.

But I needed him. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. folded my hands on the table. Blond. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. ??It has to be a mistake. In English that means ??in the saddle.?? ??You??re kidding me. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife.?? I mused. The SFPD did its own investigation. ??It??s Saturday. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. ??After a few hours. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. We know Michael was sick. The boy in the bubble. and Michael was their adored poster boy.

?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. I??ll tell you what happened. but we were getting no traction at all. said our names and ??Homicide.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. but sweetened with innocence.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. 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. he didn??t want to forget anything. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. Tell. Blondie. and threatened her.?? ??What do you mean. I wanted to shake her. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. no.?? ??You??re kidding me.

?? she said. Mrs. I offered him a drink. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning.?? Hawk said.?? she said with a wistful smile. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. It was like five in the morning. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. Our rules. ??And it pissed me off. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. He said that he was a virgin. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. I played our only card. Richard Conklin. The case was still open. And frankly.