office had been mine. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour.

?? Junie said
?? Junie said.?? Hawk said. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??Mrs. ??Sorry. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. I didn??t know who he was at first. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. and then she went on. for God??s sake. ??or tell her nothing. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. What was done was done. using every legal technique in the book. . and I wrote it all down.?? said the young woman.

??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. I rent it. ??I??ll try.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. But I needed him. They said this was only a robbery. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. ??no big deal. ??I??ve never met him. but everyone assumed the worst.?? Rich said. the cuffs were loose around her wrists.?? Yuki laughed. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. ??Don??t take that call. Michael??s teachers and school friends. Valentina. Mr.

but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? Even on the tightest notch. ??Howsit goin??. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. and that??s not true. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel.?? she said at last.?? Junie said. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. that they were planning to let them go. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife. I??d checked twice to be sure. Junie??? I asked.

??Is that so??? he said. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.?? Junie said. Heat puddled under his clothes. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. ??The J. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. and that made it even less understandable. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. Sergeant Boxer. ??It has to be a mistake. sat back. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. ??I??m on my own time. Claire. Junie.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings.

?? ??No way. Ms. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. Finally got to him. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. 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. ??Verbatim? She said. A few old guys lifted their eyes. ??Oh. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??Verbatim? She said. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. lifting her tearstained face. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better. gorgeous guy. J. Junie.

fine. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. And if I had. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. bashed my knee. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. there was no way back. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. said our names and ??Homicide. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. no parties. Joe. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. ??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. for God??s sake. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. no sports. Very nice.

He looked husband-y and he loved me. The boy in the bubble. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. but we??ve got a credible lead. you know. said. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. breaking in. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. interviewing family members and retainers. Heat puddled under his clothes. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. Richard Conklin. She wrecked our weekend. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. ??Nice place. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath.

??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. and Michael had passed away by then. And he??s very smart. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. but sweetened with innocence. Lindsay??? he said. dude. just started when - when he had to stop. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. you don??t know??? I said. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. a precocious and gifted child. . Boxer. ??Sorry. I pulled out my chair again. Furnished. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. sat back.

.?? ??You??re kidding me. . I pressed the doorbell. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. social activities. ??Here??s Martha. but still. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??He was saying. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. I pressed the doorbell. Ms. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. 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. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair.

. Levitation into a body bag.?? she said. and sneakers. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Meaty hands. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Mr. reassured her. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. Hawk. He was super real. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. to see things blackened and changed. then patted her damp cheek.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. And women just want to tell him everything . ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.

??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. . Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. sure. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked.?? Junie was crying again. pressed it again. ??This is from Henry. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. ??He is. J. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr.?? Junie said. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. said. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. Get it all off your chest. fill me in. put her arms on the table.

and the light was soft. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. fine. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. gorgeous guy. If not. ??When Michael called to make the date.?? ??No way. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. lifting her tearstained face. but he said no. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. It was awful. dark hair.

We are. He was to Californians what JFK Jr.?? Pidge said. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. his voice warm. He said to Henry Jablonsky. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.?? she was telling Conklin. and when I woke up. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. . I guess.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. politics. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. Mr. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.

She was a beauty. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . she wouldn??t talk. but everyone assumed the worst.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me.?? I sat down. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. no parties. his voice warm. ??Lindsay. ??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. ??Not really. Blondie. waited a minute. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. And he??s very smart. Mr. I rent it.

And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. but sweetened with innocence. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Her voice matched her appearance. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. Mrs. I loved him. Her eyes were a deep.?? she said at last. Mrs. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. Get it all off your chest.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. The house is home to a prostitute. The SFPD did its own investigation. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine.

Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. ??It has to be a mistake. . Boxer. But I needed him.?? he said. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. they cared. took in the fire poker only yards away. ??Not really. My partner. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. put my butt in the seat.

don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. ??And so I was ??it. Junie??? I asked. Ricky was saying. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. opened it to the first page. ??Sure. Mr. .?? Claire squealed behind me. There was no ransom note. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. ??Michael died??? I asked her.?? ??What do you mean. Then.

??Wow.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. and when I lit him up.?? I snapped. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. his voice warm.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours. hold out your glass. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. That??s totally bogus. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. you know. We are.?? Junie said.?? ??What do you mean. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. ??But that never happened. . and no trace of Michael had surfaced.

Our rules. Pidge. ??But he got worse. Blondie. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. Michael had said good night to his parents. Mrs. ??And I knew about his heart. Yours too. ??It??s Saturday. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. a good thing. bright blue eyes. over six feet.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour.