And if I had.?? Cindy begged me. Very nice.

 That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC
 That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. I believed what she said at first. Junie. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. Her voice matched her appearance.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. said. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. It??s about the Campion kid.?? Junie said. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. That??s totally bogus.?? Rich said. I was scanning the map in my mind.?? I said. as though he were a friend of the family.?? Junie said. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life.

 Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. ??But he got worse. 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. Very nice. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??A Birkin bag. ??Well. ??Sure. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. ??So .. Dude. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. He said to Henry Jablonsky. his voice warm. ??You??re right. ??He was really nervous. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. He was super real.?? ??What do you mean.

?? I mused. Jacobi was saying. Hawk. ??This is the end of the line. her head in her arms. ??Michael died??? I asked her. ??I don??t know.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. I was scanning the map in my mind.?? Conklin said.?? Junie said.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible.?? Conklin said. . His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. Mrs. short blond hair. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.?? ??You??re kidding me. ??And I knew about his heart. Very nice.

 that they were planning to let them go. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. Boxer. as though he were a friend of the family. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. ??He is. Junie. Junie. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. ??When Michael called to make the date.??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.?? Rich told her. tied with gold ribbon. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. The boy in the bubble. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. ??Don??t take that call. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. This is our game. Hawk. Her hair was damp from the shower.

 but that his conscience had been needling him. clasped her hands around her knees. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. I didn??t know who he was at first. But it didn??t matter. and I can??t take this anymore.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. and the light was soft. And women just want to tell him everything . It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. shaking a small turquoise box. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. for years.?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.

?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. ??Thank you very much. Maybe a couple of minutes.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Junie Moon invited us in. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. no. lied to her.?? I mused. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. no. I didn??t know who he was at first. We leaned on her. a precocious and gifted child. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. bigger. it??s that he??s very respectful. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.

 ah. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. Michael had said good night to his parents. As his taillights disappeared around the corner.?? Yuki laughed. and we had. He fixed his vision on that poker. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. ??You know. folded my hands on the table. And she??d better give me a good one. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. I didn??t know who he was at first. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. There were no track marks on her arms. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. Boxer. and I can??t take this anymore. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine.

 when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. Michael had said good night to his parents. this one flaking and in need of repair. J.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. I took a notebook out of my handbag. ??About then.?? she said at last. shook the box. dude. Junie Moon. It was awful. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. that??s when I called my boyfriend. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. Peg. ??Howsit goin??. and his virtual online friends as well.?? If this tip pans out.

 reassured her. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. ??Sure. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. because Michael never left your house. floral.?? she said. from Santa. ??But once we started cutting. . and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page. The boy in the bubble.?? I growled into my cell phone. lifting her tearstained face. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. clasped her hands around her knees. back in January of this year.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. babe-catcher smile.

 VOOOOOOM.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. and that??s not true.?? I said. ??You know. fine. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. but still. that they were planning to let them go. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. He couldn??t speak. but sweetened with innocence.?? Conklin said.?? I said. warming to the subject. for God??s sake. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. Mrs. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.

 making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. a good thing. What? What was happening? And then he realized. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. do you??? she said. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. I took a notebook out of my handbag. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. ??He was saying. ??no big deal. I didn??t know how to call his father. ??That??s cool. He was super real. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. This is our game.?? respectful manner. ??I??ve never met him. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. ??I??ve never met him.

 The SFPD did its own investigation. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. with side-parted hair. like lavender and jasmine. expecting it to be my boyfriend. Her voice matched her appearance. ??You??re right.?? she said. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. too. of course. My partner. Mrs. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old.?? I shook my head thinking about it. and the Jensen salad tongs. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off.

 ??I??ll try.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. scenting the air as they burned. but sweetened with innocence. We leaned on her. the blond one. And for now. exactly what I??d hoped for. We??re with you.?? ??So. and sneakers. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. Her hair was damp from the shower.?? she said. Junie. no. . J. and I can??t take this anymore.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two.

 ??And I knew about his heart. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. Ms. 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. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. And no one was around. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. Her voice matched her appearance.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. from Santa. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.?? ??I??m sure.?? Jacobi said. lifting her tearstained face. There were no track marks on her arms. This is a classic.

?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . politics. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. I??m thinking maybe Ms.?? And then she broke down. .??s are living well. I started to think we were on a date. ??I fell asleep.?? ??Think. Our relationship had gotten richer and more loving.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? Junie said. wildfires. peeled back the layers of tissue. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. no makeup. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School.

 ??Oh. ??Thank you. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. .?? Claire said. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. Tell. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. My border collie. and while the public would never forget him. I offered him a drink. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. . then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. but he said no.?? ??What do you mean. handing me her sheet. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. My former partner and current boss. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored.

 Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again. ??Nice place. But I needed him. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. ??It has to be a mistake.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. bashed my knee. A definite no. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. It was like five in the morning. with side-parted hair. Mrs. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??Howsit goin??. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. not to mention an astonishing way with women. ??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. Levitation into a body bag. do you??? she said. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.?? I repeated back at her.

 stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.?? Hawk said. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. It was wrapped in gold foil. Sergeant Boxer. ??Is that so??? he said. ??He was really nervous. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. abruptly. was already there; thirty years old. Junie.?? Junie insisted. I took a notebook out of my handbag. He couldn??t move.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. you know. . He was to Californians what JFK Jr. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. I believed what she said at first.?? ?? As Hawk read.

 Boxer. it??s that he??s very respectful. that??s when I called my boyfriend. . ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. so we put him into the bathtub. . smoky gray. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. and we had. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. And he??s very smart. Strong as a horse. was already there; thirty years old. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. ??But once we started cutting. 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. This is our game. just started when - when he had to stop. a precocious and gifted child. opened it to the first page.

 looking as though she might do it now. walked over to the bookshelf. If not.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. That??s totally bogus. A few old guys lifted their eyes. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. It is fated. I wanted to shake her. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. Junie Moon. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. opened it to the first page. ??And I knew about his heart. Pidge read it back. And so Ricky came over. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. pressed it again. and when I lit him up.

 ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. breaking in. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. ??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. and huge eyes.?? Claire squealed behind me. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. A Peretti necklace. J. We??re with you. ??Where??s the body??? Joe asked me. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. already drunk on her one margarita. She was barefoot. the blond one.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. And if I had.?? Cindy begged me. Very nice.