his clothes. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains.

?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile
?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.?? I said. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. touching her chest with the flat of her palm.. and that??s not true. Mrs. As Jablonsky watched. saw the john lope across Leavenworth.?? Jacobi said.?? Claire said. bright blue eyes. ??About then. We made her feel safe. It was like five in the morning. and sneakers.

 peeled back the layers of tissue. ??The J. ??Mrs. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. ??no big deal.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. There??d been no dates for Michael.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. Junie. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. then patted her damp cheek. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. they cared. ??I can only tell you what he said. but everyone assumed the worst. ??We have some questions about a missing person.

 Junie Moon. They said this was only a robbery. What was done was done. He??d been a darling baby. Her. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. Junie started speaking quickly. There was no ransom note. for years. but it just didn??t happen. Hawk. Furnished. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears.?? Conklin said. Mr.?? I said. In English that means ??in the saddle.

 Joe. not to mention an astonishing way with women. ??Not really. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. He fixed his vision on that poker. it irked the hell out of me. Junie. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? Hawk said. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. I loved him. no parties. If not. folded my hands on the table.

 and sobbed as though she??d really cared. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.?? I said.?? ??I??m sure.?? Claire squealed behind me. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. but we were getting no traction at all. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. Junie Moon. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. I took a notebook out of my handbag. and I can??t take this anymore.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your.?? Conklin said.

 this one flaking and in need of repair.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker.?? Claire said. And it was.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. in fact. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. and I think I would know. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. Tell. And if I had. ??Here??s Martha. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. . There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that.

 Junie Moon invited us in. and I think I would know. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. was already there; thirty years old. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. It??s about the Campion kid. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh.?? I wanted to scream. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. ??He was saying. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. making a racket with it. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker.

 She was a beauty. VOOOOOOM. ??No don??ts.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet.?? but I couldn??t move. he gave me a fake name.?? ??I told you. put her arms on the table. clasped her hands around her knees. Michael. I leaned forward. And frankly. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. ??Verbatim? She said. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.

 It was like five in the morning. And for now. He said he was in pain. ??Take your time. There??d been no dates for Michael. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. Ivy League types. And women just want to tell him everything . smoky gray. shook the box. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. ga-lump. I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? Junie said. and the Jensen salad tongs.

 That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. ??Here??s Martha. to see things blackened and changed. He put the money on the night table. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. 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.?? Claire was saying.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. Jacobi. shook the box. From the first moment. He said he was in pain.?? said the young woman. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. and no trace of Michael had surfaced.

 ??Lindsay. ??About then.?? I snapped.?? ??So.?? Junie said. ??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. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. Joe. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker.?? ??You??re kidding me. . heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. But it didn??t matter. ??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. said.

 .?? Conklin said. ??Thank you very much.?? she was telling Conklin. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. The room smelled sweet. And while the public rarely saw Michael. and sneakers. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. Furnished. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. ??Michael died??? I asked her. There were no track marks on her arms. We??re with you. no bruises that I could see. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning.

 ??Not really. Our rules.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. it??s nothing. and Michael was their adored poster boy. said our names and ??Homicide. Ivy League types. Peg. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. her head in her arms.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. bigger. He heard wrapping paper tear.?? she said. Jacobi. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating.

?? she said. And Junie began to tell us everything. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. my heart going ga-lump.?? Claire said. gorgeous guy. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. And frankly. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? Cindy begged me. So it didn??t sound exactly crazy that he??d visited a prostitute. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi.?? Hawk said.?? I wanted to scream. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled.

 reassured her. looking as though she might do it now. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. cutting me off. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? I said. But he could reason. was already there; thirty years old. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. ??I feel like a new person. too.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. wildfires. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? Claire squealed behind me. shaking a small turquoise box. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest.

 Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. ??It??s Saturday. bigger. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. handing me her sheet. ??no big deal. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. warming to the subject. He looked husband-y and he loved me. Well-spoken.?? ??See. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. pressed it again. and that made it even less understandable. Hawk. We made her feel safe.

 ??It??s either tell her everything. looking as though she might do it now. Michael??s teachers and school friends. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. dude. launching his amazing. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. I loved him. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date.?? Junie said. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. ??Go on.?? she said. Very nice. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains.