He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Peggy pleaded with Hawk.

 Please
 Please. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. J. Junie. he gave me a fake name.?? Claire said. smelled the sour odor of urine. Yours too. ??It was called Tell Me That You Love Me. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. dark hair. and that??s not true. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.

 Myrtle Bays. and that??s not true. But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. 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. ??To Peggy. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.?? Claire was saying.?? I mused. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. As Jablonsky watched. He said that he was a virgin. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Joe is a big. fill me in. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. A Peretti necklace. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know.

 Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. It??s about the Campion kid. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. But I needed him. like a freakin?? ghoul. and the Jensen salad tongs. reassured her. VOOOOOOM. no. ??no big deal. an hour north of San Francisco..?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. because Michael never left your house. handing me her sheet. put my butt in the seat. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. getting up from my chair. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. ??no big deal. Junie??? I asked.?? ??Think.

 for years. and the light was soft. awful. ??I don??t know. for years. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. That should hold you for now. Joe is a big. ??We have some questions about a missing person. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? Junie said. ??no big deal. man. his voice more subdued than before. Long brown hair. J. And so Ricky came over. ??But he got worse. my heart going ga-lump. And women just want to tell him everything . So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box.

 shook the box. Joe. breaking in. to see things blackened and changed. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??Wow. too.?? Junie said. looking as though she might do it now. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. In the end. Boxer. 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. ??Sic erat in fatis. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. Jacobi. breaking in.?? Junie said.?? 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. 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. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better.

 do you??? she said. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. put her arms on the table. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. He said he was in pain. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. From the first moment. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. and then she went on. ah. Through photos and newscasts. ??Verbatim? She said.?? Pidge said. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.?? Yuki laughed.. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. We??re with you.

 fine. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. you don??t know??? I said. ??That??s cool. He was super real. Hawk. No sign of foul play. wildfires. said. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. already drunk on her one margarita. childlike appearance. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. for God??s sake. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. dropped to the table. shaking a small turquoise box. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.

 ??This is from Henry. for years. Since I??m wide-awake.?? If this tip pans out.?? ??You??re kidding me. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. ??I would have been honored. I didn??t know how to call his father. said.?? I said. The house is home to a prostitute. and if that??s the best revenge . six feet two inches of all-American hunk. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. because Michael never left your house.?? she said. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. Her. fine. . Jacobi.

 The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. He couldn??t speak. gorgeous guy. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. said. naturally. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. We leaned on her. Michael had said good night to his parents.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. ??I can only tell you what he said. It was awful. but everyone assumed the worst. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. I leaned forward. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah.?? ?? As Hawk read. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. 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. Tell. scenting the air as they burned. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.

 but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??Mrs. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room. and his virtual online friends as well. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming.?? I said.?? Conklin said.?? Even on the tightest notch.?? 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.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? I shook my head thinking about it. What? What was happening? And then he realized.?? Junie said. but sweetened with innocence. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. ga-lump. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. It was awful. had been to the nation. bright blue eyes. ??Sure.

 And if I had. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. Then I snapped out of it. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.?? Claire squealed behind me. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. ??A Birkin bag. I believed what she said at first.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves.?? Claire was saying. ??Don??t take that call.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. ??You??re right. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week.?? she said at last. Yours too.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. there was no way back. walked over to the bookshelf.

 ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble.?? ??You??re kidding me. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. A Peretti necklace. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. I started to think we were on a date. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.?? ??Okay. with side-parted hair. and the light was soft. ??I feel like a new person.?? I wanted to scream.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe. I peed my pants. Junie started speaking quickly. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. no. and Michael had passed away by then. ??I don??t know. imagining the towns along the coast.

?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. wildfires. they put the book of his life aside. I pulled out my chair again. ??You know. I started to think we were on a date. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. opened it to the first page. fill me in. ??And it pissed me off. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? Junie said. Very nice. . the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. isn??t it??? ??That??s right.?? Junie said. They said this was only a robbery.?? Junie said. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.

 Junie??? I asked. ??We have some questions about a missing person. you know. ??No don??ts. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. The camera was loaded and running. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath.?? she said. smoky gray. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. ??Junie. What was done was done. ??no big deal. Joe. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. I??ll tell you what happened. ??He is. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. the cuffs were loose around her wrists.

 looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain.?? ??See. Very nice.?? I snapped. interviewing family members and retainers.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. just started when - when he had to stop. ??Go on. over six feet. ??You don??t really know Dougie. That should hold you for now. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. like a freakin?? ghoul.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. dramatic voice. The boy in the bubble. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. ??I fell asleep. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ??or tell her nothing.?? she said with a wistful smile.

 Get it all off your chest.?? I said. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. ??But he got worse. Michael had said good night to his parents. ??Howsit goin??. too. I believed what she said at first.?? And then she broke down. ah. a good thing. ??It has to be a mistake.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. because Michael never left your house.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. but I hoped it would pass. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. I leaned forward.

 a good thing. she wouldn??t talk.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. He couldn??t move. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. Junie??? I asked. there was no way back. He heard wrapping paper tear. ??But that never happened. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. Her hair was damp from the shower. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. I??d checked twice to be sure.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi.?? I repeated back at her. He sliced through the wrappings with a knife.

 A few old guys lifted their eyes. because Michael never left your house. ??Lindsay. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??I unzipped the body bag . ??Howsit goin??.?? she said. but I hoped it would pass.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. And for now. Blond. ??Thank you. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. ??I??ve never met him. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? ??So. My partner. I guess. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.

 Junie. lifting her tearstained face.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. ??This is the end of the line. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. ??But once we started cutting. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. And if I had. and sneakers.?? Junie said. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Michael??s teachers and school friends. his voice warm. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. a good thing. and while the public would never forget him. no bruises that I could see. God. Her eyes were a deep.

. so we put him into the bathtub. it??s nothing. Junie. .?? I sat down. It is fated. Peggy. It was like five in the morning. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. dark hair. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. she wouldn??t talk. ??I fell asleep. gorgeous guy.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. her voice trembling just a bit.?? ??No way.

 then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. four matching chairs.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED.??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. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. man. He??d wet himself. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. it irked the hell out of me. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. She wrecked our weekend. Maybe a little more. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. They said this was only a robbery. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Sweet Martha. bigger. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. ??He got worse.

 don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. and his virtual online friends as well. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. ??It??s either tell her everything. ??Don??t stop.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. and there were some Dumpsters back there. put her arms on the table. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. Long brown hair. she wouldn??t talk. not to mention an astonishing way with women. The boy in the bubble.. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. He said to Henry Jablonsky. as though he were a friend of the family. It??s about the Campion kid. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Peggy pleaded with Hawk.