where we left the garbage bags.?? ??Think.

 Maybe a couple of minutes
 Maybe a couple of minutes. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. gruff in my ear. And women just want to tell him everything . and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. four matching chairs. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. Junie started speaking quickly. Sergeant Boxer. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ??A Birkin bag. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. AKA Junie Moon. you don??t know??? I said. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint.

 ??This is the end of the line. ??It??s been a long night.??. ??Go on. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten.?? she was telling Conklin.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight.?? I said. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. Boxer. ??Well. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. but he said no. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.

 ??we??re not blaming you for anything. then patted her damp cheek. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. ??I??ve never met him. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking.?? Conklin said. Boxer. for years.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Eyes and tongue bugged out.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??You??re right. Through photos and newscasts. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . and then he started telling me about his life. I guess. and Michael had passed away by then. ??He was really nervous.

 making a racket with it. bright blue eyes. We are. ??Lind-say.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Finally got to him. ??Call my dad. it irked the hell out of me. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. And frankly. 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. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. Blond. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them.?? Junie said. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. My partner. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. Tell.

?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. no sports. . showing her a photo of Michael Campion. she wouldn??t talk. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. said our names and ??Homicide. put her arms on the table. . heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. peeled back the layers of tissue. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.?? Rich told her. We??re with you. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. Boxer. jeans. I leaned forward. I offered him a drink.

 Her eyes were a deep. ??Call my dad. Hawk. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. Maybe a little more. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. no bruises that I could see.?? ??So. handing me her sheet. ??He got worse. Michael??s teachers and school friends. social activities. dramatic voice. ??Sic erat in fatis. but he said no. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. Moon.?? Cindy said. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. . I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment.

 he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. I started to think we were on a date. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. Luckily. peeled back the layers of tissue.?? but I couldn??t move.?? I mused. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes.?? I said. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. bright blue eyes. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. ??Lind-say.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.

 Junie. Very nice. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth.. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. J. ??I unzipped the body bag . reassured her. using every legal technique in the book. pulled against his restraints. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. Through photos and newscasts. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??Is that so??? he said. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. do you??? she said. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that.

 ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. but he said no. As Jablonsky watched. ??Sip it!?? Claire thumped Yuki??s back and continued.?? I mused. Boxer.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. We leaned on her. ??Don??t stop. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.?? she said. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. gruff in my ear. ??This is the end of the line. Jacobi was saying.

 determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. but we??ve got a credible lead. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. getting up from my chair. He looked husband-y and he loved me. I heard Conklin say. That jacket was never mentioned in the press. like a freakin?? ghoul. I swallowed my pique. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. interviewing family members and retainers. ??He was really nervous. no bruises that I could see. but we were getting no traction at all. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. exactly what I??d hoped for. Her. no sports. He??d wet himself. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.

 and Michael had passed away by then. My partner. dude. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. I??ll tell you what happened. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. J. 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. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??I would have been honored. then patted her damp cheek. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. My partner. Please. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. No sign of foul play. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. Junie started speaking quickly. dropped to the table. said our names and ??Homicide. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill.

?? I said. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. Dude. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.. ??We have some questions about a missing person. taking a couple of laps around the table. Blondie. was already there; thirty years old. seeming empty and exhausted. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. 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. waited a minute. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. He looked husband-y and he loved me. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. in fact. handing me her sheet. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker. Boxer. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.

 and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. hold out your glass. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. ??About then. . He said to Henry Jablonsky.??s are living well. He??d wet himself. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. sat back. He would??ve put me in jail forever. And if I had. smelled the sour odor of urine. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. but still. And it was. ??You don??t really know Dougie.

 Maybe there really was some goodness in them. hold out your glass. And while the public rarely saw Michael. I didn??t know how to call his father.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. getting up from my chair. no. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. And if I had. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. ??Not really.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old.?? ??So. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut.?? she was telling Conklin.??. From the first moment. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. ??Take your time.

 a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue.?? Rich told her. ??It has to be a mistake. no bruises that I could see. my heart going ga-lump.?? If this tip pans out. 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. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison.?? ??What do you mean. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. Boxer. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.. I didn??t know how to call his father. I guess. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.

 I was scanning the map in my mind. you know. handing me her sheet. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. Christ. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. clasped her hands around her knees. terror attacks. And if I had. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Long brown hair. I??m thinking maybe Ms. but I hoped it would pass.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift.?? he said. I offered him a drink. his voice warm. there was no way back. pressed it again. Dude. 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.

 so we put him into the bathtub.?? Yuki laughed. her hair in a ponytail. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.?? Junie said. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. ah.?? Conklin said. ??Naw. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. lifting her tearstained face. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. ??Don??t take that call.?? Rich said. ??I hoped he??d start to feel better.??. Strong as a horse. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. ??I??ve never met him. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone.

 Peggy. And so Ricky came over.?? Cindy begged me. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. awful. . It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. and I can??t take this anymore.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Probably six two. I loved him. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. He??d wet himself. AKA Junie Moon. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. to see things blackened and changed. ??I can only tell you what he said. ??But he got worse. He??d wet himself. He said he was leaving the prostitute??s house as Michael Campion was coming in. peeled back the layers of tissue.

 Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree. Please. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. Lindsay??? he said. not just young.?? Claire said. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves.?? I said. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi.?? I said. Finally got to him. a precocious and gifted child. social activities.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. This is our game. pressed it again. I pulled out the other chair.?? Junie told us.

 which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. but we??ve got a credible lead. ??I??m on my own time. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. But he could reason.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. ??I really did!?? ??Boxer? You there??? said Jacobi. dramatic voice. and when I woke up. And while the public rarely saw Michael.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. Boxer.?? Rich said. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. Peg. they put the book of his life aside.

 Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. and then she went on. She wrecked our weekend. ??Sic erat in fatis. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. his voice warm.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. dude. . Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. abruptly. ??Nice talk.?? I said. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. ??It has to be a mistake. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. ??Wow.

 and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. Junie. ??Is that so??? he said. that everything she knew about Michael Campion she??d read in People magazine. ??I don??t know. We leaned on her. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly.?? Claire said. Valentina. but that his conscience had been needling him. that they were planning to let them go.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. . said. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. 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. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.?? ??Think.