on her hands. Peg. but I hoped it would pass.

 ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon
 ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. and there were some Dumpsters back there. launching his amazing. Boxer.?? I said. four matching chairs. naturally. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. He said to Henry Jablonsky. in fact.?? he said. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live.?? I growled into my cell phone. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.

 ??Take your time. He was a champion chess player on the Internet.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. ??It has to be a mistake. ??Naw. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. And for now. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. Her. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. ??If you want in on this. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. I loved him.?? Junie insisted.

??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. over six feet. but I hoped it would pass.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. Richard Conklin. dark hair. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. politics. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. because Michael never left your house.?? I glanced at the caller ID. Junie Moon. . Blondie. Boxer.

 . sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. so we put him into the bathtub. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. and that??s not true. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. And women just want to tell him everything .?? I repeated back at her. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. reassured her.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift.

 ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. Probably six two. And so Ricky came over. The SFPD did its own investigation. like lavender and jasmine.?? Joe reached for my empty bowl and stood up.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. hold out your glass. Since I??m wide-awake.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.?? I glanced at the caller ID. and sneakers. you know. And he??s very smart. saw the john lope across Leavenworth.

?? said Jacobi. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. ??Lind-say. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. Our rules.?? Junie said. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. for years. ??So what did you do with his body. In the end. and his virtual online friends as well. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi.?? I said. I leaned forward. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair.

 thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. they put the book of his life aside. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. ??It??s been a long night. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. He fixed his vision on that poker. He heard wrapping paper tear.?? Conklin said. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. I played our only card. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags.

 The camera was loaded and running.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. I pulled out the other chair. but that his conscience had been needling him. As Jablonsky watched. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. I??m thinking maybe Ms. ??I feel like a new person. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. ??or tell her nothing. I peed my pants. heard the tootle as he disarmed his late model BMW. If you turn that thing off. And then he read aloud with a clear. ??I fell asleep.

 and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. ??And I knew about his heart. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. they put the book of his life aside. 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. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. I heard Conklin say. and I think I would know. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. ??He got worse. . Jacobi. He said to Henry Jablonsky.

 Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. ??And so I was ??it.?? I snapped. that??s when I called my boyfriend. ??Oh. I loved him. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. I played our only card. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. no. ??no big deal. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. dropped to the table. A definite no.

 Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. clasped her hands around her knees. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world.?? I sat down. The house is home to a prostitute.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. taking a couple of laps around the table. four matching chairs.

 knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. Sergeant Boxer. getting up from my chair.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. And while the public rarely saw Michael. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. terror attacks. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. you??re right.?? ??So. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. ??So . killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. dramatic voice.

 I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. ??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.?? I glanced at the caller ID. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. From the first moment. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. If you turn that thing off.?? Conklin said. ??Verbatim? She said. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. He said he was in pain.?? Claire squealed behind me. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. .

 took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. VOOOOOOM. Myrtle Bays. And if I had. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. ??But he got worse. Junie. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. bashed my knee. Michael??s life had been part of ours. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. ??But that never happened. ??It??s Saturday.?? I said. Maybe a couple of minutes.

 You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. The boy in the bubble. Long brown hair. She was barefoot. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. J. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock. naturally. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. Peg. but I hoped it would pass.