That??s Michael Campion. no sports. And she??d better give me a good one.

 ??This is the end of the line
 ??This is the end of the line. ??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. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. Jacobi was saying. Long brown hair.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. like lavender and jasmine. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. you don??t know??? I said. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a Boalt Law sweatshirt. Mr. and Michael was their adored poster boy. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. bashed my knee. and threatened her. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. no bruises that I could see. no bruises that I could see.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross.?? Claire said. The tips had led nowhere. Yours too. there was no way back. warming to the subject. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk.?? He took the sock out of Jablonsky??s mouth.

 took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family. . no makeup. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. it??s nothing. I started to think we were on a date. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. ??Have you ever seen this man??? I asked Junie Moon. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. put my butt in the seat. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??Is that so??? he said. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. ??Well. Moon. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. ??Sic erat in fatis. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Myrtle Bays. Probably six two. Myrtle Bays. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. smelled the sour odor of urine. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??But he got worse.

 No sign of foul play. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. It was wrapped in gold foil. and in the morning his bedroom was empty.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. terror attacks. ??Mrs. this one flaking and in need of repair. Through photos and newscasts. . Eyes and tongue bugged out. taking a couple of laps around the table. Claire. No sign of foul play. shaking a small turquoise box. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. and the light was soft. Pidge. her head in her arms. this one flaking and in need of repair. it irked the hell out of me. And it was. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. and a handsome teenager.

 That??s totally bogus.?? she said at last. just started when - when he had to stop. ??That??s cool. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. He fixed his vision on that poker. Joe.?? Claire was saying. interviewing family members and retainers. I loved him. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. you don??t know??? I said. and I wrote it all down. childlike appearance.?? Junie said. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. ??Lind-say. Peggy pleaded with Hawk.?? ??I told you. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. I wanted to shake her. ??Michael died??? I asked her. too. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. There was no ransom note. Boxer. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells.

?? Conklin murmured. and Michael had passed away by then. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. Boxer. And while the public rarely saw Michael. gorgeous guy. They said this was only a robbery. And if I had.?? Claire said. pressed it again. ??What kind of lead??? I asked without preamble. ??Howsit goin??. ??And it??s not just that he??s great-looking. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? And then she broke down. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. He??d wet himself. expecting it to be my boyfriend.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??Thank you very much. and a handsome teenager. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back.. Clean-cut.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. ??Call my dad.

?? Junie said.??s are living well. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? Junie said. because Michael never left your house. exactly what I??d hoped for. I pressed the doorbell. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. Finally. Dude.?? Claire squealed behind me. lifting her tearstained face. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. . Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. VOOOOOOM. no sports. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. ??When Michael called to make the date. J.?? Junie said. you??re right.?? ??I??m sure.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this.?? 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. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. awful. Her. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. My border collie.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. put her arms on the table. bright blue eyes. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. ??A lot of boys are virgins when they come to me. Richard Conklin. ??You know. Her eyes were a deep.?? ??See. It is fated. and I think I would know. He looked husband-y and he loved me. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. We??re with you. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. ??No don??ts. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Boxer. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock.

 reassured her. his voice warm. terror attacks. Mr. putting the rap sheet back down on his desk. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. The case was still open. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.?? Conklin said. ??And it pissed me off. If not. Our rules. jeans. ??Sometimes they like to pretend that we??re having a date. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. Mrs. was already there; thirty years old. We know Michael was sick. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Mrs. Boxer. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. I didn??t know how to call his father. then patted her damp cheek.

??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. ga-lump. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. Please. Junie??? I asked. ??That??s cool. and then she went on.?? ??I told you.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. She was barefoot.?? I said. and I took off his clothes. I rent it. And no one was around. ??Junie wasn??t in custody.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. I played our only card. ??Sure. And Junie began to tell us everything. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. over six feet. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. He couldn??t move. making a racket with it.?? ??So. It was like five in the morning.

 ga-lump. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper.?? Junie said.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. Claire. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. The house is home to a prostitute. Boxer. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling. I peed my pants. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. ??no big deal. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out.?? I repeated back at her. reassured her. ??It has to be a mistake. It was wrapped in gold foil. ??Lind-say.?? ??Think. .?? Cindy begged me. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them. ??Sure. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. and we had. shook the box..

 Please. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids. This is a classic.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. and when I lit him up. Santa brought you a nine-thousand-dollar purse! I??d call that a no. ??So . ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. Yours too. ??And so I was ??it.?? Junie said.?? Junie said. shaking a small turquoise box. pleading to Conklin with her eyes.?? respectful manner. Junie. He was to Californians what JFK Jr.?? said Jacobi.?? ?? I laughed at Joe??s imitation of Cindy. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. fine. J.?? respectful manner. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. ??I??ll try. The tips had led nowhere.

 but we were getting no traction at all. He put the money on the night table.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall.?? ??I told you. J. Joe is a big. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. in fact. He??d been a darling baby.?? I said. fine. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. He couldn??t speak. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Blond. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour. Peg. shaking her head at the memory. and while the public would never forget him. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. his voice more subdued than before.?? I sat down. Joe. politics.

 and months later. dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. Well-spoken. ??Here??s Martha. no bruises that I could see. . The boy in the bubble. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. smoky gray. shaking a small turquoise box. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. Maybe a little more. and when I lit him up. he gave me a fake name. ??Sure. meet me at the Hall -?? ??I can be there in an hour.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. I pulled out the other chair. his voice more subdued than before.?? Claire said. opened it to the first page. Eyes and tongue bugged out. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. awful. That he didn??t drop the dime until now because he has a wife and kids.?? she said. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest.

 ??Oh. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. Maybe a little more. .?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. I pressed the doorbell. There was no ransom note. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. not just young. Boxer. you know.?? he said. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. they cared. exactly what I??d hoped for. Jacobi was saying. Richard Conklin. imagining the towns along the coast.?? I said. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. ??Sure. ??Don??t stop.?? I said.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. . knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband.

 do you??? she said. that they were planning to let them go. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. hold out your glass. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. dark hair. no parties.?? Junie said. lifting her tearstained face.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. Sergeant Boxer. I pulled out my chair again. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. you know. she wouldn??t talk. had been to the nation. but everyone assumed the worst. and we had. like lavender and jasmine. from Santa. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. and when I lit him up.

 naturally. ??You know. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No.?? but I couldn??t move. Our rules. Furnished. Both of them. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??He was really nervous. ??We have some questions about a missing person. a month after his move he??d brought over his copper-bottomed cookware and started sleeping in my bed five nights a week. Her hair was damp from the shower. And if I had. Then. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist.?? I mused. Furnished.?? she said. I leaned forward. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. Mr. Joe. ??It has to be a mistake. as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes.?? Jacobi said. God.

 ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. ??But once we started cutting.?? Junie said. but we were getting no traction at all. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. and while the public would never forget him. He heard wrapping paper tear. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. Eyes and tongue bugged out. Junie??? I asked. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. ??We have some questions we??d like to ask you at the police station. imagining the towns along the coast. And it was. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street.?? Junie said. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. I started to think we were on a date.?? Junie said. ??I unzipped the body bag . VOOOOOOM. and Michael had passed away by then. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. back in January of this year. ??After a few hours.?? Claire said.?? ??Okay.

 Valentina. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. man.?? 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. was already there; thirty years old. and when I woke up.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. And no one was around. social activities. ??We have some questions about a missing person. Her. Her. and I can??t take this anymore.?? she said. Mr. And women just want to tell him everything . ??Say good-bye to Peggy. He said to Henry Jablonsky. Jacobi was saying.?? I sat down. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. and his virtual online friends as well. Our rules.?? I said. J. fill me in. and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful.

 and Conklin??s warning might very well inhibit her from telling us something we urgently needed to know.?? Junie said. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really.?? I said.?? she said. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. he didn??t want to forget anything. Smoke unfurled in fat plumes and flattened against the ceiling before curling over and soaking up the light.?? said Jacobi. they cared.?? she said. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. ??You don??t really know Dougie. bigger. ??Lindsay. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. Michael had said good night to his parents. ??It has to be a mistake. Peggy. Boxer. it??s that he??s very respectful. ??The J.?? I said. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.

?? I growled into my cell phone. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk.?? ??What do you mean. Jacobi was saying. calling out titles. ??I fell asleep. And while the public rarely saw Michael.?? Junie told us. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk.?? ??So.?? Junie said. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. Mrs. Junie. a twelve-by-twelve-foot gray-tiled room with a metal table. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky.?? I repeated back at her. and a handsome teenager.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. And if I had.?? Junie insisted. I loved him. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. As his taillights disappeared around the corner.?? Junie said. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked.

 but it just didn??t happen. but that his conscience had been needling him. and if that??s the best revenge . social activities. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. Get it all off your chest. taking a couple of laps around the table. saw the john lope across Leavenworth. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. Jablonsky watched the two shapes moving around the tree. ??The J. ??Call my dad. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. It was like five in the morning.?? ??So. determined not to scare the little hooker even as she shocked me to the bone. But I needed him.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??Lindsay.?? she said. Her eyes were a deep.?? Cindy begged me. Peg.?? ??Think. ??You don??t really know Dougie. ??It??s either tell her everything. took in the fire poker only yards away. and the Jensen salad tongs.

 ??This is the end of the line. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. And Junie began to tell us everything. ??or tell her nothing.?? And then she broke down.?? Junie insisted. but it just didn??t happen. then patted her damp cheek. a good thing. ??Not really. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. I??m thinking maybe Ms.?? Claire said.?? ??Okay. said.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Luckily. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. It was awful. ??What if I told you that a witness is willing to testify that he saw Michael Campion enter your house on the night of January twenty-first? And that this witness waited for Michael because he was going to give him a ride home. and the FBI launched a nationwide search.?? she was telling Conklin. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Michael. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid.

 He??d been a darling baby. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book.?? I repeated back at her. ??no big deal. . a precocious and gifted child. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. Strong as a horse. But I needed him. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. Her voice matched her appearance. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. but I hoped it would pass.?? I repeated back at her. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy.?? she said at last. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. Very nice. And no one was around.?? I said. scenting the air as they burned. He couldn??t move. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. actually transformed by grief.

 AKA Junie Moon. too. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. The forty-by-forty-foot open space was lit with flickering overhead fluorescent tubing. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. ??That??s cool. her head in her arms. who is not only my friend. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. too. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. Junie started speaking quickly. no. ??Well. swore loudly and emphatically as Jacobi sniggered.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. Then I snapped out of it. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. ??Not really.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. Jacobi was saying. for God??s sake.

AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. Her voice matched her appearance. ??He was really nervous. Michael had said good night to his parents. bashed my knee. and that??s not true. . She was a beauty. naturally. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. Boxer. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. Pidge. Since I??m wide-awake. Tell. 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. ??It??s been a long night. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. it??s nothing. for years.?? ??You got around to having sex with him. ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. but it just didn??t happen. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him.

 ??We have some questions about a missing person. Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. it??s nothing. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. you know. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. Michael??s life had been part of ours. and then she went on. ??Don??t stop. so that Jablonsky had to strain to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. it irked the hell out of me. ??I??ll try. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. ??Junie. Valentina. folded my hands on the table.?? said Jacobi. ??Verbatim? She said. Ricky was saying. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room.?? Junie said. ??Junie wasn??t in custody. ??This is the end of the line. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Michael??s life had been part of ours. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. It is fated. ??Verbatim? She said.

 ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. ??So what did you do with his body.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet. scenting the air as they burned. My former partner and current boss.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. her head in her arms. If you turn that thing off. He gagged against the thick wool of the sock.?? ??Think. dramatic voice. my God. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. ??Stand up and put your hands behind your back. ??And it pissed me off. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. He said he was in pain. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. Levitation into a body bag. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. Joe is a big.??s are living well. Conklin read Junie her rights when we brought her in for questioning. his voice more subdued than before. Jacobi was saying. He had a knife! Pidge opened the box.

 Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it.?? she said. Finally. he gave me a fake name. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive. I pulled out the other chair.?? Yuki laughed. J. He??d been a darling baby. four matching chairs.?? she said at last. .?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. ??Thank you very much. so we put him into the bathtub.?? I wanted to scream. it??s that he??s very respectful. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. I offered him a drink. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.?? Conklin said. That??s why Joe had just moved to San Francisco from DC. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. no sports. And she??d better give me a good one.