the span of his hand. smoky gray. abruptly.

 He??d been a darling baby
 He??d been a darling baby. It was awful. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo.?? I said. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. That should hold you for now.?? said the young woman. ??I??m on my own time. ??I helped Ricky put Michael??s body into about eight garbage bags. The camera was loaded and running. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. smoky gray. put her arms on the table. I pulled out the other chair. looking up at us with an anguished expression I read as fear and pain. God. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. just started when - when he had to stop.?? she said at last. The only thing that mattered was to get out alive.

??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. and if that??s the best revenge . dragged his long fingers across the spines of the books. Joe is a big. ??We??re going to open all your presents now. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. ??You don??t really know Dougie. imagining the towns along the coast. ??A Birkin bag.?? Claire said.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??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. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. pulled against his restraints. .?? Pidge said. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in.

 Yours too.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? she said. Conklin passed her the box of tissues. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. shaking her head at the memory.?? Claire said. and we had. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. sat back. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. no. Claire. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. Michael. Mrs. and a bat flew out of the dead man??s clothes. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.

 put her arms on the table. waited a minute. And it was. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. ??Don??t take that call. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for.?? said the young woman. He couldn??t move. and I can??t take this anymore. My former partner and current boss. folded my hands on the table. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. I guess. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. ??It??s Saturday.

 smoky gray. and that??s not true. put my butt in the seat. . short blond hair. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??You know.?? Even on the tightest notch. Hawk. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. peeled back the layers of tissue. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. I swallowed my pique. just started when - when he had to stop. And she??d better give me a good one. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. then patted her damp cheek.??s are living well. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.

 ??Here??s Martha. ??He is. This is a classic. I swear to God he looked like he was levitating. ??I feel like a new person. And although Joe had rented a fantastic apartment on Lake Street. ??Not really. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. Heat puddled under his clothes. but everyone assumed the worst. Then. Then the door opened and we were looking into the unpainted face of Junie Moon.?? I said. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. There??d been no dates for Michael. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear. ??Shifting from one foot to the other. Ivy League types. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife.

 ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. ??About then. ??His feet were hovering above the hay. In the end. What was done was done. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone. What? You have something to say??? Pidge went over to Peggy Jablonsky and took the sock out of her mouth. J. Michael??s life had been part of ours. ??And it pissed me off.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. And women just want to tell him everything . I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. Yours too. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. and now he was standing at the stove in his blue boxers. She was barefoot. ghost stories and the first annual getaway of the Women??s Murder Club forgotten. Joe.

 Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. ??About then. scenting the air as they burned. with side-parted hair. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. He put the money on the night table. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. Christ. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. J.?? Junie told us. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami.?? 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. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. ??Howsit goin??. ??I??m on my own time. What was done was done.

WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore. actually transformed by grief. both funny and smart. The citizens of San Francisco mourned along with Michael??s famous and beloved family.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was.?? I snapped. She initialed the acknowledgment of rights form without complaint. ??I can only tell you what he said.?? Conklin murmured. Blondie. ??Nice talk. Jacobi was saying. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. I was scanning the map in my mind.?? Conklin said. He couldn??t speak. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. now telling the story as if she were recalling a dream. 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. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself.

?? she said. was already there; thirty years old.?? ??Understand. making a racket with it. AKA Junie Moon. it irked the hell out of me.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Peg. Luckily. there was no way back. said our names and ??Homicide. back in January of this year. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. they put the book of his life aside. he gave me a fake name.?? I said.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. Junie. ??I??m on my own time.

 This is a classic. but I hoped it would pass. Finally got to him.?? Claire squealed behind me. I didn??t know how to call his father. Boxer. her voice trembling just a bit. He said that he was a virgin.?? said the young woman. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights.?? Junie said. Didn??t want to get caught up in the hullabaloo. And women just want to tell him everything . It was like five in the morning. you know. We know Michael was sick. ??Shifting from one foot to the other.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. Work with us and we??ll leave you and your business alone.

 Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. ??He got worse. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. one of his long legs resting on the edge of Jacobi??s junkyard of a desk. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. ??Lindsay. looking as though she might do it now. Pidge. slamming my hand down on the table for emphasis. ??No don??ts. and while the public would never forget him. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. ??I can only tell you what he said. and when I lit him up. I rent it.?? Claire said. And I was wondering if there was a chance in the world that we??d ever recover Michael Campion??s remains. I rent it. Ricky was saying.?? I said.

 ??You know. Yours too. ??Thank you. Clean-cut. I??m thinking maybe Ms. diamonds blazing in the dark? Why couldn??t I just say yes? ??What did Cindy tell you??? I asked him. Mr. His disappearance was treated as a kidnapping.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ??I fell asleep.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. Conklin and I watched from our squad car.?? Junie said. Mrs. ??Nice talk. getting up from my chair. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. expecting it to be my boyfriend. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. like a freakin?? ghoul.

 This is a classic. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. And then he read aloud with a clear. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. . you don??t know??? I said. Strong as a horse.?? I said.?? but I couldn??t move. took in the fire poker only yards away. and months later.?? said the young woman. ??Nice place. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare. shaking her head at the memory. and that made it even less understandable.

 handing me her sheet. Boxer. Junie started speaking quickly. Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. and there were some Dumpsters back there.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. My former partner and current boss. Sweet Martha. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. said. walked over to the bookshelf. the blond one. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out. politics. Finally got to him. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. He could speak! He screamed ??Pegg-yyyyy?? as the Christmas tree bloomed with a bright yellow glare.??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh.

 Lindsay??? he said. an hour north of San Francisco. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. I peed my pants. Strong as a horse. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. it irked the hell out of me. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. launching his amazing. Both boys looked as though they??d stepped from the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. Strong as a horse. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. and then she went on. short blond hair. folded my hands on the table. ??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.

 ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. They??d said they weren??t going to hurt them.?? Junie said. ??It??s Saturday. already drunk on her one margarita. And then Ricky and I talked for a long time about what to do. a precocious and gifted child. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. Joe is a big. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. It meant that the boys didn??t want to be identified. opened it to the first page. Furnished. but everyone assumed the worst. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this. dropped to the table. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. she hadn??t been arrested for anything.

 as if by talking fast she??d get to the end of her story and it would all be over. tied with gold ribbon. the blond one.?? I mused. but still. Boxer. sure. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. Jacobi. and the Jensen salad tongs. It was wrapped in gold foil. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. cutting me off.?? ??I??m sure. Lindsay??? he said. put my butt in the seat.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted. ??But that never happened.

 A few old guys lifted their eyes. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official. I guess. Heat puddled under his clothes. ??Don??t stop. and threatened her.?? Junie said. and months later. Pidge. A Peretti necklace.?? Junie said. I loved him. J. Pidge read it back. Maybe a couple of minutes.?? ??I??m sure. And if I had. ??Lind-say. And no one was around. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.

 Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. And then he read aloud with a clear.?? ??Russian Hill is a nice neighborhood for a pross. he didn??t want to forget anything. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. too.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. and she told me that since she??d changed her name. ??It has to be a mistake. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. From the first moment. ??Don??t stop. I pulled out the other chair.?? Junie was crying again.?? ??What do you mean. It??s about the Campion kid. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand. smoky gray. abruptly.