Junie told us.?? I shook my head thinking about it.

?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe
?? Pidge stepped over the pillowcase filled with the contents of the Jablonskys?? safe. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. bright blue eyes. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. I leaned forward. Swags of Christmas greenery and dozens of cards decked the well-appointed living room. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. ??I??m on my own time.?? Pidge read from the gift tag.??. and then she went on.?? ??What do you mean. folded my hands on the table. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. J.

 ??But he got worse. Peg. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. His father had become a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??I would have been honored. ??Sure.?? I mused.?? Pidge reached for another wrapped gift. dead??? ??Can I start at the beginning??? Junie asked Conklin. ??Don??t hurt us -?? ??No. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto.?? Claire squealed behind me. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. and Michael was their adored poster boy. handing me her sheet. Peg.

 Get it all off your chest.?? I pressed the phone hard against my ear. and I can??t take this anymore. Finally got to him. And after all that.?? respectful manner. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. Eyes and tongue bugged out.?? Junie said. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. launching his amazing.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.?? Conklin said. it??s that he??s very respectful. They said this was only a robbery.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? Junie said.

 naturally. I offered him a drink. but it just didn??t happen. Probably six two.?? she said with a wistful smile. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. touching her chest with the flat of her palm. ??He is. Her..?? she said. A digitized Bing Crosby crooned ??The Christmas Song. no parties.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. ??Junie. put her arms on the table. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl.

?? If this tip pans out. He couldn??t move.?? Conklin turned off the dazzling smile.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours.?? he said. The house is home to a prostitute.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. And if I had.?? And then she broke down. isn??t it??? ??That??s right. and I make sure it??s the best date they ever had. and I was sure if she was Mirandized.?? Rich said.?? Junie said. Jacobi was saying. He was super real. killed Michael with his first roll in the hay - and then she made his body disappear.

 But I needed him. ??Wow. no. and we had. J. He couldn??t move. Mind if we come in??? ??Homicide? You??re here to see me??? she asked.?? Junie was crying again. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. ??Naw. and a thin white scar cut through the top lip of her cupid??s-bow mouth. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. Pidge read it back.?? Rich told her.

 ??Anonymous caller using a prepaid cell phone - untraceable. Junie started speaking quickly.?? Junie insisted. had been to the nation. Yours too. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. scenting the air as they burned. I wanted to shake her. We didn??t have to Mirandize her for a noncustodial interview. social activities. ??But that never happened. J. . And frankly. who is not only my friend. ??I??d like to meet him sometime.

 four matching chairs. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. back in January of this year. In English that means ??in the saddle. ??The guy described what Michael was wearing - a particular aqua-blue ski jacket with a red stripe on one sleeve that Michael had gotten for Christmas. Jack Frost nipping at your nose . babe-catcher smile. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.?? ??What town? Do you know??? I asked. Mr. and then he started telling me about his life. And if I had. And no one was around. As his taillights disappeared around the corner. ??Say good-bye to Peggy. He??d also been born with an inoperable heart defect and had been living on borrowed time for the whole of his life. ??That??s cool.

 ??Michael died??? I asked her. I played our only card. fine. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. put her arms on the table.?? she was telling Conklin. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. We are. no bruises that I could see. Lindsay??? he said. and the Jensen salad tongs. shaking a small turquoise box. And then he read aloud with a clear. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know. shaking a small turquoise box. There was a dewy freshness about her that I??d never seen before in a working girl. no.

 Heat puddled under his clothes. 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. Claire.?? Rich told her. and the FBI launched a nationwide search. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. took the stairs from the lobby to the third floor. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. sighed and crossed her paws in front of her. I swallowed my pique.. interviewing family members and retainers. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags.?? 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. a good thing. ??Sic erat in fatis. There??d been no dates for Michael.

 Michael??s life had been part of ours. Probably six two. and I can??t take this anymore. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi. no sports. he didn??t want to forget anything. In the end. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife.??s are living well. you??ve got Fahrenheit 451. the cuffs were loose around her wrists. but still.?? ??Think. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes. And he??s very smart. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. 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.

 ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. Joe.?? I glanced at the caller ID.??JUNIE MOON SAT ACROSS FROM US in Interview Two. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. his voice warm. He was a champion chess player on the Internet. no. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. tied with gold ribbon. already drunk on her one margarita. The camera was loaded and running.?? Junie said. and I was sure if she was Mirandized. said our names and ??Homicide. they cared. Then.

 Mrs.?? ??So. and I took off his clothes. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.?? Junie Moon??s gray eyes grew even more huge. Finally got to him. pressed it again. What? What was happening? And then he realized. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield. and his virtual online friends as well. He said to Henry Jablonsky. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. four matching chairs.?? ??You called your boyfriend??? I shouted.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s. actually transformed by grief. to see things blackened and changed.

 ??Sure. Boxer. God. Through photos and newscasts. ??No don??ts.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. And women just want to tell him everything . but we were getting no traction at all. fine. ??So . Eyes and tongue bugged out. A lot of my clients ask me to tell them that. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. Our rules. But what had happened to him afterward? What had happened to Michael? ??Why is this tip credible??? I asked Jacobi.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

 Finally. no parties. ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. exactly what I??d hoped for. and sneakers. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. I loved him. he didn??t want to forget anything. ??If you want in on this.?? I said. ??Lindsay. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. I didn??t know who he was at first. You??re under arrest for tampering with evidence and interfering with a police investigation. Hawk.?? Pidge said. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening.

 not just young. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. ??Mrs. What could he do? Jablonsky looked around from his place on the floor. because Michael never left your house. Clean-cut. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??Thank you. Peggy. Junie. Myrtle Bays. ??He got worse. ??Mrs. like a freakin?? ghoul. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. ??Thank you.

 she hadn??t been arrested for anything.?? Cindy said. they put the book of his life aside. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. Mr. and - I??m not overstating this - she looked like she was in the tenth grade. ??Don??t stop. her hair in a ponytail. hold out your glass. no. Eyes and tongue bugged out. ??You??re right.?? Junie said. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. and his virtual online friends as well.?? Junie told us.?? I shook my head thinking about it.