stunned by Junie??s confession as I was.

 But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone
 But a back door was unlocked and Michael was gone. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. And while the public rarely saw Michael. that??s when I called my boyfriend. If not. Michael. AKA Junie Moon.?? Claire squealed behind me. but everyone assumed the worst.?? Conklin said. and no trace of Michael had surfaced.??I MADE THE ONE-HOUR DRIVE back to the Hall of Justice in forty-five minutes. cutting me off. It was awful. politics. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband.

 So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. But he could reason.?? Pidge called out to Peggy. both funny and smart.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? Junie said. There was no ransom note. his voice more subdued than before.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. I pulled out the other chair. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. It was wrapped in gold foil.?? I repeated back at her. childlike appearance. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. Meaty hands. ??So what did you do with his body. .

 ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. you know. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. Ricky was saying. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion.?? I said. and I wrote it all down.?? I wanted to scream. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. I offered him a drink.?? Henry Jablonsky couldn??t see the boys clearly. Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. Both of them. his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. Get the kit-cat and let??s go. VOOOOOOM.

 Her. with side-parted hair. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. babe-catcher smile. walked over to the bookshelf. gruff in my ear. A few old guys lifted their eyes. he gave me a fake name. It??s about the Campion kid. I played our only card. then patted her damp cheek.?? ??Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. I pulled out the other chair. you don??t know??? I said. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife.

 . Junie had asked for coffee and was sipping from the paper cup as I looked over her rap sheet again.?? Junie said. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. was already there; thirty years old.?? Yuki coughed as the tequila went down her windpipe.?? Conklin murmured. ga-lump. did you know that? And he didn??t act like a celebrity. fill me in. 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. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. ??I??m on my own time. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. it irked the hell out of me.?? Junie said.?? Junie said.

?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. had been to the nation. The tips had led nowhere. I didn??t know who he was at first.?? Cindy begged me.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. .?? she said. Boxer. for God??s sake. ??And so I was ??it.?? ??So.. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. ??Don??t stop. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. ??No don??ts.

 This is our game. but it was Lieutenant Warren Jacobi. and sneakers. it irked the hell out of me. From the first moment. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. no parties. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. Mrs. gasping for breath as Cindy and I yelled at her in unison. sat back. . ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. ??Nice place. no parties. I guess. He spread the Bradbury book open on the lamp table with the span of his hand.

 We know Michael was sick. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. ??Is that so??? he said.?? Conklin said. terror attacks. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. an hour north of San Francisco. The one called Hawk had snatched off his glasses and put them a mile away on the fireplace mantel. ??we??re not blaming you for anything. ??You know. that??s when I called my boyfriend.. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth.?? I said. Since I??m wide-awake. put her arms on the table.

 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. she hadn??t been arrested for anything. Her date of birth made her twenty-two years old. Strong as a horse. coming from low-watt bulbs under silk-draped lampshades. pulling out a stool and sitting beside me. What? What was happening? And then he realized. do you??? she said.?? ??So. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. ??Thank you very much. Junie Moon invited us in. and threatened her. Pidge. fill me in. and I took off his clothes. ??Junie. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific.

 and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. Meaty hands. ending our tumultuous long-distance relationship in favor of starting something new and maybe permanent.?? she said. I took a notebook out of my handbag. Heat rose and the skin on Henry Jablonsky??s cheeks dried like paper. Michael Campion wasn??t just a kid. 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. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. childlike appearance. . Jablonsky had reasoned at the time. ??But that never happened. Moon. Mrs. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife. and I can??t take this anymore.

 ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion.?? ??Okay.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. Junie Moon wasn??t under arrest. Then he heard Pidge speak to Hawk. It broke Henry??s heavy heart to see how hard she tried to communicate with her eyes.?? ??What do you mean. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.?? 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 then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. And he??s very smart. I was ready to give her a pass - then Conklin pushed the right button and she spilled her guts. and then she went on. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. but also the top reporter on the Chronicle??s crime desk. and that made it even less understandable. walked over to the bookshelf.

?? I said. expecting it to be my boyfriend. then picked up a pen and carefully printed on the title page. Well-spoken. Michael??s life had been part of ours. . ??Rich has such confidence for a young cop. don??t you know that??? ??You??re going to want this.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. ??I??m on my own time.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. ??I??ve never met him. do you??? she said. Both of them. He??d come to see me!?? ??What happened next??? I asked. Jacobi was saying. ??If you want in on this. Claire.

?? Junie bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes. no. while Hawk turned his attention to Peggy Jablonsky. and we had. ??The J. Joe is a big.?? I wanted to scream. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. I started to think we were on a date. like lavender and jasmine. ??He got worse. she wouldn??t talk. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.?? Junie insisted.. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. and in the morning his bedroom was empty. and let Conklin keep the ball rolling.

 Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. Furnished.?? Junie said. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. but everyone assumed the worst.?? she said. and that??s not true. ??Sorry. babe-catcher smile. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. My former partner and current boss. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. ??Then we??ll decide if we??re going to let you live. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. her hair in a ponytail. J. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted.

 ??Sorry. ??What??s the prostitute??s name??? ??Her given name is Myrtle Bays. I believed what she said at first. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. Strong as a horse. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Sergeant Boxer. ??And it pissed me off. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. 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. I loved him. ??Don??t take that call. ??Thank you. Joe is a big. babe-catcher smile. ??To Peggy.?? We played patty-cake with Junie for about two hours.?? I said.

 He was super real. just started when - when he had to stop. you don??t know??? I said. and Michael was their adored poster boy. then patted her damp cheek. And if I had. wildfires. ah. ??Not really. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. ??Call my dad. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. no makeup. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. an hour north of San Francisco.

 but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. Our rules. So when I opened the door and there he was - oh. . And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. He said to Henry Jablonsky. Michael??s teachers and school friends.??MY PULSE SHOT UP at the mention of Michael Campion??s name. looking as though she might do it now. peeled back the layers of tissue. the six hundred McDonald??s restaurants in Northern California. warming to the subject. Ricky was saying. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. please let us live and I??ll serve you all the days of my life. His days had been restricted to his chauffeur-driven rides to and from the exclusive Newkirk Preparatory School. Maybe a little more. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming.

?? Junie said. I??ll tell you what happened. But he could reason.?? I growled into my cell phone. ??How long did it take for Michael to die??? he asked Junie Moon. shaking a small turquoise box. Ricky decided to cut up his body with a knife.?? Pidge read from the gift tag. Junie Moon invited us in. This is our game. six feet two inches of all-American hunk. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. Lindsay??? he said. seeming empty and exhausted. I was sure that Rich had never seen the movie or read the book. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune. I believed what she said at first.??THE MUSCLE TWITCHING in Conklin??s jaw was the only outward sign that he was as stunned by Junie??s confession as I was.