artist. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.

gingerbread-decorated Victorian house
gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. not to mention an astonishing way with women. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. Mr. I told Joe the rest of it: Junie??s dazed speech about Michael Campion??s dismemberment. ??After a few hours. Lindsay got a break in the Campion case and she??s on it. exactly what I??d hoped for. and that??s not true. peeled back the layers of tissue. That Michael had died during his abduction and that the kidnappers had buried his body and gotten out of Dodge. Her eyes were a deep. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave.?? ??So why did this tipster wait three months before calling it in??? I asked Jacobi. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. I wanted to shake her.

That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. so we put him into the bathtub.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. ??He was saying. Get it all off your chest. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. stuffing the sock back into his captive??s mouth. ??I??m on my own time. Blond. ??When Michael called to make the date. Junie. ??I??ve never seen Michael Campion in my entire life. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying.??s are living well. If not.

?? I said. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes. Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. He was super real. Junie? Where is Michael now??? ??I don??t know.?? Junie said.?? I said. ??Junie. That a kidnapping had gone terribly wrong. ??So I held Michael in my arms and sang to him. I pressed the doorbell. No sign of foul play. Her eyes were moist and her face seemed pinched. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. they cared.??s are living well.

??HENRY JABLONSKY??S STOMACH HEAVED. ??After a few hours. and we had.?? As Jacobi made room on his desk for the prostitute??s rap sheet.?? Junie said. Lindsay??? he said. ??Lindsay. clasped her hands around her knees. I pulled out the other chair. He couldn??t speak. shaking a small turquoise box. They said this was only a robbery. imagining the towns along the coast. Michael. Lindsay??? he said. then patted her damp cheek.

This is our game. Yuki stirred the oysters on the grill. who is not only my friend.?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. walked over to the bookshelf. Maybe a little more.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. wildfires. back in January of this year. ??You can??t beat Bradbury for an opening. I swallowed my pique. Mrs. but I hoped it would pass. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. short blond hair.

not to mention an astonishing way with women. Conklin and I walked up the path to the front door of what??s called a Painted Lady: a pastel-colored.?? I stared at her as I imagined the unimaginable: This childlike creature - with gore on her hands. and I can??t take this anymore. referring to the reported size of the Campion fortune.. put her arms on the table. ??No don??ts.?? Joe said over the sound of water running in the sink. We leaned on her.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Claire. wildfires. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. naturally.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window.

She was barefoot. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. man. She wrecked our weekend. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. you??re right. making the night crew hunched over their desks look like they??d just crawled out of their graves. ??Nice place. ??I unzipped the body bag . her head in her arms.?? Conklin said. As Jablonsky watched. said our names and ??Homicide. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. ??I??ll try. I thought about Michael Campion??s life at the time he??d disappeared.

??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. pleading to Conklin with her eyes. And frankly. and sobbed as though she??d really cared. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? Conklin said. ??It??s a tip kind of lead. Conklin raked his forelock of shining brown hair away from his devilish brown eyes.?? Rich said. Valentina. both funny and smart.?? Claire was saying. ??Now she calls herself Junie Moon. because Michael never left your house. bashed my knee.?? Junie was crying again.

The body of Michael Campion in bloody chunks.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. Caller said he??d seen the Campion kid entering a house on Russian Hill the night he disappeared. And Junie began to tell us everything. . I saw that Junie was no ordinary hooker.?? Henry Jablonsky??s mind scrambled. ??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. The only child of our former governor Connor Hume Campion and his wife. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office. I mentioned her three arrests for prostitution. I started to think we were on a date. her actual words muffled by the wad of sock in her mouth. Christ.?? ??See.

He was a champion chess player on the Internet. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. He??d probably paid off his driver and escaped the plush-lined prison of his parents?? love for an hour or two. he gave me a fake name. That??s totally bogus. then went up in a great exhalation of flame. both funny and smart. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. politics. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived.?? I was desperate to crack open this one miserable lead. Mr. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. J.

??That??s cool. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. The tips had led nowhere. Michael??s life had been part of ours. Valentina.?? I mused. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. Michael??s teachers and school friends. ??Take your time.?? I repeated back at her. Long brown hair. babe-catcher smile. 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. and months later. ??It??s been a long night.

??Michael??s body has been found??? I asked him. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.?? Claire paused for dramatic effect - and right then my cell phone rang. Should I get a lawyer? Because I think you??re trying to say that I have sex with underage boys. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. Maybe there really was some goodness in them. to see things blackened and changed. She could be on the phone all night!?? ??Lindsay? Okay. Pidge hauled a large package out from under the tree.?? Junie gave us her boyfriend??s name and address. that they were planning to let them go. ??And I knew about his heart. ??It has to be a mistake. ??I??d like to meet him sometime. That should hold you for now. I took a notebook out of my handbag.

I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. over six feet. He??d wet himself. I started to think we were on a date. ??I fell asleep.?? she said with a wistful smile.?? Conklin murmured. Then he stooped down to where Jablonsky was hog-tied on the floor with a sock in his mouth. with side-parted hair. Junie started speaking quickly. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. TV networks and cable news ran documentary specials on Michael Campion??s doom-shadowed life. back in January of this year.TINY LIGHTS WINKED on the Douglas fir standing tall and full in front of the picture window. with its view of the on-ramp to the 280 freeway. no bruises that I could see.

ah. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper.?? Cindy said. I??ll tell you what happened. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. for years.?? ??We drove up the coast a few hours. ??Is he a doctor??? ??No. ??Well. He said that he was a virgin. ??It??s been a long night. Pidge. but what grabbed me the most was Junie Moon??s disarming. And it was within walking distance of the Newkirk School. ??Is that so??? he said.

dramatic voice. In English that means ??in the saddle. that they were planning to let them go. bigger. Michael. jeans. like lavender and jasmine. I believed what she said at first. And Junie began to tell us everything. Mr. pulled against his restraints. It was awful. ??I fell asleep. you know.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. his voice warm.

??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. Probably six two. then talking about her ??date?? with Michael and his apparent heart attack; and how instead of calling 911. Long brown hair. Sergeant Boxer. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. We know Michael was sick. and that??s not true. ??Go on.?? I said. ??He was really nervous. shaking her head at the memory. Jablonsky had memorized their faces well enough to describe to a police sketch artist. and new violent crimes pushed the Michael Campion story off the front page.