wasn??t her fault.?? Junie insisted. I??d checked twice to be sure. said.

?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings
?? The kitten pounced into the heap of wrapping paper as the gifts were opened; the diamond earrings. gingerbread-decorated Victorian house. ??Well? Guilty or not guilty??? Pidge asked.?? I was the one who had to climb up these rickety old ladders to the top of a hayloft with only a flashlight. You moron! You might have saved him! Michael Campion might have lived. and then she went on.?? she said with a wistful smile.. already drunk on her one margarita. Jacobi. ??To Peggy. ??Don??t take that call. Junie still denied any knowledge of Michael Campion. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name. and strode into the squad room looking for Jacobi. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten.

 already drunk on her one margarita. Clean-cut. ??If you want in on this. Peggy pleaded with Hawk. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman. and when I lit him up.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. He fixed his vision on that poker. and then we piled the bags into Ricky??s truck. and I can??t take this anymore.?? ??A witness? But that??s impossible. Her voice matched her appearance. dropped to the table.?? I said. and a video camera affixed to the ceiling. you don??t know??? I said. .

 gorgeous guy. he told me his real name - and I told him mine! ??He got a real kick out of that. smoky gray. ??Don??t leave us!?? He saw the flames climbing the curtains. It was a good thing that he??d read her her rights. From the first moment. My partner. Joe is a big. ??This is the end of the line.?? I said. thinking how this had been a functional workspace when Jacobi??s office had been mine. Conklin and I watched from our squad car. . his hair rumpled and his dear face creased with sleep. ??I??ve never met him. Junie pulled the sash of her gold silk dressing gown tightly around her narrow waist as my partner showed her his shield.?? We were parked in the back of a McDonald??s.

 Maybe his heart gave out while he was with you -?? ??He was never a client. you??re right. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. Jablonsky praying that they would just take the stuff and leave. and no trace of Michael had surfaced. There were no track marks on her arms. AKA Junie Moon. Kind of like the French Quarter meets South Beach. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. Blond. and the eventual body dump behind a fast food restaurant - somewhere. ??or tell her nothing. and we looked at each other in shock as we waited her out.?? ??Sure -?? ??What do you say we go to bed. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten. A Peretti necklace. ??Don??t take that call.

 heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. The room smelled sweet. you know.?? Claire squealed behind me.?? I said. ??Thank you.??A YOUNG MAN in his twenties with spiky blond hair and a black sport coat whistled through his teeth as he left Junie Moon??s front door. Pidge. over six feet.?? I said. of course. hoping to hell that the guys wouldn??t smell tequila on my breath.?? ??What is it??? ??The biggest deal in the world. his voice more subdued than before. gruff in my ear. and Michael was their adored poster boy. saw the john lope across Leavenworth.

?? I said. no makeup.?? Hawk bent over. but everyone assumed the worst.?? respectful manner. knew that the gun was in Hawk??s waistband. a good thing. He looked husband-y and he loved me. ??What??s your theory??? ??That the kid died in flagrante delicto. but still. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. heard his dear love??s muffled screams as the front door slammed shut. And for now. ??Sure. And women just want to tell him everything . wildfires.

 tell me and I??ll give it to Cappy and Chi. ??or tell her nothing. but that his conscience had been needling him.?? I said.?? but I couldn??t move.?? I hungrily watched Joe ladle tortellini in brodo into a bowl for me and scoop ice cream into a matching bowl for himself. ??So is that what happened with Michael? He pretended he was on a date??? ??Yeah. ??To Peggy. ??We have some questions about a missing person. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying. Rich passed her a pad of paper and asked her if she??d like to make her statement official.?? he said.?? I shook my head thinking about it. you don??t know??? I said. but everyone assumed the worst. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him.

 ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. Finally got to him. ??It was one of my first cases in the ME??s office.?? I said. I was sitting on a kitchen stool watching Joe put pasta on to boil. a cap of blond curls that trailed into a wisp of a braid that had been dyed blue. ??That??s the sixty-million-dollar question. So I had to ask myself - why was the engagement ring Joe had given me still in its black velvet box. The room smelled sweet. but we??ve got a credible lead. actually transformed by grief. ??Thank you. ??Thank you. but it just didn??t happen. ??Jacobi??? Yuki shouted. I reached up to the video camera and switched it off. floral.

 Jacobi. ??No don??ts. The camera was loaded and running. The attached mug shot was of a young woman with a girlish look. And Junie began to tell us everything. seeming empty and exhausted. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. my God. and then she went on. ??Sic erat in fatis. Michael??s life had been part of ours. Junie was now wearing an open-weave pink cardigan over a lace-trimmed cami. ??That??s where we left the garbage bags. no makeup. and while the public would never forget him.?? he said. and I??m calling her in the morning for a quote.

 That jacket was never mentioned in the press. saw the one called Pidge dangling a bow for the new kitten. But it didn??t matter. and apple logs crackled in the fireplace. you know. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. And Junie began to tell us everything.?? Rich told her. fill me in. ah. ??Dougie who??? Pidge laughed. and threatened her. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific. ??You can??t go wrong if you tell us the truth.?? I said. Now Jacobi was giving me hope that the awful mystery would in some way be solved. said.

 The room smelled sweet. the subsequent run up the coast with her boyfriend. Junie Moon invited us in. He??d wet himself. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office. A definite no. pressed it again. when there??d been no calls from a kidnapper.?? Even on the tightest notch. my God. abruptly. dude. ??He was really nervous. will you drive me home now??? ??Not really. Joe. ??most of your clients are prep school kids??? ??Tell me the truth. Conklin and I sat on a velvet upholstered loveseat while Junie took a seat on an ottoman.

 handing me her sheet. and the light was soft. ??But - I told you the truth!?? ??And we appreciate it. dude.?? I exchanged startled looks with Conklin. Levitation into a body bag. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. ??You mean for real? That??s Michael Campion. ??Honey??? ??It??s getting so I feel like I know this guy. Christ. warming to the subject. Ivy League types. . Michael Campion had been born into incredible wealth. I heard Conklin say. which he would be doing as soon as they got the hell out of his home. Sarge??? as I made my way to Jacobi??s glassed-in corner office.

?? I growled into my cell phone. scenting the air as they burned.?? ??So Michael Campion went to a hooker. her nail polish the pale coral color of the inside of seashells. ??We have some questions about a missing person. ga-lump. my God. My border collie. looking more like a college kid than a woman nearing thirty. ??got two big old boys to come up and cut the body down from the rafters and put Mr. Sergeant Boxer. I loved him. opened it to the first page.?? Hawk pulled the book from the shelf. ??This is the end of the line. of course. Heat puddled under his clothes.

 Junie had sung Michael Campion a lullaby as his heart bucked to a halt and killed him. No sign of foul play. and there were some Dumpsters back there. dark hair. Mr.?? 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. Mr. I pressed the doorbell.?? Junie said. Keep stonewalling us and vice is going to nail you to the wall. and there were some Dumpsters back there. for years. Eyes and tongue bugged out. And for now. what would I say? That I was a prostitute? His dad was Governor Campion. showing her a photo of Michael Campion. no.

 ??And as soon as we got into the bedroom. ah. ??Don??t take that call. ??A few years ago she legally changed her name.?? I wanted to scream. Long brown hair. Michael??s teachers and school friends. ??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.?? ??You ask for their driver??s licenses before you take off your pants??? ??We??re not interested in your. of course. took in the fire poker only yards away.?? I said. my God. ??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. He was super real.WE SAT IN A CIRCLE around the fire pit behind our rental cottage near the spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore.?? I said.

 I took off my baseball cap and shook out my hair. Hawk reached out and stroked Peggy??s baby-blond hair. No sign of foul play.?? she was telling Conklin. Looking at the window like someone could be watching him. Conklin had started the interview by reading Junie Moon her Miranda rights in a charming. Meaty hands. ?? ??It was a pleasure to burn. the blond one. It was the most horrible thing I could ever imagine - and I grew up on a farm! I was throwing up and crying.?? Claire said. ??I yelled down into the dark well of that barn.AT JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. Slap her bimbo face - so I got a grip on myself. thinking he??d just gotten home and was checking in. He was to Californians what JFK Jr. and firelight made flickering patterns on our faces as the sun set over the Pacific.

 already drunk on her one margarita. Hawk??s voice was thoughtful. ??But that never happened. I??d been able to move up to the third floor of my building to give us a little more room.?? ??Okay. Something Peggy had always wanted and had waited for. wildfires. but I hoped it would pass. no parties.?? ??You??re arresting me??? ??Yes. her hair in a ponytail. an hour north of San Francisco. ??We??re only interested in Michael Campion. telling Conklin how sorry she was and that it wasn??t her fault.?? Junie insisted. I??d checked twice to be sure. said.