Body of Lies Read Free

this man insane? If he knew the case he had to know her judgment wasn’t the most reliable one they could go on. Her mind flashed to that morning’s paper. They couldn’t be trying to pin that on Walter. She might have been wrong about him once, but that she couldn’t believe. “I’ll think about it.”
    â€œDon’t think too long. Can we say one o’clock, Forty-first Precinct?” He rattled off an address she didn’t bother to take down. If she decided to go, she could always have Alice call and find out the details.
    McKay rang off with one additional plea, “We really need you, Doctor.”
    And she needed this like she needed another migraine. Why now, when her life was finally smooth and boring like she wanted it? She hung up the phone, then searched in her bag for a couple of ibuprofen and a Claritin. She downed them with a swig of the tepid coffee in her cup. Luckily, her first client wouldn’t be in until eight thirty. She’d have a few minutes to lie down in a dark room before the migraine’s full effect claimed her.
    She crossed to the doorway, flicked off the light and lay down, on the brown leather couch along one wall of the small room. A cold compress would have been nice, but having lots of options wasn’t her strong suit now.
    She knew she’d go to see McKay, if only to find out what was going on, what she was being dragged into. She didn’t have to tell him anything and she wouldn’t, regardless of what she’d gone on record about before.
    She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. If she read things right, here it went all over again: another high-profile case, another media frenzy, another opportunity to be made a fool of.
    No wonder she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. The second worst nightmare of her life was, in all likelihood, about to begin all over again.

Two
    Alex paused at the door to the interrogation room she’d been escorted to by a uniformed officer she’d picked up at the front desk. After seeing her first few patients, Alex had gone home, changed into a power outfit from the old days, and driven here to the Forty-first Precinct servicing a section of the northeast Bronx. Her wardrobe selection, a winter-white wool suit, was intended to send McKay a subliminal message—she was one of the good guys. It wasn’t exactly a white hat, but it would have to do.
    Alex’s first sign that things were not as she suspected came when the young officer tapped on the door. “They’re waiting for you.”
    â€œ They? ” she wanted to ask, but before the question made it to her lips he pushed the door open revealing exactly who “they” were.
    The room was slightly bigger than the average interrogation room, but it was painted the same institutional green as every other wall she’d seen. The room was dominated by a long wood table surrounded by a host of chairs, most of which were occupied by grim-faced men in dark suits. Most of them stood as they were alerted to her presence, but only one stepped forward to greet her.
    Nearly six feet tall with short sandy hair and a fair complexion explained by his Irish heritage, John McKay extended a hand to her. “I’m glad to see you changed your mind, Doctor. I’m Sergeant McKay.”
    She’d already figured as much. Annoyance tightened her jaw. He’d led her to believe that they’d be meeting alone. Why he hadn’t mentioned that others would be present she couldn’t begin to guess. “I didn’t expect the whole cavalry to be here.”
    He shrugged, as if it made no difference. “Why don’t we get started?”
    He spent the next few minutes introducing her to the rest of the men, most of whom apparently worked out of the Forty-first, but there were others, representatives of special units like homicide and vice. For the most part, they greeted her with the enthusiasm with which one