Body of Lies

by Deirdre Savoy

  That surprised him. When he’d told her of his family’s travails he hadn’t dwelt too long on his sister. “When was this?”

  “While you were with Adam.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “That’s covered by doctor-patient privilege. She agreed to come in to the office when I go back.” She put the last glass into the drainboard and turned off the water. She turned to face him. “If I’m not being too intrusive again, what did Adam tell you?”

  She hadn’t been intrusive before. He’d bristled at the thought of another family recounting of his supposed sins. He’d expected more of the same tonight for Alex’s benefit, but everyone behaved themselves tonight.

  “Barbara has pancreatic cancer. I’m not sure how advanced it is.”

  The look that came over Alex’s face told him what she thought of Barbara’s chances. “I’m so sorry, Zach.”

  His heated gaze met hers as she walked toward him and slid her arms around her neck. His arms closed around her, one at her waist, one tangling in her hair. He lowered his head to bury his nose against her neck. Damn, it felt good to hold this woman. Her soft body melded against his, her gentle hands moved over his back, soothing. Still, he felt a restlessness in her that was mirrored in his own body.

  He lifted his head to look down at her. The last time he’d seen that look in her eyes, there’d been two sweaty naked people in the room. He chucked her under her chin. “Isn’t this where we got ourselves in trouble last time? This comforting thing?”

  A hint of a smile tipped up her lips. “I’m afraid so.”

  He trailed a finger down the side of her face. “What do you want from me, Alex? You’re going to have to tell me, ’cause I damn sure don’t know.”

  Before she could answer, his cell phone went off, startling them both. He didn’t bother to look at the display. He simply answered as he always did. “Stone.”

  He listened to the voice on the other end of the line, knowing this was the end of whatever might have started between them, at least for now. He told the captain that he’d be coming in, but not that he planned to bring Alex with him. He disconnected the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

  “We have to go,” he said. “They just found Thorpe.”

  “Finally. Has he started to talk yet?”

  “That would be kind of impossible. Walter Thorpe is dead.”

  Alex stared out the window as Zach drove to the precinct. From his house it was only a fifteen-minute ride. Walter Thorpe was dead? For how long? Either Zach hadn’t been given that information or nobody knew. She’d never believed Thorpe was responsible, but she’d been too busy deflecting those who insisted he was to contemplate who else might be the culprit.

  It was someone she knew. Of that she was certain. She’d already started going through whatever files she had at home and could find no one who made a better suspect than Thorpe.

  She also knew whoever it was sought to blame Thorpe for the crimes, at least for a while. Zach told her that an anonymous tip had led them to find the body. She doubted some random individual would have called with that information. It had to be the killer himself who wanted everyone to know he was still out there and not who they thought he was.

  She glanced at Zach’s profile. His jaw was set and his expression was sober and intent. She much preferred the way he’d looked a few moments ago, desire dancing in his dark brown eyes. He’d asked her what she wanted. In a way his phone going off hadn’t been a bad thing since she had no answer for him. At that moment, all she could think about was being held by him, wanting him. He had offered her a chance to save herself from making a mistake, but she wasn’t sure she wanted it. They were both adults, presumably capable of handling a night of sex without falling apart.

  The point was moot now, anyway. If Walter Thorpe wasn’t the Amazon Killer, both their focus had to be on finding out who was.

  The small conference room was packed with both detectives and uniformed officers by the time they made it into the precinct. Smitty was already there toward the back of the room. He stood to let Alex have his seat. The two men stood with others along the wall.

  Both the captain and McKay stood at the front of the room, but the captain let McKay do all the talking. Such a laissez-faire management style could often prove useful, but not, to Zack’s mind, when the subordinate was McKay. But McKay looked different today, and not just because he had on jeans and a T-shirt rather than a suit. He seemed deflated, his features sunken into his face. Zach wondered if it was finding out the man he’d believed to be the perpetrator all along was more than likely completely innocent.

  Zack tuned in to what McKay was saying, droning on in an emotionless monotone. “The m.e.’s preliminary assessment is that Thorpe has been dead at least a few months, possibly a year. The house was not the primary crime scene, but a dump site. A team is still at the house collecting evidence, but so far it doesn’t look like this is his kill site either.”

  McKay paused looking into the crowd assembled. As he found who he was looking for, a sneer crossed his face. “I see Dr. Waters is here with us now. How does it feel to know you were right all along?”

  Zach’s hands fisted and he took a step forward. Then he felt Smitty’s hand on his arm. “Just wait.”

  “Pretty damn shitty. Thanks for asking. But while we’re on the subject, maybe you boys wouldn’t be in this freaking mess if you’d listened to me in the first place.”

  Beside him Smitty shook his head and tsked. “When is that boy ever going to learn?”

  Zach wouldn’t mind pounding the lesson into McKay’s head himself. But apparently McKay wasn’t finished yet. “What do you suggest we do next, Doctor?” he asked in a tone that said he doubted Alex would come up with anything.

  “Find out who owned the house last. It obviously means something to your killer.”

  “We’re already on that,” the captain said, in one sentence asserting his authority over the room. He went on to say that the only real clue was a tire print found at the scene. Assignments were discussed before the meeting broke. The captain motioned him over. “I’d like to speak to you, Smitty, and Dr. Waters in my office in five minutes.”

  “No problem.” As the room cleared, Zach went back to where Smitty stood next to Alex.

  Smitty nodded to where the captain and McKay stood. “It appears to me someone is getting dressed down.”

  Zach glanced over his shoulder. Whatever the two men were saying, he couldn’t hear and didn’t really want to, as long as McKay got his act together. “The captain wants to see us in his office.”

  “Do tell,” Smitty said. “Wonder what we did now?”

  Zach shrugged. They’d find out soon enough.

  They’d only been in his office a couple of moments when Captain Craig came in. He sat behind his desk and folded his hands and leaned forward toward Alex. She assumed the smile on his face was for her benefit, but it looked forced and uncomfortable. “First let me thank you, Dr. Waters, for your cooperation so far.”

  Which sounded like he was going to ask for more. “It was my pleasure.”

  “What’s your take on what happened tonight?”

  “Your killer wants to take credit for what he’s done. He coopted a bit of Walter’s pattern to divert attention from himself. He could have known Walter or known enough about Walter to find him and kill him to keep him from either getting picked up or trying to claim he wasn’t responsible. But if this man is after immortality, he can only gain that by eventually revealing who he is.”

  “You think he’ll do that?”

  She nodded. “But not yet. He’s got something else planned. Something that will eclipse what he’s done so far.”

  “And he wants you watching.”

  “Apparently, though I’m not sure why. My only certainty is that the man you’re looking for is in some way connected to my old practice. Hence the business card on the envelope that came with the flowers. Mine were the only fingerprints fo
und on that, correct?”

  “Yes. And we’re waiting until tomorrow to show the sketch of the kid around to some schools to see if anyone can identify him.”

  Alex nodded. She didn’t hold out much hope that the boy would be able to tell them anything even if they could find him. Anyone clever enough to pull off all this had to be capable of putting on a disguise.

  The captain sat back. “Thank you, Dr. Waters. If you can think of anything else, let us know. If you’ll excuse us for a moment, I’d like to talk to the detectives.”

  “Sure.” Alex stood. A trip to the ladies’ room wouldn’t be out of order at the moment. She glanced at Zach, who winked at her. But his arms were crossed and his jaw was as grim-set as it had been on the drive over here. What was that about?

  She let herself out of the office, got directions to the nearest bathroom from one of the officers, and went inside.

  After Alex left, the captain sat back in his seat and wiped his hand across his face. “This is some shit.”

  Zach couldn’t disagree with him, but he was waiting to hear what Craig said next. He thought he knew where this was going and he wasn’t having it. The case had shifted in more ways than one with the discovery of Thorpe’s body. This was no case of one sicko enacting his fantasies through murder. Whoever they were hunting was more gruesome, more calculating, and definitely a lot scarier, particularly since they had no idea who he was.

  He didn’t know how Alex fit into this mess, but he wasn’t going to allow anyone to use her in any way to lure this man out. That was Zach’s first thought when he first heard Craig’s comment about her “cooperation.” Despite his obligation to the job, his first mission was to protect Alex.

  Craig cleared his throat. “I want someone with that girl at all times. Where is she staying?”

  “She’s at my place.”

  He knew from the expression on the captain’s face that he wanted to say something, but didn’t. “Then I hope you don’t mind being watched because I’m putting a car outside your place. I’ve already subpoenaed Dr. Waters’s files from the hospital. I want her to look through them and see if she can find anyone with a connection to both her and Thorpe.”

  Zach relaxed a little, seeing that the captain was more interested in Alex’s protection than her participation. “Anything else?”

  “Check out the victims of Thorpe’s trial. See if any of the male relatives are still holding a grudge.”

  Zach had already thought of that and dismissed it as a possibility. Why go through all this trouble doing to other young women what was done to their own loved ones and worse? Why not just hunt Thorpe down and kill him outright? Then again, if criminals made sense, ninety-nine percent of cops would be looking for another job.

  Both he and Smitty turned to leave.

  “By the way, Stone,” Craig said. “McKay has been reassigned.”

  Zach nodded, instead of spoke, since the most likely words to come out of his mouth were “About fucking time.” He didn’t ask what McKay was transferred to since he couldn’t care less. Not until he stepped outside the office and realized Alex wasn’t outside waiting for him.

  Alex surveyed her image in the mirror above the basin as she washed her hands. Most of her makeup had worn off and lines of fatigue showed around her eyes. What she wouldn’t give for one long, uninterrupted night of sleep. Since that didn’t appear to be coming any time soon, she splashed some water on her face hoping for a temporary improvement in her appearance, then shut the water off.

  She patted her face dry and threw the towels in the trash. She needed to get back upstairs. Zach and his captain must have finished their conversation by now. Undoubtedly, she was at least part of their topic of discussion, which necessitated her leaving the room. She wanted to know what was said and what more they planned to do to find the killer.

  She pulled open the bathroom door, then took a step back in surprise. She hadn’t heard anyone outside the door, but Detective McKay was standing on the other side. The expression on his face was both weary and troubled.

  “Dr. Waters,” he said. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Nineteen

  Alex swallowed. McKay had startled her, but she wasn’t afraid of him. She was in the middle of a police station on top of that. But all things considered, his sudden appearance was unnerving. Aside from that, she couldn’t imagine what he wanted from her considering his behavior during the meeting. Perhaps his superior had suggested an apology was in order, but she didn’t want one, even if it was his own idea. “What about?”

  “I want to apologize for the way I’ve treated you, both now and before.”

  At least she’d had his motives down. “That’s not necessary.”

  “I honestly thought it was him. If we hadn’t found the body, I’d still think it was him.”

  She didn’t doubt that. He went after Thorpe with a single-mindedness she’d rarely rarely exhibited by those who couldn’t use her services. She’d always wondered why and it occurred to her this might be her only chance to find out. “Why?”

  McKay ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I have a woman waiting for me at home who was one of Thorpe’s victims. That’s the question she wants answered, too. Why? Why did he pick her? Why did he put her life and her children’s lives in danger? I wanted to be there when they caught him and ask him that for her. What am I supposed to tell her now?”

  He spoke the last words so quietly, as if they were more for himself, not to be shared with her. She couldn’t believe she actually felt sorry for this man. But he was thinking like a man, not a cop. Half the time these predators didn’t even have a motive or one they could recount to others. The truth of it was, his woman fit Thorpe’s victim pattern and she was available. Beyond that, Alex hadn’t a clue. “That you love her and that he can’t ever hurt her again.”

  McKay looked at her for a long moment, then slunk away without saying another word. She let out a sigh as she watched his exit, thankful that for the moment, at least, she wouldn’t have to contend with him again.

  “What was that about?” Zach asked, coming up beside Alex.

  She smiled up at him. “It’s not important.”

  Maybe it wasn’t, but he had the feeling she was covering for McKay, which surprised him. As long as the man hadn’t done anything to hurt or upset Alex he didn’t really care. She looked tired, which was understandable considering it was almost midnight. He lifted his hand to graze his knuckles along her cheek. “How are you doing?”

  “If I yawned now, would that give you a clue?”

  He chuckled. “Then let me get you home.”

  “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “I’ll get to it.”

  He slung his arm around her shoulder. Either she didn’t object or she was too tired to put up a protest. Considering the scene in his kitchen earlier, he chose to believe the former. What he still didn’t know is what her answer would have been if his phone hadn’t rung.

  The car Craig had promised was already parked across the street from his house when they drove up. He was sure Alex noticed, but since she said nothing neither did he. Despite their presence, he went inside to check the house before he let her in. Now more than ever he couldn’t afford any carelessness.

  When he finally let her in, he asked her, “Do you want to switch to the bigger bedroom?”

  “Right now, I’m too tired for anything but sleep.”

  He knew the feeling.

  At her door, she turned to face him. A small smile tilted her lips. “I guess this is good night.”

  “Mmm,” he agreed. “That it is.” But he didn’t move. He studied her face in the pale light from the hallway. Although he could see the fatigue in her, she looked as beautiful as he’d ever seen her. God, he wanted her, and not just sexually. He wanted to understand her, the woman she was now, to know what made her tick. To know how she could remain so calm and steady given all that had happened in the last few days. Surely she had to
realize that their perp was gearing up for something, which probably included hurting her. Most of all he wanted to know why she’d walked away from him all those years ago.

  “Tell me something before I go. Why did you give up on me, Alex?”

  “Why did I give up? You were the one who disappeared. You were the one who wouldn’t answer my calls.”

  “I was ashamed of myself, Alex. I’d fucked up. The last words your father spoke to me were to protect you. I don’t think putting on a condom was what he had in mind.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, Zach. I know you have this built up in your mind that big bad you seduced poor little me out of her virginity and that’s just not what happened. I wanted to be with you. I didn’t want to be alone and I didn’t want you to be alone. I wasn’t even a virgin.”

  “But—” he started to protest, but thought better of it. He remembered asking her, but she hadn’t said anything. She’d buried her face against his neck and he’d figured she was embarrassed by her own inexperience. But he also remembered her tears when he’d eased himself inside her. “Then why did you cry?”

  She huffed out a breath and gestured in a way that showed her exasperation. “I guess I was a virgin in all the ways that counted. You were the first man to show me any tenderness or consideration or kindness. I cried because it didn’t hurt, not because it did.”

  He didn’t ask the question, but he knew the answer. He wanted to find whoever had hurt her and smash them and smash them until there was nothing left but pulp. He pulled her to him and buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her ear.

  She let him hold her for a moment before she pushed away. “A woman answered your phone.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about. “When?”

  “Thirteen years ago. I wasn’t stupid, Zach. I knew there wasn’t really a future for us in that way. I knew I wasn’t a match for women your age. I wanted that one night, but I didn’t expect it to cost me everything. That woman who answered the phone was laughing. I could hear you in the background laughing, too. It was like being slapped in the face with the fact that I was just wasting my time. I hung up and never called back.”