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“I see you’ve given yourself a lot of time to get the other side of the story.”

“Deadlines are a bitch. What can I tell you? So would you like to comment on the fact that you tortured a bogus confession from a Greek national named Alexander Deckas?”

“Are you recording this conversation, Tom?”

“Of course,” he said in a patronizing tone.

“Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Come on, Mitch. You know how the game is played.”

“Sure do, Tom.” Rapp smiled at Kennedy and then asked, “Just wondering…you’re Jewish, right?”

Rich didn’t answer right away, and then when he did the levity was gone. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“Well, I know how you reporters pride yourselves on being neutral, but I was wondering how proud you’re going to be of that Pulitzer of yours after some crazy Islamic fascist nukes Israel off the face of the map.” Rapp paused to look at Kennedy, who was giving him a wary look. Rapp smiled and hovered over the speakerphone. “At least you’ll be comforted by the fact that you stayed neutral on the issue.”

When Rich spoke again, he was all business. “I take it you’re not going to comment on the accusation that you apprehended the wrong man and tortured him.”

“I’d love to comment on the accusation right after you tell me who your source is.”

“Sources,” Rich stressed the plural. “I have more than one, and you know I can’t reveal them.”

“I don’t suppose you’d consider delaying the story for a day or two?”

“Let me think about that for a second,” Rich paused one second and said, “I don’t think so.”

“Well, fuck you very much and thank you for wasting my time.” Rapp reached down and disconnected the call before plopping down in the winged back chair in front of Kennedy’s desk.

“I don’t think that was very professional.” Kennedy looked disapprovingly at Rapp.

“That guy thinks he’s going to string me up by my balls tomorrow.” Rapp shook his head. “He has no idea how big a mistake he’s about to make.”

Kennedy studied Rapp with suspicion. “Would you mind telling me what you’ve been up to?”

Rapp pulled a memory stick from his jacket and handed it across the desk. “This is going to be fun.”

Kennedy held the stick in front of her and asked, “What’s this for?”

“Your press conference.”

r /> “What press conference?”

“The one you’re going to hold at the White House tomorrow in response to the grossly inaccurate front page story that the Times is going to run in the morning. I took the liberty of putting everything into a Power Point presentation for you.”

Kennedy smiled. “What’s on here?”

“The video from the Starbucks on the morning of the attack. Agent Rivera’s official statement of what she saw seconds before the explosion. Customs and Immigration surveillance footage of Deckas at JFK the day before the attack. He entered the country using a fake passport, of course.”

“What else?”

“His complete confession.”

“Which the media will say was coerced.”

“Not after they hear it. It was very convincing. He admits to flying into JFK the day before the attack, spending Friday night in Pennsylvania, where he picked up the van, and then driving down to DC Saturday morning. He even admits to standing behind the same tree that Rivera saw him behind. All of it without provocation.”

Kennedy shook her head. “They’ll say you rehearsed the story with him.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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