“Pardon

“Pardon?”
“Clearing it up.”
“You know,” she said. “I need to get rid of…this, this mess.”
I nodded and she cocked her head like a puppy. “Lauritz said you were thebest.”
First-name basis with her lawyer. I wondered if Montez had been motivated bymore than professional responsibility.
Stop, suspicious fellow. Focus on the patient.
This patient was leaning forward and smiling shyly, loose breasts cuppingblack jersey. I said, “What did Mr. Montez tell you about this evaluation?”
“That I should open myself up emotionally.” She poked at a corner of oneeye. Dropped her hand and ran her finger along a black-denim knee.
“Open yourself up how?”
“You know, not hold back from you, just basically be myself. I’m…”
I waited.
She said, “I’m glad it’s you. You seem kind.” She curled one leg under theother.
I said, “Tell me how it happened, Michaela.”
“How what happened?”
“The phony abduction.”
She flinched,Link. “You don’t want to know about my childhood or anything?”
“We may get into that later, but it’s best to start with the hoax itself.I’d like to hear what happened in your words.”
“My words. Boy.” Half smile. “No foreplay, huh?”
I smiled back. She unfolded her legs and a pair of high-heeled blackSkechers alit on the carpet,ladies rolex datejusts. She flexed one foot. Looked around the office. “Iknow I did wrong but I’m a good girl, Doctor. Ideally am.”
She crossed her arms over the Porn Star logo. “Where to start…I have to tellyou, I feel so exposed.”
I pictured her rushing onto the road, naked, nearly causing an old man todrive his truck off a cliff. “I know it’s tough to think about what you did,Michaela, but it could be really helpful to get used to talking about it.”
“So you can understand me?”
“That,” I said, “but also at some point you might be required to allocate.”
“What’s that?”
“To tell the judge what you did.”
“Confession,” she said. “It’s a fancy word for confession?”
“I guess it is.”
“All these words they use.” She laughed softly. “At least I’m learningstuff.”
“Probably not the way you wanted to.”
“That’s for sure…lawyers, cops. I don’t even remember who I told what.”
“It’s pretty confusing,” I said.
“Totally, Doctor. I have a thing for that.”
“For what?”
“Confusion. Back in Phoenix—inhigh school—some people used to think I was an airhead. The brainiacs, youknow? Truth is, I got confused a lot. Still do. Maybe it’s because I fell on myhead when I was a little kid. Fell off a swing and passed out. After that Inever really did too good in school,jeremy scott shop.”
“Sounds like a bad fall.”
“I don’t remember much about it, Doctor,fake uggs, but they told me I was unconsciousfor half a day.”
“How old were you?”
“Maybe three. Four. I was swinging high, used to love to swing. Must’ve letgo or something and went flying. I hit my head other times, too. I was alwaysfalling, tripping over myself. My legs grew so fast, when I was fifteen I wentfrom five feet to five eight in six months.”
“You’re accident-prone.”
“My mom used to say I was an accident waiting to happen. I’d get her to buyme good jeans, and then I’d rip the knees and she’d get upset and promise neverto buy me anything anymore.”