Page 32 of Two Kinds of Stranger

Logan didn’t make mistakes. Elly had been given the correct dose. And it had taken Logan longer than he had anticipated to break the cast off his leg in the bedroom. If he had gotten to her sooner, he would have made sure that she never left that apartment.

He had contingency plans for multiple scenarios. Some of those plans would need to go into operation.

First, he needed to make sure the NYPD were convinced Elly was the killer.

Second, no loose ends.

The homeless man who had given assistance to Elly while she lay on the street. He had seen Logan with Elly while she carried the suitcase. She had given him five dollars. And he had looked around while Elly was lying on the street. He had seen Logan watching the scene unfold.

One person accused of murder telling an extraordinary story of how she was almost killed – police will not believe that. But an independent witness corroborating some of Elly’s story? That was different. Logan had already cleaned out and left that apartment, rented under a false identity, and with no security cameras in the building to record his movements. Even if thepolice checked out that place, they would find nothing. Logan had studied the NYPD. He knew them, just as good poker players know their opponents. Now, he needed to learn about the new players in Elly Parker’s life.

He continued scanning the news articles on his phone.

. . .thePostunderstands that Kate Brooks, of Flynn and Brooks, is acting for Elly Parker. Eddie Flynn and Brooks are a formidable legal team with a string of high-profile victories in criminal trials. We have reached out to Mr. Flynn and Ms. Brooks for comment. If Elly Parker’s fans are hoping for a miracle to save their idol, Flynn and Brooks are their best chance yet. . .

Logan flicked his thumb to the left, bringing him back to his search page. With both thumbs he typed into the search bar. . .

Eddie Flynn Kate Brooks

Hit search.

And began to read.

9

Eddie

There are a lot of things in this country that can kill you.

Guns. Drugs. Disease. Car accidents.

Add to that list being arrested and charged with a crime. The so-called justice system can rip you apart just as fast as an assault rifle or a bag of heroin.

The first thing it takes is your dignity. Sitting in a cage with thirty other people whose lives have had a catastrophic turn is not good for the soul. Those who think they’ve hit rock bottom don’t know that there’s a whole other subterranean level. Your dignity is continuously peeled away.

Sitting in an interview cell awaiting her bail hearing, with Kate beside me, Elly still had a lot of layers of dignity intact. She had washed her face. Tied up her hair. My hope was that she could cling on to that fight. The worst thing that can happen is to give in to the process.

‘This is Eddie. He and I will be representing you in this case. How are you feeling?’ asked Kate.

‘I still can’t eat. My throat and my stomach are just. . .not good. Thank you for helping me. I’d heard about you two on TikTok. I followed some of your cases. I really need your help. . .’

I’d sat across from every kind of person in this situation. It’s easy to spot the people who half expected to find themselves in handcuffs wearing jailhouse sweats. They stand out. There’s a resignation to their demeanor, not acceptance exactly, but notfar off. The people who unexpectedly find themselves in the meat-grinder that is our legal system have the same expression. Shock. Horror. Total fear. They don’t know what’s going to happen to them and they have no idea how they got there.

‘Did you find out any more about James and Harriet? I still don’t know what happened to them. . .Jesus. . .their parents. . .You have to tell them I didn’t hurt them. I’m not a violent person. . .Something fucking terrible has happened and I. . .I. . .lovedthem. . .They hurt me so bad, but Ilovedthem. . .’

She collapsed into terrible, racking sobs, holding her sides in case they burst apart. She was young, and obviously she had talents, intelligence, but more than that she had been through an inferno in the last few weeks. The infidelity, her life blowing up for the world to see and now her husband and friend dead. And she had only just survived an attempt on her life.

And yet here was Elly Parker. . .She wasn’t feeling sorry for herself, or firing a hundred questions at us about what happens next and how she can get out of here–she was mourning the loss of her husband and her friend. And thinking of the howling pain that James’s and Harriet’s parents would be feeling.

I liked Elly Parker.

‘We haven’t heard anything more from the police,’ said Kate. ‘We’re trying to get more. And we’re looking into ways to verify your evidence about the guy with the suitcase–Logan. Right now, we don’t know if that’s a real name, and if it is we don’t know if it’s his first name or a last name, which means there are thousands of potential Logans in the New York area alone. We need a lot more if we’re going to find this man.’

Elly’s face was soaked in tears, and yet she nodded at Kate, trying to listen through the pain.

‘Elly, the only way through this is to take one step at a time,’ I said. ‘The first step is we have to get you bail. You’ve given all your financial information to Kate. You earn around onehundred and fifty thousand a year, some years more, some less. You have sixty grand in savings, and you can cash out some securities to add to that total. With bail, the judge usually sets a bond. It’s basically a financial promise to return to court for trial. If you don’t show, that money you made your promise with is gone. Now, we think altogether we can come up with what, a hundred grand?’

Elly nodded.