“It made the news.”
“Yes.”
“And someone you cared about was directly involved with it. You knew that, right?”
“No. I’m telling you Dane had no involvement in it.”
“He was cousins with the victim. You knew that?”
“Later, yes.”
“And yet you failed to come forward until this very day. Out of the blue?”
“I didn’t know this was going on. I didn’t know people still thought Dane had something to do with it. When that detective over there came to my house and told me … I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean by out of the blue. Nobody asked me, okay? If the police had asked me twenty-two years ago, I would have told them the truth.”
“The truth,” Cutler said. “Right. How convenient.”
“Objection!”
“Sustained, Mr. Cutler.”
Cutler had one hand on the lectern, the other in his pocket. He shook his head in disbelief. A show for the jury. Would they buy it?
“And we’re just supposed to take your word for it, is that it?”
“I don’t expect you to do anything. I was asked under oath to tell the truth about what I knew of Dane’s whereabouts that weekend. I’ve done that. I can’t control what people believe.”
“You were asked. Mrs. Logue, have you ever been arrested?”
“Yes.”
“What was the charge?”
“I have a DUI from 1998.”
Cutler was baffled. He’d lost control. I could almost see his wheels turning as he scrambled for what to do.
“Dane put you up to this, didn’t he?” Cutler asked.
“I believe I just said I haven’t talked to Dane in over twenty years. I didn’t know about this case. I live out in the country outside of Dayton. I make a point of not coming back to this area. It’s not good for me. I have too many bad memories. I’m not on social media. Detective Ritter showed up at my house at six o’clock this morning. It scared the crap out of me. I thought something happened to one of my kids. But he explained what was happening with Dane. He asked me if I could verify where Dane was that weekend. If I remembered. Of course I could. Detective Ritter brought me here and here I am.”
“Detective Ritter told you what to say.”
“No, sir. We barely talked at all on the drive. All I’ve been asked to do is tell the truth, and I have.”
Cutler paced in front of the lectern for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I’m through with this witness.”
Holly Logue left the stand. I wouldn’t have time to talk to her. I could only hope that I’d done enough with her.
“Ms. Brent?” Judge Saul said.
I raised my chin and faced the judge. “Your Honor, I have nothing further. We rest.”
33
Itook a moment as I stood at the lectern and scanned the spectators in the gallery. George Luke was here. He sat just behind my table. Hojo sat beside him, comforting him. Quietly whispering to him what to expect. On the other side of Hojo sat Hayden Simmons. She had stayed mostly away for the last two days of trial. But today, she and her grandfather shared the same bench. Not side by side. Not yet. But it was something.
