Page 55 of Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn #9)

Logan

Logan didn’t like surprises.

Hearing Flynn tell the court that Joseph Novak was going to testify for the defense was a surprise, considering Logan had shot him dead months ago.

He had felt it in his chest, a sudden collapse, as if all the air was being squeezed from his body.

After the initial shock of the revelation, he thought Flynn was bluffing.

But it would be very strange to tell the jury about a witness and then not call them to the stand.

Logan’s teeth squeaked, and he realized he had been grinding his jaw.

He thought back to that night.

It couldn’t be.

He’d seen Joe Novak next to Lake. They were walking side by side. He’d worn the same dirty, ripped coat as he’d worn when he first saw the man. And the shots were on target. Novak had dropped fast.

But he hadn’t seen the man’s face. It had been covered with a scarf.

Logan closed his eyes, blocked out the sounds of the crowd around him: the low buzzing of breath, shoes shuffling, sniffs, coughs, the ruffling of clothes and coats, and the whispers.

He thought not just about that night. He thought about the days leading up to it. There was no doubt that Novak did not want to be found. That he was frightened.

Could he have given his coat to a friend? Could that person have pretended to be Novak, at least for a short while, with Lake, to allow Joe to make a quiet exit?

It was possible. It was smart. To survive on the streets of New York for a long time takes more than luck. It takes someone to be smart. To be able to read the streets and the people who occupied them to stay one step ahead of the robbers, the thieves, the psychopaths and the cops.

His right fist tightened.

He opened a messaging app on his phone, and sent a secure text to the only contact within that app. A man who sold handguns. The man who had sold him the Beretta he’d used that night.

Now, Logan needed another gun.

There was no doubt now that Flynn and his investigators had Novak hidden somewhere. A place that was safe, secure. And, up until this moment, no one had been looking for him, believing him to be dead.

Now that Flynn had just announced Joe was alive, he would know that Logan would come looking.

This time, when Logan made his move on Novak, there would be no element of surprise. They would be ready.

Lake closed the app.

Opened his messages, sent a text to Grace.

I’ll be home late. Have to meet a client.

The reply came in fast.

No problem. I’ll wait up. I love you.

He typed back.

I love you too.

Wherever they were keeping Novak, Lake wouldn’t be too far away.

As much as Logan wanted to stay and listen to the case, taking out Novak was priority number one.

He would need to catch up on the case later through the news reports.

One other thing occurred to him – if this case started looking bad for the prosecution, Logan could not risk staying in the city. He would need to get away.

But not yet. He had to make sure Novak didn’t testify.

Without him, Elly Parker would be convicted.

No one would believe her story without a corroborating witness.

And, if she was convicted, Logan had nothing to fear.

If she was acquitted, the NYPD would come looking for the man with the suitcase who called himself Logan.

He could simply run now, but that would leave his fate to chance.

He had to make the last desperate effort to make sure Elly was convicted.

He didn’t want the police on his tail. Not now.

Not ever. Even if he was in a different country, ten years from now, there was always the chance that the police might get lucky, and he could be hauled out of his bed and extradited to New York to face his crimes.

Logan had never failed to accomplish anything he had set his mind to. He did not intend to begin now.

Quietly, he got up from his seat, left the courtroom and went in search of Gabriel Lake.