‘Sandra, do me a favor and wait in the car, please.’
She gave Ella one last glance and then disappeared out of the door, back into the lobby.The door shut behind her.
‘Sorry,’ Phillip continued, ‘she’s second chair on this.Great lawyer, but sensitive discussions are best handled by me alone.’
‘Go on.’
‘Well, Miss Dark, the problem we have is quite strange.You see, that woman who was in your apartment last week?We don’t actually know who she is.’
Ella blinked.‘Excuse me?’
‘Our client has not confirmed her identity.She hasn’t spoken to us, she hasn’t spoken to corrections staff, and she hasn’t spoken to anyone from your Bureau either.She has been entirely non-verbal since her arrival.’
‘Her name is Lindsey Doyle.’
‘You believe her name is Lindsey Doyle.’
Ella felt heat prickle the back of her neck.‘What are you talking about?There are pictures of her online.She had a job, a life, an address, a social security number.What more do you need?’
‘Yes, a Lindsey Doyle does indeed have all of those things.However, the woman who was arrested has no identifying possessions on her.We couldn’t find a wallet or ID card or even a cell phone.I know it sounds odd, but we’re struggling to say with absolute certainty that our client is Lindsey Doyle.’
Ella felt like she’d stepped into a world where all logic and common sense had gone out of the window.‘Are you being serious?The woman worked in a prison.She must be onsomedatabase.Pluck a hair from her head and match it!’
‘Well, we actually did something similar.’Stockley scratched his temple.‘And it wasn’t a match.’
‘Not a match?What are you talking about?’
‘The DNA on our client did not match DNA samples recovered from Lindsey Doyle’s known residence in Louisiana.Her fingerprints didn’t match the ones she submitted when she joined Louisiana State Penitentiary.’
‘Because she’s a master of disguise.She probably wore prosthetic fingers when she joined the prison.What about her employment photo?She must have had an ID badge.’
‘There’s a resemblance, sure.But it’s not definitive.The woman in that photo has different hair, different bone structure around the jaw.It could be the same person with a good disguise, or it could be two different people entirely.That’s the problem/ Everything about this woman isalmosta match but never quite.’The lawyer raised his hands and continued, ‘Look, this isn’t our responsibility.I’m just reporting the facts, and yes, there could be some trickery at play, but until this little detail is ironed out, our client is completely off limits.We don’t want to make things more difficult than they need to be, and we’re about to call your office right now and explain everything.’
Ella began to feel sick.There were three doors between her and the author of her pain and she couldn’t reach her because certain people couldn’t look up a picture online and match it to the person sitting in front of them.
What could she do?She could fight it.She could call Vernon right now and have him lean on the warden.She could invoke the severity of the case, the body count, and the fact that this woman had walked into her home and pointed a gun at the man she loved.She could make noise.
But noise wouldn’t get her into that room today.Stockley – and Doyle – had the law on their side, and they knew it, and Ella knew they knew it.She couldn’t get through this wall yet.
‘Fine.Talk to your client.Establish whatever you need to establish.But I want access the moment you’re done, and I don’t want to wait another week for it.’
‘We’ll be in touch.You have my word.Sorry you had a wasted journey.’
Ella didn’t know how much a lawyer’s word was worth, but she had to accept it regardless, unless she wanted to muddy the waters more than they were already muddied.
‘Thanks.You know, you could always just letmeget her name out of her.I’m the one she’s been after all this time.’
‘The law is the law, Agent Dark.Like I said, this is messy, and if I were you…’
Stockley let the comment hang in mid-air.Ella read between the lines.If they couldn’t prove Doyle was who they thought she was, then charging her for three murders would be near impossible.
‘This must be great news for you,’ Ella said.
‘Not really.If the woman in therediddo the things she’s believed to have done, then I’m not foolish enough to think she isn’t going to prison for a long time.If I manage to get her off the death penalty then I’ll consider it a success.If I can’t prove who she is, then I’m dealing with a home invasion and attempted murder, which could be less than ten years.
‘Wouldn’t that be easier for you?’
‘Yes, but…’ Stockley looked back towards the door that led to the cells, then back at Ella.‘I’ve been talking to that woman – well, talkingatthat woman – for two days, and I can tell she’s hiding something.My job is to ensure fair representation, not to put a killer back on the streets.If she walks and hurts someone else, that’s on me.Nobody wants to be the lawyer who got a serial killer acquitted.’
