Page 139 of Two Kinds of Stranger

I stood with my back to the cold marble in the hallway outside court.

Kate and Elly were in an embrace. Tears streaming down both of their faces. It was the first time I had seen Elly smile in real life. That smile seemed to come from a deep place within her that had lain dormant and subdued for months. It was good to see.

She was free. The case against her had been withdrawn, with prejudice, by Bernice, who now stood beside me.

‘One of these days, things are not going to go your way,’ said Castro. ‘Be careful, Eddie. You made a lot of powerful enemies today. And you could’ve gotten yourself and your own people killed in the process.’

‘Bloch and Lake knew Mont was coming for them. And they guessed that the stranger would come too. NYPD still have no idea who he is. They’ve done a facial recognition scan, but they don’t hold out much hope of finding his identity. All I know is he’s dead. Elly knows that too. Kevin and Christine, and Elly, are free. My people are safe. And that’s all that matters. Apart from one thing.’

‘What’s that?’ asked Castro.

‘If you ever come for me or my family again, I’m going to take you out.’

‘Take care of yourself,’ said Castro. ‘I don’t want to be prosecuting somebody for your murder one of these days.’

I turned and watched Amy throw her arms round Kevin. He was crying. So was Christine. They embraced one another in the hallways of this old courthouse, ignoring the people milling around them.

They looked like a family.

I put my hands in my pockets and headed for the elevator.

A hand on my shoulder stopped me.

‘Thank you,’ said Christine. ‘I know what you did. What you all did. Lake and Bloch risked their lives for us.’

‘It was Kate. She won the case. . .’

‘I know, and I already thanked her. But I know you. She wouldn’t have gotten that Mont guy on tape if it wasn’t for you. That was your play. Thank you.’

We hugged, and I left Christine, Amy and Kevin to themselves and headed back to the office.

It was dark by the time Harry, Kate, Lake and Bloch got back. Denise had been busy all afternoon, handing out small checks to the former customers of Richard Reynolds Bail Bonds. He’d sold his car collection, and we were making good on our promises. Denise said he was booked on a flight to Toronto in the morning.

I watched through the glass partition in my office, as first Lake, then Bloch, Denise, and then Harry hugged Kate.

I stood up as she came into my office.

‘Eddie, I don’t know how to say this—’

‘Then don’t.’

She swept her hair away from her face, blew out her cheeks and stared at the floor.

Then she looked at me.

‘It’s not you—’

‘I know what you’re going say. You’re leaving. And it is because of me.’

‘No, it’s the job. You’re the best. You know that? Three people are walking around free today because of you. And I wouldn’t and couldn’t have done that. I need to take a break and figure out what I want to do with my life.’

‘You’re a lawyer, one of the best.’

‘I need time. I know I can’t do this job. Maybe I’ll come back to the law in a while. I just don’t want things to be awkward between us. It’s really not your fault. It’s the job. Sometimes you need to do whatever it takes to save somebody. And I don’t know if I can do that.’

She skipped forward, wrapped her arms round me.

‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’ve learned so much.’