Chapter 32
“The prosecution calls Holly Logue to the stand,” I said.
Cutler made another objection, but even he knew it was futile.
Holly Logue looked to be in her mid-forties.
She was pretty, with short dark hair. She wore a loose white tunic and leggings.
She politely swore her oath and climbed into the witness box.
I gave her as warm a smile as I could, hoping my expression conveyed whatever encouragement she needed.
If she could have read my mind, I would have told her we could get through this together.
“Will you please state your name for the record?”
“Holly Laverne Logue.”
“Is that your married name or your maiden name?” I asked.
“It’s my married name. I was Holly Peterson. But that was a long time ago.”
“Are you still married to Mr. Logue?” I asked. Lord. I was flying blind here. I wanted to equally kill and kiss Gus Ritter.
“I am,” she said.
“Ms. Logue, will you please explain how you know Dane Fischer?”
“I met him a very long time ago. Maybe twenty-five years.”
“What was your relationship with him?”
“We met in rehab. I had an addiction to prescription medication. Xanax. Dane was using street drugs. We became close. Friends. And eventually, we dated.”
“I realize this might not be something you’re comfortable talking about. But were you married to Mr. Logue at the time?”
“Objection,” Cutler said. “This is beyond the scope of the issues in this case. It’s irrelevant.”
“Your Honor, I believe I’m about three questions from getting there.”
“You better be,” Judge Saul said. “Overruled.”
“Mrs. Logue, were you married at the time you began a relationship with Dane Fischer?”
“I was,” she said. “I’m not proud of that.
It was a complicated time in my life. My husband and I were in a rough patch.
And I take the blame for that. My addiction made things very difficult for the people who loved me.
Dane was … at the time, I felt like Dane really saw me in a way my husband didn’t.
We became romantically involved for a while. ”
“Mrs. Logue, were you and Dane Fischer romantically involved in March of 2001?”
“Yes.”
“Specifically, do you recall what you were doing on March 12th of that year?”
“I do.”
“And what was it?”
“My husband had gone away on a business trip. I was feeling pretty vulnerable. Trying to decide what I wanted. I invited Dane to come stay with me. I wish I hadn’t.
But things were very … confusing for me at the time.
I thought I wanted a divorce. Dane came over the night of the 9th of March.
That was a Friday. And he stayed until the morning of Wednesday the 14th. ”
“You were together from the 9th to the 14th of March?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What about the morning of the 12th, specifically, do you remember it?”
“I do. Dane and I drove to Ann Arbor. That’s about a forty-five minute drive from my house. We went to breakfast. It was my idea. I didn’t want anyone I knew to see us together. I was cheating on my husband. As I said, I’m not proud of it.”
“Mrs. Logue, we’re talking about a random Monday morning in March, almost twenty-three years ago. How can you be so specific about where you were?”
“Because a few days after that, Dane was brought in for questioning about the murder of his cousin. And I knew he didn’t do it. I knew he wasn’t even in town that weekend, because he was with me.”
A murmur went through the courtroom. Bennett Cutler was on his feet.
“You were aware that Dane Fischer became a suspect in Ellie Luke’s murder?” I asked.
“Yes. I became aware of that, yes.”
“How did you become aware of it?”
“Dane told me. And it was in the news. There was a search. The whole county was on high alert. I knew about Dane’s troubled history with that side of his family.”
“If you were aware that Dane was a person of interest, why didn’t you come forward then? If you knew you could provide him an alibi?”
“Dane loved me,” she said. “I loved him too. But I had decided I was going to try to make it work with my husband. With Brad.”
“Brad didn’t know you were having an affair?” I asked.
“No. Not at that time. No. And a couple of weeks after that, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. My son. Brad Jr.”
“Did you discuss any of this with Dane Fischer?”
“Yes,” she said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “Yes. Dane wanted to protect me. He didn’t … we knew he didn’t kill that girl. Neither of us thought it would go as far as it did. I begged Dane not to tell anyone where he was. I regret that now. This thing has cost him so much. I was selfish.”
“You’re aware Dane gave false information to the police about his whereabouts the morning Ellie Luke went missing?”
“Yes. But he was protecting me.”
“Did you ever talk to the police yourself?”
“No. They didn’t know about me. Dane did what he promised. He kept my name out of it.”
“What would you have done if Dane had been arrested?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. But it never came to that.
I was terrified. And I was pregnant. I was scared about what might happen if Brad found out about Dane and me.
I made every wrong choice. I know that. I know what people will probably think.
But things just died down. Dane wasn’t arrested.
Time just … moved on. I had my son. Brad and I managed to make things work for a while. ”
“Does your husband know now?”
She nodded. “Yes. Years later. After our daughter was born. I had a relapse. Postpartum depression. I went into treatment again. I decided I had to make amends. To come clean. I told Brad about what had happened and somehow, he forgave me. For the last fifteen years … well … the last twenty-two, I guess. I’ve been working to earn that forgiveness. To be worthy of it.”
“Have you spoken to Dane since you ended your relationship with him twenty-two years ago?” I asked.
“No,” she whispered. Then louder. “No.”
“You didn’t know this case had come to trial?”
“No. And I didn’t know how badly Dane’s family had treated him over the years.
I didn’t know they blamed him for killing that poor girl.
He didn’t tell me. If he had … maybe I could have helped him.
I don’t know. But I’m telling you now, Dane wasn’t in Waynetown on March 12th, 2001. He was with me. In Ann Arbor.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I have no further questions.”
Bennett came to the lectern. “Mrs. Logue, just so I’m clear. You said you were addicted to Xanax twenty-two years ago?”
“I’ll always be an addict. But I’ve been in recovery for twenty-three years. In 2001 I was sober.”
“So you say,” he said. “Twenty-two years. You admit Ellie Luke’s case was on your radar. You knew about it.”
“Yes.”
“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.”