Summary

In Chapter 17, Cohen called Bandoni with the new information he and Parnell had gotten from Jane. Parnell was hopeful that in just a few hours they would have Elise’s killer in custody. Bandoni told Parnell that Whip’s given name was Alfred Merkel, a name with which Parnell was familiar. She remembered he was part of a neighborhood gang known as the Royer Boys who escorted white girls to and from parties, and acted as a sort of neighborhood watch. Whip had been questioned about a missing girl ten years prior but had not been charged.

Cohen told Bandoni that he planned to do a “knock and talk” (219) at Melody and Whip’s house since they thought Melody and Liz, as well as Brown, might be in the house. They would call SWAT if anything spooked them. When Parnell and Cohen arrived...