Page 50 of Ruthless Regret

“I don’t know, but these articles definitely suggest that the case wasn’t investigated properly. There’s a mention of the lead detective pushing to wrap up the case quickly. Me witnessing Zain in the room with their bodies made him the perfect scapegoat.”

Karla reaches for one of the articles. “What are you planning to do with what you’ve found?”

“I’m not sure,” I admit. “But I’m sure there’s more. What if the person who attacked me yesterday was trying to get to Zain before the truth came out? Or what if they were trying to stop me from remembering something important?”

Jessa exchanges glances with Karla. “You really think that could be what happened?”

I hesitate, not sure how to explain the uneasy feeling I’ve had all day. “It sounds crazy hearing you say it out loud, but yeah. Idon’t know why, but it feels like someone has been watching me all day long.”

“If someone is trying to keep you from looking deeper, they might not stop with yesterday’s attack.”

I look at Karla, then at Jessa.

“I’m not backing down. I have to figure this out. For Jason, Louisa,andme.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

ZAIN

I’ve been staringat the case files for hours, combing through the same reports over and over again, trying to make sense out of something that hasn’t made sense in fourteen years.

I lean back in the chair, eyes still on the screen. The police were too busy pinning everything on me to even think about anyone else. Ramsey practically had me locked up before the trial started. But this guy my mom mentioned. He definitely wasn’t part of the investigation.

There’s got to be something in these files. Even if it’s something small that I missed. An overlooked witness, a name in the footnotes, something they never followed up on because they didn’t care to.

I open the witness statements again, scrolling through the list of names, slower this time. I’ve read this list so many times, but tonight I’m looking for anything that seems out of place.

Nothing jumps out at me.

I pull up the crime scene reports, the forensics, the notes from the interviews. The same names keep repeating, the same details cycling through. But therehasto be more.

Scrolling through the forensic report again, I take my time. My eyes scan every detail, every fucking note, but it’s like tryingto read smoke. The report focuses on blood patterns, DNA samples, and the timeline of events.

Then something catches my eye.

Unidentified partial print, left side of front door.

I freeze, staring at the screen.

How did I miss this? Unidentified print?

Pulling up the rest of the report, I search through it. There was no follow-up investigation. No further notes. Just a single line buried at the bottom of the report.

They never followed up on it. Didn’t even send it off to see if it matched anything in the system.

I slam my hand down onto the table, causing my coffee to spill.

This could have cleared my name. They had physical evidence of someone else being there, and they didn’t fucking investigate it.

I click back into the witness statements, thinking about the man my mom spoke to. Could that print belong to him? What if he wasn’t just asking questions out of curiosity or to write an article? What if he wanted to make sure no one was looking for him?

The police interviews are next. I dig through each file, hoping for a hint of something …anything… that connects to that print. But there’s absolutely fucking nothing.

Ramsey didn’t care. Holson admitted he had doubts, but was more interested in his career than putting an innocent man behind bars. And now, I’m left chasing shadows.

I rub a hand down my face. I’m fucking exhausted. I need to sleep. But I can’t. I can’t shut down my mind. I can’t rest until Ifind out who that man was, and why the police ignored the print they found.

I need fucking answers.

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