Page 91 of Ruthless Regret

Holson looks like he’s about to collapse. “I didn’t know. Not at first. And by the time I started to have doubts ... it was too late. What was I supposed to do?”

My mind is racing, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear—Ramsey knew something. Something about Louisa, about that night, that he never shared. And whatever it was, it was big enough to make him rush the investigation and pin it all on me.

I turn and stride out of the room, ignoring McFadden’s calls to calm down. I can’t be calm right now. I need space to think, to breathe. The air in the room is suffocating me.

Ashley is standing in the hallway, just outside the door, her face pale, eyes wide.

“Zain,” she starts, but I shake my head.

I can’t talk to her right now. I need a minute to get myself under control.

“Bathroom.” The word is clipped, and I stalk past her until I find the door I need. Once I’m inside, I shoot the lock and lean against it, closing my eyes and breathing deeply.

Name three objects…Cell phone, sink, urinal.

Three sounds … water dripping, my heart beating, voices faint beyond the door.

Move three body parts … fingers clench, head tilts, shoulders roll.

I take in another deep breath.

Okay, good. Another one.

I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, open my eyes and straighten. The noise in my head reduces to a whisper, and I’m ready to go back outside. I throw open the door, Ashley is standing just beyond it.

“I need to figure out what Ramsey knew,” I say, my voice hard, resolute. “Whatever it was, it’s the key to all of this. And I’m going to find it, no matter what it takes.”

“We will. We’ll figure it out.” Her voice is soft, soothing, like she knows I was hiding in the bathroom so no one would see the anxiety attack trying to take over.

Her eyes meet mine. I break contact, and look toward the interrogation room. Holson might not know everything, but he’s confirmed one thing for sure—Ramsey was hiding something.

And I’m going to find out exactly what it is.

My steps are slower as I walk back into the room where McFadden and Holson are. They both look at me, with differing expressions. McFadden looks irritated, Holson looks …scared.

"We're not done here." I break the silence, my eyes on Holson. "Not by a long shot. You're going to tell us everything you suspected, every fucking theory you have. You’re not leaving this room until I know everything that you know."

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

ASHLEY

Zain is pacing the room,while Holson sits at the table, pale and sweating. Sheriff McFadden sits opposite him, watching Zain. I’m standing near the wall, watching all of them.

“Why did Ramsey pin this on me?” Zain’s voice is sharp.

Holson looks down. “Look, I don’t know anything for sure, but there was a report ... A witness who said that they saw Louisa arguing with someone outside the house the day before the murders. I don’t know who it was, but Ramsey ... he made sure that report disappeared. He wanted the investigation focused on you.”

“Who was she seen with?”

“I don’t know. The witness said she was arguing with a man. She went into the house and shut the door, leaving him outside. He drove away a couple of minutes later.”

“And Ramsey buried it?” McFadden asks.

“Yeah. The next day, the report was gone. I asked about it, and Ramsey behaved like I was imagining things. Said there was no report, and told me not to mention it again. I got the impression that Ramsey was protecting someone,” Holson says. “He never said that to me, so it’s a guess. He wanted us to focus on building the case around Zain. Ashley saw him at the scene,she said he had the knife and was covered in blood ... There was no real need to look further for a suspect when we had one right there who ticked all the boxes.”

“You’re saying I was framed because I wasconvenient?”

Holson nods. “I’m saying now you’ve been exonerated, it’s looking like that’s what happened.”

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