Ruthless Regret (Ruthless Games Duology #2)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ZAIN

I leave my dad at the house to wait for the workmen he hired to arrive, and retrace the path I’d jogged back to their house. I don’t bother going inside, but head straight for my car and drive across town to the police station. It only takes a minute to find a parking space not far from the entrance, and I park the car, then walk inside. McFadden is at the front desk, talking to one of his deputies. He looks up as I approach.

“Ryder.”

“Got time to talk?”

He gives me a long look, then nods. “Come through.”

I follow him down the hallway and into his office. “Which situation are you here for?”

“Both.”

Waving a hand, he rounds his desk and sits down. “Take a seat.”

“What happened yesterday? Did Holson tell you anything?”

“I told you last night. He didn’t really have much to say, other than Ramsey was the lead detective on the case, and he was just following orders.”

“And that’s it? Nothing else?”

McFadden nods. “I’m afraid not.”

I sigh. I’d been so fucking sure Holson was involved.

“Look, Zain,” He leans forward. “Ramsey was the lead detective on the case. He had seniority, so Holson followed his lead. After you were arrested, Holson admitted that he started having doubts, but Ramsey wasn’t interested in investing any more time in it.”

“Holson knew there were holes in the case, but didn’t do anything about it?”

“That’s not what I said. Holson admitted there were a couple of things that he informed Ramsey of, but they never made it into the final reports. There was one witness who saw someone near the scene, who didn’t match your description. But Ramsey said one person wasn’t enough, and that Holson was letting his links to the Conway family cloud his judgment.”

“Holson didn’t like Louisa’s life choices. His parents were close to hers. For a while, I think, both families thought they’d end up together.” It’s one of the reasons I thought he had something to do with the murders. The crime of passion they accused me of committing, could have easily been true of him.

“Maybe, and his connection to the Conways was never brought up, which I thought was odd. Really, he should never have been part of the investigation because of it. But the Whitstone police department was even smaller back then than it is now.”

“What about Ramsey? Where is he now?”

“Retired, and off the radar. We’ve been looking for him, but he’s not easy to track down. Apparently, he went off-grid years ago. Holson thinks that Ramsey knew more than what was in the case files, but getting him to talk might be impossible.”

I jump to my feet, and pace the width of the office. “So, what? Ramsey just gets to walk away?”

“We’ll find him. You’re just going to have to be patient. These things take time.”

I stop pacing, and spin to face him. “If Ramsey has been off the radar for years, then he’s a ghost. For all we know, he could be dead. If he’s not, and he’s got the answers I need, I want him found.”

“I understand that you don’t want to wait, Zain, but we can’t rush this. We’re working to find him, but if he doesn’t want to be found, it’s not going to happen overnight.”

“I’ve been waiting for fourteen fucking years. We’re talking about my fucking life . What if there is more than just someone else being seen? What if it’s more than just a flawed witness statement? What if?—”

“I get it, Zain. I do . But you can’t go charging ahead, expecting all the answers to fall into place just because you want them. It takes time .”

I shake my head, but don’t push. I’m not going to win, and anyway, I have other avenues available to me which might make finding the missing detective easier. Instead, I sit down and change the subject slightly.

“What about the fire? Have you got anything on that?”

“We’re treating it as arson. I think the intention was to burn the house down, but you disturbed them.”

“Could it have been the same person who attacked Ashley?”

McFadden’s shrugs. “Maybe … maybe not.”

“How can it not be?” I snap. “First, I get a brick through the window, then someone comes after her. After that, the house is set on fire. Maybe someone is attempting to tie up loose ends. If so, I’m the biggest one of all. I wasn’t supposed to get out, but here I am.”

He runs a hand over his jaw, the gears clearly turning in his head. “You’re suggesting someone is trying to cover up what happened to Jason and Louisa?”

“I know they are. Someone wanted that case closed, fast , with me behind bars. They got their wish, and now that I’m out, they’re panicking. The fire, the attack on Ashley. It’s not about intimidation, it’s about keeping something buried.”

McFadden drums his fingers on the top of the desk. “If you’re right, whoever is behind this has had years to cover their tracks. They’re not going to make it easy for us to dig anything up.”

“I’m not letting this go. They thought they were safe with me locked away. They might have had time to cover their tracks, but there’s always something. We just need to figure out what it is.”

“Where does Ashley fit into this? She was just a kid when the murders happened. You don’t think she was involved, do you?”

I sink back onto the chair opposite his desk. “For a long time, I was sure she willingly played a part in putting me away.” I shake my head. “But no. I think it’s more likely that her presence there that night made things … convenient … for the real killer.”

“And now you’re married to her.”

“Which makes her just as much of a target as I was. There are things she’s repressed about that night.” I sit up straight. “I think she saw something that night.”

“Repressed? What do you mean?”

“Memories. There’s something blocking her from remembering everything.”

He frowns. “Interesting. If that’s true, then she could be a target as well. She has the potential to be a direct threat to whoever is behind this. That means this isn’t just about forcing everyone to accept you were innocent anymore. If you’re right, we’re dealing with someone who might be willing to kill again to protect their secret.”

“I’m not backing down.” My voice is hard.

“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to be careful. To take precautions. Did Ashley go to New York?” He waits for my nod, then continues to talk. “That’s probably the best place for her. She has her friends there. She’s not alone.”

“Unless she did see something that night. Whether she remembers it or not, whoever is behind this is going to want to make sure those memories stay buried.”

“Whatever you do, be careful .”

I nod, and push to my feet. “Keep digging into Ramsey. If you find him, tell me.”

McFadden rises from his seat as I head for the door. His voice stops me just as I turn the handle.

“One more thing.”

I pause, not turning around.

“Whoever is behind this. They’re watching you. If you get too close to what they’re trying to hide, they’ll know.”

I turn slowly to face him. “I’m not going to just sit back and wait for them to make another move.”

“Then don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.”

“Don’t worry about that. Any emotions I had were knocked out of me in prison.”

“If you find anything, or if you do speak to her and she remembers something, let me know.”

I nod, and walk out of the office. Once I’m in my car, I take out my cell. I need to make a call to the one person who can help me, but first I want to call Peter.

I need to make contact with Ashley. She’s not going to want to hear from me, but it doesn’t matter. She needs to hear what I have to say, and Peter is the best man to make that happen.