Chapter 77

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

ZAIN

"Hi. Roxy Moran." The blonde comes toward me, one hand outstretched, when I walk out of the kitchen and around to where the pool is located. "You must be Zain."

I take her hand in mine. "I guess I must be."

"We're set up over here." She links her arm through mine, and I have to force myself not to pull away.

The L-shaped outdoor seating configuration is surrounded by cameras, screens, and microphones.

"Your lawyer said you wished to see what questions we'd ask in advance. The list is there." She waves a hand to the table. "Is there anything off limits?"

I shrug. "I have nothing to hide."

She beams at me. "Perfect. You are welcome to read through the list, just to make sure, but if you're okay with it, I might add some questions as we talk, if something comes up."

"Sure."

"Great! Well, I'll give you a few minutes, and then if you could join me on the couch. You were told this is going out live, right?"

"I was. "

"Good, good!" She nods. "The way it works is that there will be a ten minute delay, so it's live but not live . That delay gives us time to adjust, if something happens or we need to censor anything."

She continues toward the seating, and perches on the edge. I reach for the sheet with the questions on it, and scan over them. There's nothing on it I'm not expecting, which sets off an alarm in my head. There's absolutely nothing about Ashley. And I don't believe for a second that they haven't researched her, even if it was just as part of the original trial. She played an integral part in my conviction. There's no way they're not going to want to talk about her.

And if they looked into her, then they'll have found the marriage license.

I'm pretty sure I know what their plan is. They'll follow the questions until I say something that links to Ashley in some way and then they'll turn the conversation to her. They want an exclusive interview. They want shock value.

I hide a smile.

And that's what they're going to get … just not in the way they're imagining.

When the call to take positions comes, I move to sit near Roxy. She gives me another bright smile, while the TV staff move around, clipping microphones to both of our tops, and moving us around until we're at whatever angle they deem perfect.

Then silence falls, and a lone person starts a countdown. When he reaches one, he points at Roxy, who sits up straight.

"Good afternoon. I'm Roxy Moran, and you're watching Snapshots. Today we have a special guest with us. I'm delighted to be able to introduce you to Zain Ryder." She turns to me. "Welcome to the show, Zain."

"Thanks for having me."

"We're actually at Zain's parents' home, where we're sending this special episode out live to all our viewers. I'm sure many of you watching will be aware of the shocking news that Zain's case was being reopened and looked at, followed by the announcement that his conviction had been overturned. Zain became a free man on Saturday. It's been four days since your release. How are you feeling?"

"I think it's still all catching up with me."

"Is it okay if we go back to the start, and talk about the original trial?"

"Sure."

"Viewers might want to switch off or look away. We're about to discuss the brutal murder of a young couple." She shifts until she's sitting sideways and looking directly at me. "That night, when you walked into the house, did you know something was wrong?"

"The door wasn't locked, but that wasn't unusual. We lived in a quiet neighborhood, and Louisa never locked the doors. So no, not to begin with."

"And you walked upstairs to their bedroom?"

"I did." My right leg is bouncing, and I flatten my hand against my thigh to stop it. I don't need anyone seeing outward signs of how talking about this affects me .

"Reports are that Jason was still alive when you entered the room."

"He was. He was on the floor. Louisa was on the bed. It took me a minute to really understand what I was seeing, then I ran across the room. Jason was conscious, but not enough to really talk. He asked me to put him beside Louisa."

"Louisa was already dead?"

"I think so. I'm not sure. My focus was on Jason, to begin with."

"Did you ask who attacked him?"

"Of course I did, but all he wanted was to be near Louisa."

"What happened then?"

"I got him on the bed, just as his sister came into the room."

"Ashley Trumont. She was thirteen at the time, wasn't she?"

"Something like that."

"And it was her testimony that you were the one who killed them. That you had the knife. Did you have the knife, Zain?"

"I did not. I believe the knife was near the door. In fact, I think she tripped over it when she ran out of the room."

"And called the police?"

"That's right."

"How long did it take them to arrive?"

"Not long. It's a small town, and very little goes on here, so there was nothing else to stall their arrival."

"And you were immediately arrested."

"Yes." Movement beyond the cameras catches my eye, and Ashley comes into view. She stops, and I think she's figuring out if she's out of range of the cameras or not .

Roxy follows the line of my gaze. "Since coming home, you've spent a lot of time with Ashley, haven't you? Residents of the town have reported seeing you at dinner with her, and having breakfast."

"We had a lot to talk about."

"Like the fact it was her testimony that persuaded the jury you were guilty."

"As you said earlier, she was little more than a child."

"And now?"

"Now she knows it wasn't me. In fact," I turn to face the camera head-on, "since talking to Ashley, more information was brought to light that we didn't even know at the retrial. I spent yesterday afternoon with Sheriff McFadden, and …" I pause to check my watch "... an arrest related to the murders should be getting made right about now."

Chaos erupts around me.