Chapter 359

On the sixth day in the pitch-dark detention center, I didn’t get the court summons I was expecting. Instead, I was greeted by a pale-faced Henry Smith. In just a few days apart, he looked noticeably thinner, his expression cold and lifeless, almost like a wax figure. His icy stare carried the weight of someone back from the depths of hell, as if he were here to claim lives. In contrast, I was a complete mess. Five days locked up had done a number on me—terrible sleep, miserable food, and no comb for my tangled hair, only my fingers to rake through it. If it weren’t winter, I’d bet my clothes would’ve already started to smell. As I stared at him, waiting for even a brief glance in my direction, he didn’t so much as look at me. He spent the entire time speaking with the chief, exchanging a few more words before turning and walking away without hesitation. “You’re free to go,” a younger officer who came along with the chief nudged me when he noticed I hadn’t moved. That one sentence was