“From Ashes to Hope) Chapter 22
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I frowned slightly, trying to recall the vague thought. After a moment. Lead
slowly, “I’m not really familiar with the company’s affairs, but I can ask John be
knows anyone from the Lincoln family.”
Officer Lee replied, “We’ve already inquired about that Mr. Miller had be
interactions with Mr. Payne at a few business functions, but he wasn’t directly
involved in the dealings, those were handled by the managers.”
“I see,” I said, unable to think of any other questions at the moment.
“We’ll keep you updated if there are any new developmems in the case.”
Officer Lee added.
After hanging up the phone, I sat in deep thought for a long time.
Although I couldn’t pinpoint what felt off, a thought kept nagging at me
Felix Payne might be connected to Lily’s death somehow.
I waited anxiously at home for days, but there was no news.
The mix of anxiety and anticipation eventually drove me to revisit the stree
where my mother was killed.
For years, I had avoided that place.
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Each time I remembered my mother’s sudden departure, the
heart–wrenching pain would wash over me, a sharp pang in my chest.
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Nearly seven years had passed since the kidnapping, and everything had
changed drastically,
The once familiar street now seemed foreign, the places that held memories
of the case slowly fading with time.
I tried to recall the old shops and asked door to door if they still had
surveillance footage from seven years ago.
But all I received were negative responses.
any
It was understandable. Under normal circumstances, who would keep years-
old surveillance footage without a specific reason?
I stood at the intersection, lost in thought, wondering where else might have
old footage.
The noise from the street corner caught my
attention.
I saw a karaoke bar, newly renovated and reopened, with a lion dance troupe
performing at the entrance.
A large screen at the entrance was playing a loop of old footage of the bar,
fragments of time, recording bits and pieces of the past.
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clues.
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My eyes lit up as I stared at the screen, not wanting to miss any possible
In a scene of a past celebration at the bar, I spotted a blurry figure
The figure flashed across the screen, faint and fleeting, yet it sent
shockwaves through me.
Although the footage wasn’t clear, from the general outline and vague
movements, the figure strongly resembled Raina.
I remembered that outfit, it was a limited edition John had given her, and she
had even bragged about it to me.
My heart started to race. A strong intuition told me this could be the key to
solving the case.
I hurried to find the manager of the karaoke bar and earnestly requested the
footage.
The manager was very cooperative and quickly copied the original video file
for me.
I felt like I had struck gold. With this precious piece of evidence, I rushed to
the police station without delay.
The police took this new discovery very seriously and immediately sent the
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video to the technical department for detailed analysis and processing.
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If the figure was confirmed to be Raina, it would be a crucial and powerful
piece of evidence, proving the truth of her confession at the detention center
My mind raced with speculation, my heart filled with anxiety and
apprehension, unsure if this video would be enough to convict Raina
After a long and anxious wait, the video was finally restored.
The restored footage clearly showed Raina discarding something by the
roadside.
As the image sharpened, Raina’s figure and face became increasingly
recognizable, her every move captured in detail.
She looked slightly flustered, clutching a magazine tightly in one hand, then
quickly tossed it under the bridge.
To further verify the magazine’s details, the police immediately contacted
the magazine publisher.
Fortunately, the publisher had a meticulous workflow, and the layout
information for each issue was perfectly preserved.
The police carefully compared a screenshot of the magazine from the video
with the publisher’s layout information. After repeated confirmation, they were a
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perfect match, confirming the the magice & housuk Recogenerado
the issue featuring the Millers photo
However, despite these new discoveries, the mo
wounde
Legally speaking, this evidence only proves the Phased b
magazine, it wasn’t enough to definitively come be of sche
To convict Raina, they needed additional evidenor to c
involvement and complete the chain of evidence
So, the police began to re–examine the case, investigating Panas
relationships, daily routines, and other aspects, determined to meath me
evidence, preventing her from escaping justice forough her cunting les
Soon, they had a new lead. A man named David Canter emenet daar afar
Raina’s life had been shrouded in darkness from the beginning
Her father, Rick Monroe, was a notorious gambler, a man who recklessly
squandered his life at the gambling table. His wife, unable to bear in any longer
eventually divorced him.
Rick, unrepentant, became even more reckless with his gambling after his
wife left.
As his gambling debts piled up like a snowball, be even went so far as to
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almost sell his own daughter, Raina.
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John stepped in at the crucial moment, paying off his debts, saving Raina
from a tragic fate.
However, their relief was short–lived. Rick met an unexpected end.
He died from alcohol poisoning after accidentally drinking fake alcohol.
The police investigated and found that Rick had bought the alcohol himself,
ruling out homicide.
During this investigation into Rick’s death, the police found David Carter,
Rick’s childhood friend.
David was a middle–aged man with a weathered face.
When the police asked him about Rick, he frowned and said with certainty,” Rick must have been killed by his daughter.”
The police were startled. Could there be something more to the case?
