“I do,” I answered. “I’m not asking you to believe me because I’m desperate. I’m asking you to verify what I said.”
Daniel placed a legal pad in front of me. “Start with the exact words. No interpretation. No conclusions.”
I repeated Nolan’s confession as precisely as memory allowed. Celeste’s interruption. The mention of belongings. The farm. The former business records. Every syllable felt like a stone set into a wall.
When I finished, Ortiz closed her notebook. “We’ll seek a warrant.”
“And my father?” I asked.
She held my gaze. “One step at a time.”
- A House Built on Trust
The holding room smelled of paper towels and burnt coffee. I had spent enough time there to know which ceiling light flickered, which guard hummed when nervous, and which chair wobbled. Before my arrest, I had believed wealth could purchase distance from ugly places. The last three months had cured me of that illusion.
