On the file, Nolan’s voice sounded almost cheerful. He mentioned Mara finding records, an argument at the farm, and the property keeping a secret. Celeste interrupted. Her voice was thin and sharp: Nobody will ever find anything. Then Nolan said, Mother, that’s enough.
I had replayed those words in my mind so often that hearing them aloud felt unreal.
Daniel listened without smiling. “It’s powerful corroboration of your account,” he said. “But a court will still decide how it can be used.”
I understood why he refused to celebrate early. My conviction had been built from evidence presented confidently and interpreted too narrowly. We would not repeat that mistake, even against Nolan.
Ortiz interviewed the officer who had written the incident report. He remembered Nolan laughing when I asked about his first wife. He had thought it was a cruel remark from a bitter spouse, not a lead in a missing-person case.
