Nolan sat several rows behind the attorneys. He wore a charcoal suit and avoided my eyes. Celeste was absent. Brielle did not appear.
When I was allowed to speak, I kept my statement brief. “I loved my father. I organized his medicine because he trusted me. The evidence was interpreted as though there were only one explanation. There were others, and now we can examine them.”
The judge reserved a decision. I returned to detention with no guarantee of freedom.
Daniel was frustrated. “We made a strong showing.”
“Then let the record speak,” I said.
The following afternoon, Ortiz visited with news from Kentucky. Forensic testing had identified remains recovered near the farmhouse as Mara Quinn. Her family had been notified. The investigation was now a homicide inquiry, though the cause and circumstances remained under review.
I closed my eyes. For Elise, there would be no joyful reunion, only a grave and the knowledge that her sister had not simply walked away. I asked Ortiz to tell her I was thinking of her. Then I sat alone until the guards came for evening count.
