Chapter 15 - The SignatureThe nurse's name was Andrea Moss. When Ortiz interviewed her, she became angry enough to shake.

Andrea showed investigators the timestamped note she had dictated while Corinne was still trembling in the examination room. It included details nobody on television had mentioned: the pattern of tenderness on the shoulder, the shape of swelling near the eye, the patient's exact description of being pushed. Andrea said she would testify about what she had personally observed, nothing more. Blair thanked her. 'You don't need to thank me for doing my job,' the nurse said. 'But I'm glad your mother has somebody in her corner.' Blair replied, 'She has more than one.' For the first time, it felt entirely true.

"I never signed that," Andrea said. "I photographed the injuries myself. The dates are in the hospital system."

The affidavit had been assembled from her publicly available licensing information and a forged electronic signature. A document examiner found mismatched font layers. Hospital logs confirmed she had entered her notes at 3:18 a.m., documenting fresh tenderness and swelling.

Nolan's defense attorney withdrew the affidavit as soon as the forgery came to light. The source of the document remained under investigation.

Blair was relieved, but Corinne looked exhausted. "How many times do I have to tell the truth before someone hears it?"

"As many as it takes," Blair said, then immediately regretted the answer.

Corinne placed a hand over hers. "No. That is how he wins. We tell it once, clearly, to the people who need to hear it. Then we live."

That evening, a judge issued temporary protective conditions. Nolan could not contact Corinne. Prosecutors filed new charges related to witness intimidation after reviewing the threats.

On their way out, Blair saw Elise waiting in the courthouse corridor.

"I need to talk," Elise said.

"Talk to Ortiz."

"I already did." Her mascara had run. "Nolan told me if I repeated his story on television, he would pay off my mortgage. I didn't see your mother that night."

Blair started to walk past her.

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Elise grabbed her sleeve. "There's something else. Peter is alive, and he isn't the one Nolan is most afraid of."