Chapter 5 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Gone
Daniel Mercer's younger brother was named Caleb.
He was thirty-four years old and worked as an independent electrical contractor.
He had no criminal record.
He had no obvious connection to Richard Harrington beyond his dead brother.
Yet his blood had been found inches from a room Richard was desperately trying to keep closed.
Khloe read the report three times.
"Where is he?"
The detective shook his head.
"We don't know."
Caleb's landlord had reported him missing after finding his apartment door unlocked and his dog alone inside.
His truck was still parked behind the building.
His wallet had been found on the kitchen counter.
His phone was gone.
The last outgoing call from that phone had been placed to Harrington Commercial Group.
It lasted forty-seven seconds.
"Who did he call?" Harrison asked.
"Main switchboard."
"Did they transfer him?"
"We are obtaining the records."
Khloe sat very still.
The story had moved beyond everything she understood.
Three days earlier, she had believed she was dealing with an unfaithful husband who wanted to steal money in a divorce.
Now a missing man's blood was on the floor behind a hidden wall in her house.
Harrison seemed to read her thoughts.
"You are not going anywhere alone."
"I already wasn't."
"I mean nowhere."
"Doctor appointments."
"Security."
"Court."
"Security."
"The grocery store?"
"Delivery."
Khloe stared at him.
"You are serious."
"Completely."
She wanted to argue.
Then the baby kicked.
Khloe lowered her eyes to her stomach.
Every argument disappeared.
"Fine."
That afternoon, the emergency divorce hearing began in a Montgomery County courtroom packed with reporters.
Richard sat at the opposite counsel table wearing a charcoal suit and a blue tie Khloe had bought him for their fifth anniversary.
She almost laughed at the cruelty of small details.
Vanessa was not present.
Harrison sat beside Khloe even though local family counsel handled most of the argument.
Richard did not look at his wife until the judge asked whether there was any chance of reconciliation.
Then he turned.
His expression was wounded perfection.
"I had hoped so, Your Honor."
Khloe felt Harrison's hand close around his pen.
Richard continued.
"But my wife has surrounded herself with people who are encouraging conflict."
The judge looked toward Khloe.
"Mrs. Harrington?"
Her lawyer leaned closer.
"You do not have to respond beyond the legal question."
Khloe stood.
"No, Your Honor."
"There is no chance of reconciliation."
Richard's jaw tightened.
It was tiny.
Most people missed it.
Khloe did not.
The hearing focused first on the estate.
Richard's attorneys argued he needed exclusive access because it served as an executive residence used for business functions.
Khloe's counsel produced photographs of Vanessa standing inside the house in Richard's shirt.
The judge denied exclusive possession to Richard.
Then came the prenup.
Harrison's handwriting analysis expert testified that the signature required examination of the original ink and paper before any conclusion could be reached.
Richard's team admitted they could not immediately locate the original.
The judge's expression hardened.
"You are asking me to enforce an agreement you cannot produce?"
Richard's attorney cleared his throat.
"We are locating it, Your Honor."
"Locate it before asking me to take property rights away from a pregnant woman."
The request was denied without prejudice.
Khloe should have felt relief.
Instead, Richard leaned toward his attorney and whispered something.
A minute later, his lawyer stood again.
"Your Honor, we need to address the child."
Khloe's heart began pounding.
The attorney spoke carefully.
"Mr. Harrington has concerns about his wife's medical decision-making and recent emotional condition."
Harrison slowly looked up.
The attorney continued.
"We are not asking for custody of an unborn child."
"We are asking for an order requiring notification of major medical decisions and access to prenatal information."
Khloe's lawyer objected immediately.
The judge appeared unimpressed.
"What evidence do you have that Mrs. Harrington is failing to obtain medical care?"
The attorney paused.
"We have records indicating severe emotional distress following previous pregnancy losses."
Khloe felt as if the entire courtroom had been allowed into her bathroom six years earlier.
Reporters began writing.
Cameras were not permitted inside, but she could already imagine the headlines.
The attorney produced photocopies.
Harrison leaned toward Khloe.
"Are those from the folder that disappeared?"
She recognized the clinic letterhead.
"Yes."
His expression did not change.
But something in the air around him did.
When it was Harrison's turn to address the court on the preservation issue, he stood with a single sheet of paper.
"Your Honor, opposing counsel has just offered medical records that were stored in a locked drawer inside Mrs. Harrington's private dressing room."
Richard's lawyer objected.
The judge held up a hand.
Harrison continued.
"That drawer was found empty yesterday during court-authorized access."
He placed photographs on the evidence screen.
"We asked Mr. Harrington's counsel to identify who removed those files."
"They declined."
Richard leaned back.
Harrison turned slightly.
"Now, less than twenty-four hours later, the missing documents are in this courtroom."
The judge's face changed.
"Counsel?"
Richard's attorney stood.
"My client provided documents already in his possession."
"When did he obtain them?"
"I do not know."
"Find out."
The judge ordered the medical records sealed.
She denied Richard's request.
Then she directed counsel to preserve evidence concerning the removal of Khloe's personal files.
Richard's public performance of concern had backfired.
When court recessed, Khloe walked into the hallway surrounded by security.
Reporters shouted questions.
"Mrs. Harrington, did your husband steal your medical records?"
"Is your marriage over because of Vanessa Kensington?"
"Are you concerned about your child's safety?"
Khloe kept walking.
Then Richard's voice came from behind her.
"Khloe."
She stopped.
Harrison did not.
He positioned himself between them.
Richard looked at him.
"Can I speak to my wife for thirty seconds?"
"No."
Khloe touched Harrison's arm.
"It's fine."
"It is not."
"Harry."
He stepped aside only far enough that he could hear every word.
Richard looked at Khloe's stomach.
His face softened.
For half a second, she saw the man she had married.
Then he whispered.
"You have no idea what your brother is doing."
Khloe stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"Ask him why he is more interested in my company than our divorce."
Harrison's expression remained blank.
Richard continued.
"Ask him what Daniel Mercer tried to sell him before he died."
Khloe's blood went cold.
Harrison took one step forward.
"We're done."
Richard smiled faintly.
"There it is."
He walked away.
Khloe did not move.
"Harry."
"Not here."
"Did Daniel Mercer contact you?"
"Not here."
The answer was enough.
In the car, Khloe waited until the doors closed.
"Tell me."
Harrison looked through the windshield.
"Nineteen months ago, Daniel Mercer called my office."
Khloe felt betrayed before he finished.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because he never became a client."
"What did he want?"
"He said he had evidence that a major developer was manipulating inspection records."
"Did he say Richard?"
"No."
"Did you know it was Richard?"
"I suspected the company could be Harrington after Daniel mentioned a residential project in Montgomery County."
Khloe stared at him.
"And you never told me."
"Daniel refused to give names without a written immunity arrangement I could not provide."
"He wanted me to connect him with federal prosecutors."
"I told him I could make an introduction if he brought evidence."
"He never did."
"Three weeks later, I learned he was dead."
Khloe looked away.
"You should have told me."
"I thought I was protecting you from an accusation I could not prove."
"You sound like Richard."
The words landed harder than she intended.
Harrison went silent.
Khloe immediately regretted them.
"Harry."
"No."
His voice remained controlled.
"You are allowed to be angry."
"I should have told you that a man contacted me about a company I suspected might be your husband's."
"I made the wrong decision."
Khloe stared at him.
Harrison almost never admitted mistakes.
That frightened her more than defensiveness would have.
"Did Richard know Daniel called you?"
"Apparently."
"How?"
"That is the better question."
At 6:20 p.m., the detective called with an update on Caleb Mercer.
The switchboard records showed his final call to Harrington Commercial had been transferred to the executive floor.
The recipient extension belonged to Richard's chief financial officer, Leonard Pike.
Naomi immediately searched the recovered server files for Leonard's name.
She found 312 references.
Most involved budgets.
Some involved offshore transfers.
One folder contained voice memos.
The forensic examiner recovered a recording dated six days earlier.
The audio was damaged but playable.
A frightened male voice spoke first.
Khloe recognized neither speaker.
"My brother kept copies."
A second male voice answered.
"Then you should have brought them."
"I need to know I'm safe first."
"You came into the wrong house asking for safety."
There was a scraping sound.
Then a sharp impact.
The first man gasped.
Khloe covered her mouth.
Another voice entered the room.
This one she recognized instantly.
Richard.
"Get him off the floor."
The recording ended.
Nobody in Harrison's office spoke.
Khloe felt the baby move again beneath her hand.
She stared at the dark computer screen.
Then the forensic examiner recovered one more audio fragment.
It contained only seven seconds.
Caleb's voice was weaker.
"If anything happens to me, she already has it."
A man asked one question.
"Who?"
Caleb answered with a name.
May you like
"Khloe."
