Chapter 10 - THE PASSPORT
The passport appeared two days later.
It arrived at Harrison's office inside a plain padded envelope with no return address.
Khloe recognized it before anyone touched it.
A corner of the navy cover had been bent during a trip to Rome years earlier.
Her birth certificate was inside the envelope too.
The jewelry was not.
Harrison called the police detective assigned to the harassment complaint.
The envelope was processed.
No useful fingerprints were recovered.
But a postal barcode showed it had been mailed from a branch three blocks from Vanessa's rental apartment.
Again, suspicion was strong.
Proof was not.
Khloe looked at Harrison.
"How many times can someone stand one inch from proof before it counts?"
"As many times as necessary until the inch disappears."
She hated that answer.
But she had started thinking like him.
Evidence mattered more than certainty.
That afternoon, Vanessa sat for her deposition.
Paige Nolan arrived twenty minutes early and looked as though she would rather defend almost anyone else.
Vanessa wore a pale gray maternity dress and carried herself with careful confidence.
She looked directly at Khloe when she entered the conference suite.
Khloe had decided to attend.
Harrison had not objected this time.
Vanessa's gaze dropped briefly to Khloe's stomach.
Then Khloe's eyes moved to Vanessa's.
Two pregnant women.
One man between them.
Two unborn children who had done nothing to deserve the chaos surrounding their arrival.
Khloe felt no hatred for Vanessa's baby.
That realization gave her strength.
Harrison began.
"State your full name."
"Vanessa Claire Kensington."
"Occupation?"
"Interior designer."
"Relationship to Richard Harrington?"
Paige spoke before Vanessa could.
"You may answer."
Vanessa looked at Khloe.
"We are partners."
Harrison's pen stopped.
"Business partners?"
"Romantic partners."
"Is Mr. Harrington married?"
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
"Technically."
Khloe almost laughed.
Harrison did not.
"Legally?"
"Yes."
"To whom?"
Vanessa looked directly at Khloe.
"Khloe Harrington."
The questioning moved through the penthouse.
Furniture.
Travel.
Medical bills.
The Nassau reservation.
Vanessa admitted Richard had promised to divorce Khloe before her own pregnancy became public.
She admitted believing the penthouse would become their family home.
She denied knowing the purchase involved Khloe's separate trust funds.
Then Harrison placed the security still from Khloe's apartment building in front of her.
"Is that you?"
Paige leaned toward Vanessa.
Vanessa studied the image.
"I can't tell."
"Do you own that handbag?"
"Yes."
"Did you enter Khloe Harrington's apartment building on Tuesday evening?"
"No."
Khloe watched Vanessa's face.
No hesitation.
No visible fear.
Either she was telling the truth or she had practiced the lie.
Harrison placed the threat note down.
"Did you write this?"
Vanessa read it.
Her face flickered.
"No."
"Have you seen it before?"
"No."
"Did you know Khloe had received a new ultrasound image that week?"
Vanessa hesitated.
"Richard showed me one."
The room changed.
Khloe's hands clenched beneath the table.
Harrison remained still.
"When?"
"I don't remember."
"Where?"
"His office."
"Why did he show it to you?"
Vanessa looked uncomfortable.
"We were arguing."
"About what?"
"The divorce."
"What did the ultrasound have to do with the divorce?"
Vanessa looked at Paige.
Paige said quietly,
"Answer if you know."
Vanessa swallowed.
"Richard said Khloe's pregnancy complicated timing."
Khloe felt sick.
Harrison's voice became even more controlled.
"What timing?"
"Our plans."
"Explain."
Vanessa's face flushed.
"He said if he filed too aggressively while she was pregnant, Harrison would make him look cruel."
Khloe stared at Richard's mistress.
Even now, Richard's concern had been appearance.
Not her health.
Not their daughter.
Optics.
Harrison asked,
"Did Mr. Harrington ever suggest that stress might cause Khloe to lose the pregnancy?"
Paige sat forward.
"Careful."
Vanessa's eyes widened.
"No."
Then she corrected herself.
"Not exactly."
Harrison's gaze sharpened.
"What did he say?"
"He said her previous pregnancies had been fragile."
"He said if she became overwhelmed, she might decide to settle instead of fighting."
Khloe stopped breathing.
Paige looked at Vanessa in disbelief.
Harrison asked,
"When did he say that?"
"A few weeks ago."
"Before or after the injunction?"
"After."
"Did he tell you to contact Khloe?"
"No."
"Did you contact her anyway?"
"I called once."
"Anything else?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"No."
Harrison waited.
Then he placed the passport message on the table.
"Why did you ask Richard whether he had Khloe's passport?"
Vanessa's confidence disappeared.
Paige requested a break.
Harrison agreed.
Vanessa stood too quickly and winced.
One hand pressed to her abdomen.
Khloe rose instinctively.
"Are you okay?"
Everyone looked at her.
Vanessa stared at Khloe as though the question itself were an attack.
"I'm fine."
Khloe sat again.
She hated Vanessa.
But she would not hate the child.
After the break, Vanessa returned pale.
Paige whispered to her before they resumed.
Harrison repeated the question.
"Why did you ask Richard whether he had Khloe's passport?"
Vanessa looked at the table.
"Because Richard said Khloe might leave the country."
Khloe frowned.
"For what?"
Harrison raised one hand gently, reminding her not to speak.
He continued.
"Why did that concern you?"
"Because he said if she traveled, financial paperwork could become complicated."
"Did he ask you to take the passport?"
Vanessa's lips parted.
"No."
"Did you take it?"
"No."
"Did you know where it was?"
"He told me it was in their bedroom safe."
"Did you have access to the residence?"
Vanessa hesitated.
"Sometimes."
Khloe felt as though the floor had tilted.
Harrison's voice did not change.
"Explain."
"Richard gave me the gate code."
"Did you enter the house while Khloe was not present?"
Vanessa looked at Khloe.
"Yes."
Khloe's face went cold.
"How many times?"
Paige objected to the tone.
Harrison repeated calmly.
"Approximately how many times?"
"I don't know."
"More than five?"
"Yes."
"More than ten?"
Vanessa said nothing.
That was enough.
Khloe remembered unexplained perfume in the hallway.
A wineglass in the library she thought the staff had left out.
A scarf on a guest chair Richard claimed belonged to his assistant.
Vanessa had been inside her home.
Maybe inside the nursery.
Maybe inside her bedroom.
The humiliation became physical.
Her daughter kicked hard.
Khloe pressed a hand to her stomach.
Harrison noticed.
"We can stop."
Khloe shook her head.
"Keep going."
Vanessa's deposition ended at four.
As everyone stood, Khloe walked toward the door.
Vanessa called her name.
"Khloe."
She stopped but did not turn immediately.
Vanessa's voice was lower now.
"I didn't know about your trust."
Khloe faced her.
"You knew about me."
Vanessa swallowed.
"Richard said the marriage was dead."
"Then you should have waited for the funeral."
Vanessa flinched.
Khloe continued.
"You came into my home."
"You laughed about my miscarriages."
"You helped him plan a nursery while I was carrying his daughter."
"Whether you knew which bank account paid for the couch is not the part I am struggling to forgive."
Vanessa's eyes filled with anger.
"You think you're better than me."
Khloe shook her head.
"No."
"I think my daughter deserves better than all of us have given her."
She walked away.
That night, police called Harrison.
They had recovered a partial fingerprint from the inside flap of the passport envelope.
It did not belong to Vanessa.
May you like
It belonged to Richard's executive assistant, Jenna Coletti.
