Chapter 14 - Four Days Before
The amount was eighteen thousand dollars.
Elaine initially told police it was a payment for event-planning work.
No event existed.
When the investigators showed her the records, she pressed both palms together until her knuckles whitened.
"I knew Isabella wanted Khloe gone," she admitted.
"Gone where?" Brooks asked.
"Out of the marriage. Out of the foundation meetings. She kept saying Marcus would never leave his wife unless everyone saw her lose control."
"Did she tell you she would hurt her?"
"She said there might be pushing. She said to keep the room clear. I didn't know she would kick her stomach."
Brooks regarded her steadily.
"You stood there after it happened and lied about what you saw."
Elaine began to cry.
"I was afraid I'd lose everything."
"Khloe almost did."
Through counsel, Elaine agreed to provide a complete statement and the original messages, knowing prosecutors could still hold her accountable.
Claudio Rossi issued another denial, insisting the payment was routine business and that he knew nothing about Isabella's plan.
But the financial investigation had begun to widen.
Meanwhile, Willa gained a few ounces and was tolerating more milk through her feeding tube.
Khloe spent hours beside her incubator, learning the meanings of unfamiliar monitor sounds.
One evening, Marcus joined her for a scheduled visit.
"I started counseling," he said.
"Good."
"Not because I think it earns me another chance."
"Good," she repeated.
For once, that was enough.
At the end of the visit, a neonatologist came to the bedside with a worried expression.
May you like
"Willa's temperature changed this afternoon," she said. "We're checking for infection."
Then the monitor above the incubator began to sound.
