Chapter 5 - The Trap Springs
Ten minutes later, two detectives from the Paradise Valley Police Department stepped into Edgar’s ICU room, flanked by two uniformed officers.
"Edgar Finch and Kristina Finch?" Detective Miller asked, pulling a set of steel handcuffs from his belt. "You are both under arrest for attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and insurance fraud."
"What?!" Kristina screamed, backing against the wall. "You can't arrest me! I'm an elderly woman! It was a wild snake! It crawled into the house from the desert!"
Detective Miller held up an iPad. "We have high-definition security footage from your neighbor’s driveway camera, Mrs. Finch. It shows you arriving at the house yesterday at 3:15 PM carrying a burlap sack and a snake hook. We also executed a search warrant on your bedroom two hours ago."
Kristina went completely silent, her jaw hanging open.
"We found the receipts from an illegal reptile dealer in Mesa," Detective Miller continued, "along with text messages between you and Edgar from three days ago. Would you like me to read them out loud?"
He cleared his throat and looked down at his screen. "'Make sure the venom is lethal. Once Nora is gone, the $25 million clears, and we move Heather into the main estate.'"
Edgar let out a pathetic, wailing sob, burying his face in his hands. "Mom... you promised me we wouldn't get caught!"
"Shut up, you idiot!" Kristina spat at her son, her maternal mask dropping completely to reveal the vile monster underneath. "I spent ten years pretending to like that barren, arrogant woman just so you could inherit her fortune, and you ruined everything because you couldn't keep your mouth shut around your mistress!"
"Take them both into custody," Detective Miller commanded.
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The officers stepped forward. Despite Edgar’s agonizing leg injury, he was handcuffed to the hospital bed frame under 24-hour police guard. Kristina was cuffed, her luxury designer handbag falling to the floor as she was led out of the hospital in tears, cursing Nora with every breath she took.
Nora stood in the hallway, watching as her mother-in-law was dragged away in disgrace. She felt no joy, no triumph—only the quiet, profound relief of a woman who had finally cut out a malignant cancer that had been slowly killing her life.
