Chapter 3 - The Arrest
Miles away, the family gathering was still awkwardly winding down. Beatrice was holding court in the living room, sipping her sweet tea and complaining to her sister about Sarah’s “dramatic overreaction” to a simple stomach ache.
The heavy knock at the front door silenced the room. Before Beatrice’s brother could answer it, three uniformed police officers pushed their way inside.
“Beatrice Vance?” the lead officer demanded.
Beatrice stood up, smoothing her silk skirt with aristocratic disdain. “I am she. Can I help you, officers? If this is about the noise, we were just wrapping up.”
“You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Lucas Vance,” the officer said, stepping forward and grabbing her wrists.
The living room erupted into chaos. Relatives gasped, shouting over one another. Beatrice’s eyes widened in genuine shock as the cold steel of the handcuffs locked around her wrists.
“Murder? You are out of your minds!” she screeched, dropping her Southern belle facade. “I didn't do anything! That brat just has a weak stomach! Let go of me!”
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“We have the security footage from the kitchen, ma’am,” the officer whispered in her ear. “We saw the vial.”
For the first time in her life, Beatrice Vance was speechless. The color drained from her face as she was dragged out of the house in front of twenty horrified family members.
