Chapter 7 - The Interrogation Room
Down at the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, inside a brightly lit, windowless interrogation room, Evelyn Sterling sat across from Detective Peters. She was stripped of her expensive jewelry, wearing a orange county jail jumpsuit, her grey hair unkempt and wild.
On the other side of the two-way mirror stood Samantha, accompanied by her attorney Eleanor and Detective Elliott.
"Evelyn," Detective Peters said smoothly, placing the toxicologist's report on the metal table. "We found the dehydrator in your pantry. We found your fingerprints on the Zolpidem vials. And we found the receipt for the industrial neodymium magnets purchased online using your credit card."
Evelyn glared at him, her lips pressed into a thin, white line. "I have nothing to say to you without my attorney present."
"Your attorney stepped out ten minutes ago to negotiate a plea deal for Brandon," Peters informed her with a cold smile.
Evelyn's eyes widened in sudden, furious shock. "What? What did you say?"
"Brandon is currently in the next room signing a full confession," Peters lied smoothly, playing a classic interrogation tactic. "He told us everything, Evelyn. He told us that coating the magnets in sedative was entirely your idea. He said he begged you not to do it, but you threatened to cut him off financially if he didn't help you execute the plan."
"That coward!" Evelyn screamed, slamming her handcuffed hands onto the table, the metallic clinking echoing off the bare walls. "That pathetic, sniveling coward! I built him! I paid his debts! I covered up his failures for thirty years!"
Behind the glass, Samantha watched as her mother-in-law completely unravelled.
"So it was your idea?" Peters pressed gently.
"Of course it was my idea!" Evelyn spat, her face contorted with unhinged rage. "Brandon didn't have the stomach for it! He was broke, incompetent, and terrified of his own shadow! Samantha was sitting on millions of dollars in Oregon timberland while my son was facing bankruptcy! She deserved to lose everything! She was an outsider who thought she could look down on us!"
"And what about Nancy?" Peters asked, his tone dropping to a whisper. "She's five years old. She's your granddaughter."
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"She's a child!" Evelyn yelled hysterically. "Children heal! She was supposed to have a minor surgery, Samantha was supposed to be arrested for felony child abuse, and we were supposed to collect the insurance payout and sell the timberland! It was a perfect plan until that ungrateful bitch checked the camera!"
Behind the glass, Detective Elliott turned off the recording equipment. "We got it all on tape," he whispered to Samantha. "Full confession to premeditated attempted murder, conspiracy, and child endangerment."
