Detective: This is a very serious accusation, Mr. Vance.
Thomas: I don't care. I want her arrested for attempted murder.
Detective: We need evidence. A hunch about a trust fund isn't enough for a warrant.
Thomas: The nanny confirmed Eleanor was alone with the baby.
Detective: That only proves opportunity, not intent.
Thomas sat across from the detective in the sterile police station. He pulled his phone from his pocket.
Thomas: I have cameras in the house.
Detective: Does your stepmother know about them?
Thomas: No. I installed them in the nursery and the kitchen last month for security.
Detective: Let's see the kitchen footage from yesterday afternoon.
Thomas opened the security app. He scrolled back to the timestamp Maria had given him.
Thomas: There. Watch the screen.
The high-definition video showed Eleanor walking into the kitchen in a silk robe.
Detective: Is that the nanny's prepared food on the island?
Thomas: Yes. The bowl of macaroni.
They watched closely as Eleanor looked around the empty room.
Detective: She is opening the pantry.
Thomas: Watch her right hand.
Eleanor pulled a small glass bottle from the top shelf. She unscrewed the cap.
Detective: Is that the peanut oil?
Thomas: I use it for stir-fry when Lily is out of the house. I keep it hidden.
On the screen, Eleanor poured a heavy splash of the oil directly into the toddler's bowl. She stirred it in carefully.
Detective: Good lord.
Thomas: She knew exactly what she was doing.
Detective: She didn't just pour it. She hid the bottle again in the back of the cabinet.
Thomas: Is this enough for a warrant?
Detective: This is a textbook case of reckless endangerment, bordering on attempted manslaughter.
Thomas: I want her in handcuffs today.
Detective: I will get a judge to sign the order immediately.
Thomas: And my father? Can he be charged as an accomplice?
Detective: We don't have proof he knew about it. But we can bring him in for questioning.
Thomas: He protects her. He always has.
Detective: Not today, Mr. Vance. Today, she faces the consequences.