Chapter 4 - The Trap Is Sprung
The next morning, I took the stained gauze pad straight to the hospital laboratory. I asked a trusted toxicologist colleague, Dr. Marcus Vance, to run a discreet screen on the sample under the guise of an unknown chemical exposure from an ER patient.
Two hours later, Dr. Vance called me into his office. His expression was grave.
"David, whatever was on that pad contains high concentrations of Digitalis glycosides mixed with a synthetic sedative," Marcus said, locking his door. "In small doses, it causes severe confusion and arrhythmia. In slightly higher doses, it triggers cardiac arrest that looks entirely natural. Where did you get this?"
"I’ll tell you everything soon, Marcus. Right now, I need you to keep this report off the standard system and hold it in a secure physical folder for me."
"David, this is attempted murder. Are you in danger?"
"I’m handling it. But I need one more day to make sure the evidence is airtight and the child involved is completely safe."
Leaving the hospital, I made two critical calls. First, to Sarah Lin, a top criminal defense and child advocacy attorney known for her fierce integrity. Second, to Detective Raymond Cole of the Portland Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, an old contact from my years in trauma care.
We met at Sarah’s downtown office late that afternoon. I laid out the flash drive, the toxicological lab results, the life insurance documents, and the medical history of Maris’s late first husband.
Detective Cole sat in silence as he watched the videos of Maris threatening young Lumi and forcing her to rehearse lies. His jaw clenched tighter with every second.
"This woman is a monster," Cole said, slamming his notebook shut. "We have enough here for child abuse, extortion, forged legal documents, and attempted murder."
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"We need to execute this cleanly," Sarah warned. "Maris is intelligent and slippery. If she gets wind that child services or the police are coming, she might try to flee with Lumi—or worse, eliminate Lumi to destroy her key witness."
"She won’t get the chance," I said, leaning forward. "She thinks her plan is working. She believes I am slowly being poisoned and that Lumi is terrified into silence. Tomorrow evening, she expects me to take a high-dose sleep aid she’s been urging me to take. We set the sting then."
