My Son-in-law Is Waiting For Me To Die To Inherit My $600k Home. He Doesn’t Know I Overheard His Entire Plan. Am I The Jerk For Setting A Trap To Get Him Arrested?
It broke my heart. This wasn’t Rachel; this was Rachel saying what Tyler had told her to say, trying to get back into my good graces and probably trying to get information about the safe.
“I love you, honey,” I told her, hugging her tight. “Always.”
That weekend, I went to visit my sister in Eugene, something I’d planned weeks ago. It was just an overnight trip, but I wanted Tyler to know I did leave the house sometimes.
I wanted him to feel comfortable unsupervised. Helen’s advice echoed in my head.
“Sometimes you have to give them enough rope to hang themselves.”
Caught Red-Handed
I came back Sunday afternoon. The house felt wrong the moment I walked in.
Nothing was obviously different, but there was an energy, like someone had been searching for something. My bedroom door was open, though I’d closed it.
The closet door was ajar, and there on the carpet near the safe were faint scuff marks. Someone had been kneeling there.
The safe was undamaged, combination lock still secure, but someone had tried to get into it. I could see scratches around the dial as if someone had tried to force it.
My hands shook as I checked the contents. Everything was still there, but it didn’t matter; the violation was complete.
I called Helen immediately.
“Wednesday,” she said firmly. “I’m filing the eviction papers tomorrow. Wednesday afternoon at 3:00, I’m coming to your house with the notice. That gives him one day to try something stupid. If he does, we’ll catch him.”
“What if he doesn’t try anything?”
“Barbara, men like Tyler always try something. His back’s against the wall. He knows you’re on to him. He’s going to make a move, and we’re going to be ready.”
Monday passed tensely. Tyler watched me constantly; every time I left a room, I felt his eyes following me.
Rachel was at work on a double shift. Tuesday morning, Tyler came into the kitchen while I was making coffee.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“About what?”
“About this situation. About respect. You’ve been acting weird lately, Barbara. Locks on doors, that safe. Treating me like I’m some kind of criminal. I’m your son-in-law. I’m family.”
“Family contributes,” I said quietly. “Family doesn’t freeload.”
His face flushed red.
“Freeload? I lost my job. I’m trying to rebuild. Rachel understands that, even if you don’t.”
“Rachel works 60 hours a week while you play video games.”
“I’m networking. I’m building connections. But you wouldn’t understand business.”
“I understand a man who doesn’t pull his weight.”
He stepped closer, his voice dropping.
“Be very careful, Barbara. Rachel’s my wife. If you push this, if you try to come between us, you’ll lose your daughter. She’ll choose me, and then you’ll be alone in this big house, getting older every day with nobody to take care of you. Is that what you want?”
My heart pounded, but I kept my voice steady.
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s reality. You need us more than we need you. There are plenty of places we could go. Rachel’s been talking about moving to Seattle anyway. Better opportunities there. Better for her career.”
He paused.
“But if we left, you’d never see your daughter again, or any future grandchildren. That would be sad, wouldn’t it?”
He left the kitchen, leaving me gripping the counter. I texted Helen immediately.
“He just threatened me.”
Her response was instant.
“Did you record it?”
“I had.” The device in the kitchen had caught everything.
“Tomorrow,” Helen texted. “Stay strong. One more day.”
Wednesday morning, Rachel left for work at 6:00 a.m. Tyler slept until 10:00, then emerged and went straight to his laptop in the dining room.
I stayed in the living room, pretending to read, actually watching the clock. At 2:30, Tyler got a phone call. His voice was excited.
“Yeah, I can meet now. Give me 45 minutes.”
He appeared in the living room doorway.
“I’m heading out for a meeting. Potential investor for my consulting business. Should be gone a couple hours.”
“Good luck,” I said neutrally.
He left. I watched from the window as his truck pulled out of the driveway, then I called Helen.
“He’s gone,” I said. “He said he’ll be back in a couple hours.”
“He’s lying,” Helen said immediately. “He’s waiting somewhere nearby. Barbara, I want you to listen very carefully. At 3:00, I’m going to text you. When I do, I want you to make a big show of leaving. Get in your car and drive away. Don’t actually leave. Circle the block and park where you can see your house, but he can’t see you.”
“You think he’s going to break in?”
“I think he’s going to use his key to enter his current residence and try to access your safe one more time. And this time, we’re going to catch him.”
My mouth went dry.
“What if he hurts me?”
“He won’t get the chance. I’ve arranged for Officer Patricia Mendes to be in the area. She’s a friend and she’s very interested in this case. The moment he enters that house after you leave, we’re calling her. She’ll be there in under two minutes.”
At 2:55, Helen’s text came.
“Time to go. Big show.”
I grabbed my purse, made sure to jingle my keys loudly, and called out even though the house was empty.
“I’m heading to the store! Be back in an hour!”
I slammed the front door, got in my car, and drove away slowly, making sure to pass the coffee shop three blocks down where Tyler’s truck was parked in the back lot.
I circled the neighborhood and parked two houses down where I could see my front door through someone’s sideyard. I felt ridiculous, like a spy in a bad movie, but my heart was racing.
Five minutes passed, then Tyler’s truck appeared, driving slowly past my house. He circled once, twice, making sure I was really gone, then he pulled into my driveway.
