Chapter 55

The moment the cover was lifted, Emma nearly jumped out of her skin. Her scream, shrill and piercing, could have blown the roof off the house. She bolted from the room faster than she’d ever moved in her life.

Rosetta caught a glimpse of what was inside the clear box and went just as white with terror. She turned to run but tripped over her own feet, stumbling right as Emma crashed into her from behind. Mother and daughter tumbled to the floor in a heap, Emma’s chin striking the ground so hard it drew blood.

In the living room, Adkins and Baillie jolted to their feet, startled by the chaos erupting down the hall.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

They rushed over, helping the frantic women to their feet as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Emma’s face had drained of color, blood trickling from her chin as she clung to Baillie’s shirt, her entire body shaking. Her other hand pointed toward the maid’s quarters. “A snake… There’s a huge snake–”

Baillie’s face turned ashen. “A snake in the house? You must have imagined it!”

Rosetta could barely speak; she’d twisted her ankle and her knees were numb from the fall. All she could do was bury her face in her husband’s chest, trembling uncontrollably.

Adkins and Baillie exchanged a look. Judging by the panic, this was no false alarm. They straightened up, though neither looked eager to play the hero.

“Go grab a stick,” Adkins ordered his son.

Baillie dashed out to the backyard, searching frantically until he managed to wrench a wooden plank off the top of the doghouse.

“Here, Dad…”

“What do you mean, ‘here’? You take the lead!” Adkins shoved his son ahead of him.

Moving at a snail’s pace, the two men crept toward the maid’s room, their nerves stretched tight. They expected to see the snake slithering across the floor, so their eyes stayed glued to the ground – but there was nothing.

Then Baillie happened to glance up and spotted the clear box on the table. Inside, coiled tightly, was a black-and-white snake as thick as a baby’s wrist. Its head was raised, and in its mouth was a smaller snake – it was mid-meal.

Baillie shrieked so suddenly that Adkins dropped to the floor in fright. A second later, Adkins saw the grisly scene for himself and didn’t even bother standing – he scrambled away on all fours.

“Call emergency services! Now! Call 911!” Adkins still had the presence of mind to think of the fire department.

Baillie was already cursing. “How the hell did a snake get in here? It has to be Ivy! She brought it home!”

Meanwhile, Rosetta and Emma had retreated to the couch, clutching each other, still shaking and pale. Hearing her son’s outburst, Rosetta muttered angrily, “She needs to move out… Just move out–”

Baillie called the emergency hotline, breathless as he reported, “There’s a huge snake in our house!”

After taking the address, the dispatcher assured him a crew would be right over.

None of the Windsors dared stay inside; they all rushed out to the front yard, followed by the housekeeper and the driver – who hadn’t even seen the snake but were spooked by the family’s panic.

The fire truck arrived in record time. Firefighters, fully suited up, hurried into the house – only to find the supposed monster was a pet snake, safely contained in a box.

“This is a pet snake, probably belongs to someone in the house. Why did you call us?” The firefighter looked at them, more amused than irritated, but clearly thinking they’d wasted his time.

Rosetta shook her head frantically. “No… It’s not ours. Please, just take it away! Get it out of here!”

The firefighter pointed out, “It’s in a box. The insects and small snakes inside are its food – someone’s feeding it. Looks like a California kingsnake. They’re nonvenomous and often kept as pets.”

Baillie sighed, forced to explain, “It’s my sister’s. She’s not home. Can you please take it?”

“Sorry, no can do. If it belongs to your family, you’ll have to work it out yourselves.” With that, the fire crew packed up and left.

The Windsors lingered outside, too afraid to go back in, cursing and blaming each other until Adkins finally calmed down enough to think clearly. “Didn’t Micah lend Ivy money? He must have her number. Call him, now!”

“Right.” Emma dialed Micah, quickly getting Ivy’s number. Micah, hearing the distress in Emma’s voice, asked what had happened, but Emma just blurted, “My sister keeps snakes!” and hung up.

At that moment, Ivy was at the mall with Katrina, watching a movie. Her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen, eyebrows arching in surprise. She hadn’t saved any of the Windsor numbers on her new phone, but after twenty years with them, she had every one memorized. Why would Emma be calling her? As she puzzled over it, realization struck.

No way…

“Hello?” she whispered, slipping out of her seat in the quiet theater.

On the other end, Emma’s furious scream nearly made her drop the phone. “Ivy, you’d better come home and get your damn snake! You nearly scared Mom to death!”

The sudden outburst made heads turn in the theater. Ivy offered an apologetic smile to those nearby, then whispered a word to Katrina before ducking out of the screening room.

“That’s my new pet. It was in my room – how was it bothering you?”

Emma’s voice was shrill with hysteria. “Are you out of your mind? Who keeps a snake in the house? If you want to risk your life, don’t drag us into it!”