person scattering bait around our property during the night. My husband, who was working abroad, urged me not to make the situation worse. Hoping kindness might end the conflict, I decided to bring the woman a pie and speak with her calmly.
For a short time, our conversation seemed peaceful. Then the baby monitor suddenly erupted with my sons’ screams. Mice were pouring into our kitchen. The woman had apparently paid a teenager to release them through a ventilation opening. That was the moment I realized the situation had gone far beyond an unpleasant neighborhood dispute. I hired a lawyer and began organizing every photograph, recording, message, and piece of evidence.
That same night, a tremendous crash shook the street. Her house had partially collapsed. We rushed outside and helped pull her from beneath a beam just moments before another section of the structure came down. Inspectors later discovered that
