Fact or Fiction?

I finally got a call from JMT last night. Actually, she had her fiance call me. According to them, they had no idea that their check bounced. And, they've been in Boston all week so that's why she hasn't been returning my calls or picking up her mail. Here's the situation broken down:

• Wednesday, she got a call from the police saying her 9 year old daughter had been sexually assaulted at summer camp. This is why she's in Boston. Who would make up that kind of story?
• She said she had her calls forwarded to her in MA because she's working remotely for her company. If this is true, why is she saying that she didn't know I was trying to get a hold of her for FIVE days when I've left messages at both her home and her work?
• She said that her fiance's parents arrived at her home to check on her dog and the house Thursday night. That's why her phone was off the hook because she's been getting phone calls about her daughter. And that's how she found out that I had been trying to contact her, because they checked her messages. (Hear sarcasm and see my eyebrow raised in disbelief.)
• She says that according to her bank, it looks like I never even tried to cash her check. According to my bank, the check was rejected on her end, not mine. They're sending me a statement to that effect.
• She forwarded me an e-mail from her bank that says the check never came in to them.
• She's overnighting me a money order today that should get here by Monday.

What do I do now? I'm still inclined to boot her out. After 7 months of inconsistent rent payments, I'm seeing a pattern. How understanding am I supposed to be? I just don't know. It's hard to imagine someone would fabricate a story about their child just to have an excuse for not paying your rent. A more feasible story would be: 1.) I didn't get paid on time. 2.) My car broke down and I had to pay for repairs. You know? Stuff like that. But there are so many inconsistencies in the rest of her story that I'm having a hard time believing that they weren't aware that their check had bounced.

I'm sort of at a "wait and see" point. If we evict her and the house doesn't sell right away, C and I will be in a financial bind of significant proportions. But if she continues to live there and doesn't pay her rent, we still have to pay the mortgage and our rent anyway. I was also told by the lawyer I spoke to that Vermont judges aren't inclined to evict people when winter is right around the corner. When I get her money order, I technically don't have a legal reason to evict her and she could fight it and would probably win. Houses sell faster in the spring anyway, lol. I don't think there's a viable solution to this at all.

GEEZ!!