Chapter 236: Reality Stranger Than Fiction

Inside an interrogation room:

"Damn it! Why am I being detained? I'm the one who called the police! You should be investigating that apartment building—it's haunted, I swear!"

"Apologies, Miss Sofia, but we have a few questions for you. And by the way, the two paparazzi from World News Weekly—let me think—Desborough and Stevenson, yes? They've confessed everything."

Sofia visibly panicked, her unease almost tangible.

The interrogating officers seized the moment.

"Miss Sofia, you're the one who tipped off the paparazzi from World News Weekly last night, correct?"

"Yes, yes. I... I saw Martin enter my neighbor's apartment, so I sold the information for a little side cash."

"Was it $3,000?"

"No, it was $5,000. They still owe me $2,000."

"Were you under the influence of drugs or any other substances last night? Were you in a clear state of mind?"

"No! Absolutely not! I was completely sober!"

"After the paparazzi arrived, did Desborough and Stevenson sneak into Anne Hathaway's apartment across from yours?"

"There were four of them—World News Weekly sent four paparazzi. Two stayed downstairs to keep watch, and the other two went up to the apartment. But…" Sofia hesitated.

The officers exchanged glances, their patience wearing thin. One of them slammed a hand on the table.

"Answer the question! Don't think about lying, or we'll have no problem bringing in a polygraph machine."

"No, no! I'm not lying. It's just... what happened next was so bizarre that I'm afraid you won't believe me."

"Leave that to us. Just tell us everything."

Taking a deep breath, Sofia continued:

"When I got paid and returned to my apartment, I was curious, so I looked through the peephole to see what those two were up to. What I saw... it was horrifying."

"They claimed they were going to pick the lock to Anne Hathaway's door and sneak in. But what I saw was them fumbling around in the hallway like lunatics. Then Desborough took something that looked like a wire and shoved it into the crack of the stairwell door… and after that, they seemed absolutely terrified..."

As Sofia recounted her story, the two officers found themselves fighting the urge to laugh.

What were they investigating here—American Ghost Stories?

Later that afternoon:

A slew of reports had been compiled and delivered to the lead detective on the case, a middle-aged officer. As he gathered his team in a conference room, he began explaining the findings while jotting down notes on a whiteboard.

"We've confirmed that four paparazzi from World News Weekly were present at the apartment building."

"Two—John and Coulson—stayed downstairs as lookouts. The other two, Desborough and Stevenson, went upstairs, intending to break into Anne Hathaway's apartment to take photographs. This has been verified."

"Then things take a strange turn. What happened upstairs differs wildly depending on who you ask."

"Desborough and Stevenson are adamant that they successfully broke into Anne Hathaway's apartment and even filmed inside the bedroom. But instead of Martin and Anne, they claim they saw... a demon!"

Laughter rippled through the room.

The detective himself couldn't suppress a smile but carried on:

"Sofia, however, insists that those two never entered Anne's apartment. Instead, she says they ran around the hallway in a frenzy before shoving their equipment into the stairwell door crack."

More laughter erupted.

"Will, your findings?"

A tall Black officer stood and cleared his throat.

"This morning, I revisited the apartment building to carefully examine both Anne Hathaway's door and the stairwell door."

"The results? There were no signs of tampering or tools used to pick the lock on Hathaway's door, nor were there any marks near her bedroom door. However, the stairwell door does show evidence of having been pried open with some kind of device."

"Good." The lead detective nodded. "Jenny, what did you find on the laptop?"

A female officer stood, struggling to contain her amusement.

"Boss, the laptop contains two video recordings. I confirmed with several colleagues who were at the scene that both videos depict the apartment's hallway. One was recorded from the lower level, the other from above. And..."

Jenny's voice quivered as she tried not to laugh.

"And you can hear the paparazzi speaking on the footage."

"What did they say?"

"They screamed—'Ghosts!'"

The room erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

Even the lead detective couldn't help but laugh along. After a moment, he raised a hand to regain order.

"All right, calm down. Dawn, what did the forensic analysis reveal?"

A burly officer stood.

"We tested the powder found on Sofia's table and confirmed it's a new type of drug. Tests on Sofia, Desborough, and Stevenson all came back positive."

"We also found more of the drug in Desborough's bag. He admitted ownership but denies using it that night."

The lead detective's expression grew slightly more serious as he gestured for Dawn to sit. Turning to another officer, he asked, "Emily, what about your follow-up questioning of Anne Hathaway?"

A blonde officer stood.

"When Anne Hathaway came in for questioning, I asked her directly. She stated that she and Martin said their goodbyes at the apartment entrance and that Sofia, who was taking out the trash at the time, had briefly spoken to them. Martin did not enter the apartment."

"When informed that Sofia had sold the story of her and Martin entering the apartment, Anne was visibly shocked and outraged. She didn't seem to be lying."

The lead detective nodded, summarizing:

"This case is nearly wrapped up. Here's the conclusion—simple, really: Desborough and Stevenson didn't want to pay Sofia the remaining $2,000 and offered drugs instead. The three of them got high, which led to the absurd hallucinations."

"For Desborough and Stevenson, it was a terrifying demon in Anne Hathaway's apartment. For Sofia, it was an endless staircase."

Pausing for dramatic effect, he added with a grin:

"If we turned this report into a Hollywood comedy, it'd probably be a box-office hit."

The room erupted in laughter again.

[TL/N: CAST YOUR FUCKING POWER STONE TO THIS NOVEL! RIGHT NOW!]