Chapter 3: B: Crime Scene Lockout

👉 [Previous choice]: You chose Option B – Demand her supervisor seal her house as an active crime scene.

After my shift, I stormed into Captain Evans’ office, the images of Kincaid in my house still fresh. “Captain, I need you to seal the Holloway House. It’s a crime scene. No one goes in or out.”

Captain Evans, mid-sip of his coffee, raised an eyebrow. “Holloway, officers confirmed no forced entry, nothing stolen that they could identify. It’s a trespass, not a break-in that warrants a full seal.”

“But the chalk symbols! The disc!” I insisted, my voice rising. “He was tampering with something.”

“CSI will sweep it. But a full lockdown? That’s reserved for active investigations, not potential occult mischief,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “We don’t have the resources.”

I walked out, defeated, only to receive a phone call a few hours later. It was Uncle Arthur. His voice, usually gruff, was sickly sweet.

“Maya, dear girl,” he began, “I heard about the… incident at the house. Such a shame. But you know, with these recent issues, it’s becoming a liability.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.

“Well, with the police reports, it technically makes the house an ‘unsafe’ dwelling. And since Clara’s will was… vague… and you’re not officially residing there, I’ve taken the liberty of filing some paperwork. For your protection, of course.”

My blood ran cold. “What paperwork, Uncle Arthur?”

“A squatting claim, dear. The property will be legally locked until the estate is properly settled. It’s for your own good. Keeps the riff-raff out.” He chuckled, a dry, unpleasant sound.

I raced to the house. Yellow police tape was indeed across the entrance, but below it, a new sign had been nailed to the door. “PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO TRESPASSING. BY ORDER OF THE ESTATE OF CLARA HOLLOWAY.”

My own house. Legally locked to me. Through the window, I could see the faint outline of Clara’s mirror, still undisturbed, but mocking in its silent presence. Kincaid had played me perfectly.